Stages Of Development – Children 5 to 10 Years

• At this stage children will be mixing with more children at school & learning about families & friends, keeping safe, different feelings & where living things come from & how they grow

•Around 8 years old children will discover more about how bodies work but will need more information about how theirs and other people’s bodies are changing

•Hormonal changes, including mood swings & breast development, may start in females between 8 & 10 years old. Some girls may start periods as young as 8 and will need information about pads, tampons etc.

•It is important for boys to know about male & female body changes as, although they usually start developing later, they will notice the changes in girls in their class

•Children at this age already being exposed to messages on T.V, films, gaming etc. – it’s important they develop the ability to critically evaluate these messages

•They may become more involved in the online world with things like gaming, mobile phones and tablets. This might include unsupervised use