The age of 8 is an essential transformational period for a child, as it signals the start of middle childhood.
Behavior
Milestones for 8 year olds
The age of 8 is an essential transformational period for a child, as it signals the start of middle childhood.
The young child who once needed their parents for help with everyday tasks will no longer be as reliant as their mental, physical, and emotional growth soar. For many parents, having a more independent child is a welcome relief, but for others watching their young child quickly change into a self-sufficient kid can be tough. However, age 8 tends to be an enjoyable period, thanks to the maturing emotions.
Here, we will take a closer look at what you can expect during your child’s 8th year, including the physical, social, and emotional developments so that you know exactly what to expect. Of course, every child develops at a different pace, so if you have concerns about your child not meeting the expected milestones, we always recommend calling their pediatrician.
Education resources
Cognitive milestones for an 8-year-old child
Young children tend to have a very black-and-white perspective of the world around them, with things being right or wrong, good or bad, beautiful or ugly, but this starts to change when a child reaches the age of 8. An 8-year-old will start to understand more abstract concepts, such as being able to solve more complex math problems without having to count to 10 physically. Being able to conceptualize how symbols such as division and multiplication impact an equation is a new concept for an 8-year-old. This new level of understanding will carry through to many aspects of their lives.
Engaging with your child to support these complex ideas is essential, and one of the best ways to support their many interests is to encourage reading for pleasure. In a world that is often dominated by technology and screen time, books are a great way to introduce new ideas and topics while supporting your child’s cognitive development. In fact, according to a Harvard study, at 8 years old, a child will learn an estimated 3,000 words per year.
One of the most significant changes you will notice when your child turns 8 years old is the change in their language skills. As their vocabulary expands, they will be able to hold more mature conversations, and you will likely find they want to discuss the things happening in their lives in great detail, whether it be their friendships at school or the latest news stories. When combined with their new understanding of complex ideas, you will now be able to explain details such as Christmas being 1 month away, school starting in 2 weeks, or their birthday being in 1 week, without the length of time being confusing.
Physical development milestones for an 8-year-old
By 8 years old, a child will already have undergone many major physical developmental milestones, so at this age, the changes to look for tend to relate to their muscle control, coordination, and improved skills they have already developed. For example, when navigating the balance beam at the local park, you may find their balance improves, and they can move more confidently.
If they play a sport, you will notice their movements become more intentional, as jumping, twisting, and catching all improve as part of developing their motor skills. This growing confidence in active play may also encourage your child to participate in new sports or hobbies, so try to see what activities are available locally to support their locomotive development. This is also a great age to tackle essential life lessons, such as learning to tie shoelaces and ride a bike.
As their fine motor skills develop, the small muscles in their hands will be able to support neater, more precise handwriting compared to the first and second school grades. This improved legibility should continue for an entire story as they will now be able to practice a precise three-fingered grasp of a pencil. There are many great ways to support this form of development at home, such as building with K’nex and Lego, completing puzzles, and encouraging using knives and forks when eating.
Emotional and social milestones for an 8-year-old
One of the key milestones when a child reaches the age of 8 is the ability to decentralize, which enables them to consider points of view other than their own. This capability of considering other people’s emotions, feelings, and thoughts supports the development of more complex thoughts and emotions. For example, a child will be able to receive a gift that they do not like and still appear happy and grateful to spare the feelings of the giver.
This ability to feel empathy will mean that your child will naturally want to please the people involved in their lives, and they will feel sensitive to the views and beliefs of those around them. However, this can carry through to growing fear and anxiety if your child faces challenging situations or harrowing news stories.
However, it is essential to support your child through these new emotions as they may start to focus on areas of their lives in which they think they are not performing well in, such as school or sports, which can lead them to become very self-critical. This is part of their new ability to develop a more sophisticated sense of their place in the world, so they always try to support their natural talents, interests, and hobbies, giving their confidence a boost.
The age of 8 is also a key milestone within a child’s social life, with children at this age often enjoying close relationships with friends of the same sex at school. They naturally desire to be part of a group, so most children want to go to school or participate in a club. Children of this age strongly desire to be close to others and will try to find a group where they feel confident in their abilities.
This newly developing sense of themselves also comes when your child looks for more privacy. As they become more self-aware, think about allowing your child privacy by knocking on their bedroom door when it is closed and providing a private space for them to change. Many 8-year old’s also show an increasing interest in personal hygiene, so think about introducing a personal care routine which they are responsible for. This could include organizing their laundry, bathing or showering alone, and remembering to brush their teeth.
