NORMAL DEVELOPMENT Physical Development In the earlier years children grow rapidly but at the school aged years the child 's bodily changes occur more gradually therefore go through a stable period. Height increases about 6.25cm a year and weight gain is approximately 3kg a year. The trunk becomes longer, and arms and legs grow rapidly. The childish figure known as chubbiness disappears. The face becomes longer and the jaw develops a more adult prominence. Around the age of 6 - 7 years, baby teeth start to be replaced by permanent teeth at a rate of approximately four teeth per year. As these are full size, they can cause the child 's mouth to appear very full, but this becomes less obvious as the jaw continues to grow. Boys height and …show more content…
The eyes are now fully developed and eyesight should be at its maximum potential. As the body becomes leaner and more muscular, the child is eager to take part in strenuous physical exercise. Activities such as riding a bicycle, skipping, skateboarding and playing football are popular, and although the skills may be fairly limited initially, the child shows increasing stamina in practising and so becomes more proficient. Boys tend to be ahead of girls in throwing, jumping and running, as they have greater strength and more muscle tissue available for …show more content…
Children are curious about the use of letters and words to convey meaning, and have the manual dexterity to hold a pen or pencil and begin to write. Together, reading and writing broaden the child 's experience, enabling him to learn more about the world he lives in. His mental ability allows him to understand the symbols of letters and numbers, and by manipulating these, new experiences develop. A five year olds vocabulary is now about 2000 words and with exposure to new ideas and other children, this will rapidly increase. Although some of the rules that govern the English language, for example, are hard to learn, children can use increasingly complex sentences and make fewer grammatical errors as they go through school. One of the key tasks involved in mental development at this age is logical and consistent thinking. The school-aged child also learns to create more and more sophisticated classification systems - such as the characteristics of reptiles and mammals, or the differences between towns and