Common Developmental Traits by Age
(Adapted From Yardsticks: Children in the Classroom Ages 4–14, 3rd edition, by Chip Wood, CRS, 2007)
All children go through developmental stages as they grow. These stages of development are fairly predictable but children go through the stages at different rates. Although these are general characteristics, how quickly a child goes through these stages depends on many things, including the child's personality and environment. It’s common and normal for some children to arrive at a developmental stage a bit later or earlier than their peers. Each age is unique.
Age | Physical | Language/Cognitive | Social Emotional |
4 years old | Fine motor skills poorly developed. Visual focus on distant objects. Need physical activity. | Learn through exploratory play and activities that call on large muscles. Love being read to. Enjoy language and delight in playing with words. Short attention span for paper/pencil tasks | Friendly and talkative. Check in with adults frequently; need advice/modeling of appropriate behavior. Enjoy being with friends but often engage in parallel play. Love having helper “jobs”. |
5 years old | Still awkward with small motor activities. Able to see close objects best. Need physical activity. | See one way to do things. Imaginative; don’t always distinguish real from imaginary. Literal—raining cats and dogs means animals falling from the sky. Learn through direct experience. Concise; use a few words in response to questions. Concrete, sequential problem solving. Think out loud before acting. | Seek attachment and approval; want to “do it right”. Later in the year might test adult authority. Appreciate boundaries. Good at partner and solo work. |
6 years old | Energetic, in a hurry. Rapid growth. Noisy and active. Tire easily. | Very talkative. Love new ideas/ asking questions. Love “work” but sometimes take on too much. Begin to conceptualize past/ present and cause/effect. | Enthusiastic, energetic, competitive. Rush to be first or dawdle to be last. Seek friends. Easily upset when criticized or discouraged. Challenge boundaries and authority. Work well in small groups |
7 years old | Often keep eyes focused on small, close areas. Writing is very small. Can do quiet work for long periods. Increased physical coordination. | Good at classifying, for example tasks that involve sorting. Learn new words quickly; enjoy writing stories. Listen well; speak precisely. Value accuracy and completion. Enjoy hands-on exploration. | Need rules, routines, physical boundaries. May be moody or touchy. Seek relationships and form close friendships; may change friendships quickly. Rely on adults for help and reassurance. Work well alone and in pairs. Dislike taking risks or making mistakes. |
8 years old | Increased small and large motor coordination. Energetic; play hard, work quickly, tire easily. Able to focus on near and far. May have growth spurt. | Industrious, impatient, and full of ideas; often take on more than they can handle. Enjoy exploration but can be nervous about the world. Enjoy humor. | Adjust well to change; bounce back from disappointment. Like to talk and explain ideas. Like to work in groups. Concerned with fairness/justice. |
9 years old | Improved coordination. Like to push physical limits; tire easily. Restless; can’t sit still for long. Often report aches and pains. | Work hard and pay attention but may jump quickly between interests. Want factual explanations; enjoy scientific exploration. Difficulty with abstractions such as large numbers. Very verbal; love language and word play. Industrious and curious. Worry about global issues. | Competitive; may form cliques. Critical of self and others; need encouragement. Like to work with a partner of their choice; can work in groups but with lots of arguing. Seek answers to big questions. May see an increase in worrying. |
10 years old | Signs of puberty begin for girls ahead of boys. Muscles needed for big movements are developing quickly. Need lots of outdoor play and physical challenges. Enjoy precision tasks. Benefit from snack and rest periods. | Peer focused. Seek definitions. Playful. Gain identity through the group. Enjoy categorizing and classifying. Good at memorizing. Like rules and logic. Can concentrate on reading and thinking for long periods. Enjoy choral reading, poetry, plays, and singing. | Contributing member of group; eager to reach out to others. Quick to anger; quick to forgive. Hardworking; take pride in schoolwork. Open to learning mediation or problem-solving skills. Listen well and enjoy talking and explaining. Developing a more mature sense of right and wrong. |