This age can feel like a child is becoming very independent, but they are still very attached to their parents and family. Your child may want to spend time with friends socially, but they will still have a strong desire to return home to their family surroundings and home comforts.
Growth milestones for an 8-year-old
Every child will grow at their own natural pace, with the average healthy 8-year-old following these key physical developments:
- Gaining roughly 7lb (3kg) over the year
- Growing roughly 2.5in (6cm) taller before their next birthday
- Their limbs may appear too long for their body as they enter a growth spurt
- They will lose roughly 4 baby teeth each year, with new permanent teeth growing in their place
Your child may not follow these exact examples as every child is different, but if you are concerned, a pediatrician can provide a growth chart with a curve tailored to track your child’s growth.
How to support the development of your 8-year-old
The best way to support your child’s development as they grow is to provide the support they need, whether it be encouraging them to gain some independence, helping them find new hobbies, or simply enjoying activities together as a family. It is essential to show your child that you always have time to chat about what is happening in their lives, as this will encourage your child to confide in you if they have any worries or issues.
It is quite common for 8-year old’s to struggle with their confidence, especially when it comes to issues within academic life, friendships or hobbies. Try to explain to your child that they do not need to always aim for perfection. Instead, they should feel proud of their achievements, and you should be ready to offer plenty of praise for their accomplishments.
If you have any concerns, a great way to learn more about your child’s life outside the home is to approach the teachers in their school. The teachers will be able to advise on issues that may be impacting your child’s ability to thrive at school, with issues such as relationships with peers and possible learning difficulties quickly identified.
As a parent, there are many simple ways you can support your child with their development, with the following tips being great for 8-year-olds:
- Try to limit their time on devices such as video games, tablets, and laptops. Monitoring your child’s screen time will help ensure they are still benefiting from the essential physical activity they need and from time spent with the family.
- Try to foster a love of books by reading to your child daily, and as their reading skills develop, allow them to read to you.
- Monitor and control their access to online content by setting parental controls, which will help keep them safe.
- Encourage your child to partake in new activities they enjoy and always allow them to express themselves, as this will help boost self-esteem.
- Try to gently approach discussions about complex topics that may confuse your child, such as violence, sexuality, drugs, and alcohol. Your child may be exposed to these topics outside the home, so open the conversation channels and find age-appropriate ways to answer their questions.
When to be concerned about an 8-year-old child’s development
Every child will develop at a different rate, so milestones will naturally vary from one child to another. As we have already covered above, there are many milestones that you should be monitoring within your including physical, emotional, social, and cognitive changes. By familiarizing yourself with the key milestones for this age group, you will be better equipped to offer the extra support they may need. The following are some examples of the typical milestones which you can use as rough guidelines:
- Their language skills will become more sophisticated, so they can follow longer stories and begin to understand more complex jokes.
- Their developing numeracy skills will help them with tasks such as counting backward and more complex math such as understanding fractions.
- They should be able to practice basic personal hygiene and dress.
- Their physical coordination will improve, so confidence in catching, jumping, running, and balancing should improve.
- Roughly 4 baby teeth will fall out to make room for new adult teeth.
- They will become more aware of their bodies, so you may find that complaints about tummy aches, headaches, and other aches and pains are more common.
- Their emotional skills will develop rapidly, and your child should be able to share, cooperate and show empathy.
If you do have any concerns about your child meeting these key milestones, try to approach a pediatrician, teacher, or another professional who will be able to offer the advice and support your child may need. It is always best to follow your instincts if you have any slight concerns, as it is often easier to support a child with early intervention than to wait until any issues have a more severe impact. The that your child may have a developmental issue include:
- Issues with socializing or communicating with others
- Issues with their academic progress
- Needing assistance with tasks such as getting dressed and brushing teeth
- Difficulty understanding the consequences of their bad behavior
A summary – Milestones for 8-year-olds
Every parent will feel proud as they watch their rapidly growing 8-year-old become more independent. However, it is also natural to feel a tinge of sadness that your baby is quickly changing before your eyes. However, always try to support the changes which your child is going through by helping them to learn new things and gain the independence they will need.
This age is a critical time in your child’s life. By supporting their growing independence and developing confidence, your child will feel the benefits in all aspects of their life, from their hobbies and schoolwork to their relationships with peers. We hope this article has provided detailed insight into the key milestones an 8-year-old child should meet.
