10 Years

Milestones

Around 10 years old, many children:

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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:

• 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