As your ten-year-old develops, they’ll grow their vocabulary and interact with others more confidently. They may also grow out of their clothes a lot! Talking about the physical and emotional changes of puberty can help prepare them for the big changes ahead. Scroll down to learn more about your ten-year-old’s development, explore resources available during and after school, and find free events across NYC.
Milestones
Skills children develop as they play, learn, speak, act, and move are called milestones. Learn about milestones to help you understand your child's development and act early if you have concerns.
Around 10 years old, many children:
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Social
- Solve social problems, such as fights with friends or siblings
- Want to gain approval and live up to expectations of people close to them
- Continue to develop and test opinions and moral values
- Show a wider interest in things outside of their everyday life
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Communication
- Hold long conversations with children and adults outside the family
- Write well without ruled lines
- Write in more mature ways
- Express feelings and emotions with words
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Learning
- Understand complex written sentences
- Read longer chapter books in stages, picking up where they left off
- Enjoy books and magazines on nonfiction topics they're interested in
- Are comfortable with addition and subtraction
- Start to practice fractions, multiplication, and division
- Master concepts of time, weight, and distance
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Physical Development
- Have more control of hand movements, with better handwriting and more detailed art
- Enjoy activities such as drawing, painting, sewing, or playing instruments
- Run, climb, ride a bike, or skate with confidence
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Health
- Have 5 to 6 ounces of grains daily (such as 1 bagel plus 1–2 slices of bread)
- Have 2 to 2 ½ cups of vegetables daily (such as 1 medium baked potato plus 2 medium carrots)
- Have 1 ½ cups of fruits daily (such as 1 medium or large apple OR 1 ½ cups 100% fruit juice)
- Have 5 ounces of meat and beans daily (such as 1 small chicken breast plus ½ cup of beans)
- Have 3 cups of milk daily
- Do 1 hour of medium- to high-intensity physical activity each day, including many 15-minute periods of activity
- Sleep about 9–11 hours per day
- Stay on schedule with shots
Act early by talking to a doctor, teacher, or social worker if your child:
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Act Early
- Has trouble sitting or standing up straight for long periods
- Can't follow spoken and written directions in class
- Often writes sentences with the wrong grammar
- Has low self-esteem
- Avoids activities involving movement and physical coordination
- Doesn't make eye contact with children and adults
Programs
Find the support your family needs to thrive
Comprehensive After School System of NYC (COMPASS NYC)
NYC Department of Youth & Community Development (DYCD)
Afterschool programs for students
COMPASS NYC has hundreds of programs for young people in kindergarten through 12th grade.
School Food
NYC Department of Education (DOE)
Free school breakfast and lunch
NYC students can enjoy free breakfast and lunch every school day.
School-Based Health Centers (SBHC)
NYC Department of Education (DOE); NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene (DOHMH)
Free health care in schools
Students can get free health care in their school.