What Are the Developmental Milestones for a 7-Year-Old?

Every child is unique, so there’s no need to panic if your child is behind a month or so in achieving a particular milestone.

Developmental milestones act as checkpoints in a child's development to determine what the average child can do at a particular age. When parents, teachers, and health care professionals familiarize themselves with these milestones, they can also identify potential developmental delays.

Every child is unique, so there’s no need to panic if your child is behind a month or so in achieving a particular milestone. Most children by the age of 7 years reach the following milestones:

Motor Skills

• Children may learn to combine their motor skills with other activities. For example, moving around while dancing.
• They may be able to perform easy household chores, such as using a broom or making their bed, in a more skilled manner.
• They may have more balance and coordination at this age. These skills will facilitate them to ride a bicycle, spin and twist while standing or doing somersaults, etc.
• Their hand-eye coordination may also be well developed. This means they can play catch, balance on a beam, or join a sports team.

Reasoning

• Children at this age may demonstrate signs of self-awareness, especially when it comes to skills. They compare their skills with that of their peers.
• They become more aware of their strengths and weaknesses and start to form perceptions around them.
• They may also learn to accept a difference of opinion or a conflicting viewpoint.

Academics

• Dimensions of language, such as sounds and patterns, become discernible.
• The child continues to build and expand vocabulary and speaking skills (literacy skills). This may be a good time to start teaching them a foreign language.
• Reading is pleasurable for most children, and they enjoy participating in dramatizations.
• They may understand that one word can have more than one meaning and tend to enjoy humor and puns.
• They may be able to compose complete sentences on their own.
• They may be able to read more fluently, and they may now know the difference between right and wrong.
• They would have typically mastered basic math skills, such as addition and subtraction, and would understand the relevance of this by applying it to word problems.
• Some students move ahead quickly when it comes to academics, while others may learn more slowly.

Emotions

• Seven-year-olds can typically talk about their emotions freely and have more emotional control, especially in a public setting.
• The emotional development of a 7-year-old will result in strong emotional reactions.
• Children of this age tend to complain, feel guilty, shameful, etc.

Self Awareness

• They typically tend to show independence from their family and start nurturing thoughts about the future. Some children have vivid pictures of how they see themselves as adults professionally and personally.
• Their developing self-image gives them a picture of how they see themselves in the world.
• They pay attention to team building and group work.
• It is common for 7-year-olds to become naturally inclined toward adults other than their parents, such as a teacher or a coach.
• They show a capacity to be mindful of others’ feelings and emotions.
• Some children may be inclined to spend more time by themselves. This is not a cause for concern because this may be driven by an inclination toward a solitary hobby, such as reading or playing a musical instrument.

Physical Growth

• Most children by the age of 7 years grow about 2.5 inches and gain about 7 lbs. in a year.
• They may also lose about four baby teeth each year. These are replaced by permanent teeth.

Seven-year-olds are mature enough to form their own opinions about many things. They look to peers and other adult authority figures to inform their ideas. Their parents’ opinions firmly matter to them. 

As the child looks, talks, and acts older, remember they are still not so big. They usually depend on their parents for guidance and discipline. Try to always keep expectations in line with their age and developmental abilities. 

Every child is different and parents cannot always control how quickly they will learn and develop. However, there are certain developmental needs children rely on to grow to their full potential. Understanding these needs and how parents can implement them will go a long way to supporting the child’s growth.