Your 6-years and-11-months-old: Child development and milestones

Congratulations mum! Your little one is now 6 years and 11 months old, and you’re probably excited to celebrate his/her 7th birthday! At this stage, your child has already learned a lot of skills, and is already capable of doing amazing things.

Your little one will also be keen on exploring his/her surroundings, and learning more about the world. This means that you have to be extra careful when it comes to your child’s safety.

Let’s take a closer look at your child’s developmental milestones at 6 years 11 months old.

6 Years 11 Months Old Development and Milestones: Is Your Child on Track? 

Physical Development

At 6 years 11 months old, your child has already made significant developments in terms of his/her physical development. He/she might be interested in taking up a sport, since his/her motor skills are well-developed at this stage.

During this time, your little one is growing about 2.5 inches (6 to 7 cms) each year. When it comes to weight, your child will gain about 4–7 pounds or 2 to 3 kg every year, up until the start of puberty.

You might notice that his/her movements are now more refined, and he/she can catch a ball without any trouble. At this age, some kids start to learn how to ride a bike, since they’re practically experts at keeping their balance!

All of these physical adept-abilities can be credited to your growing child’s body. At this stage, your child’s median height and weight* should be as follows: 

• Boys
  – Height: 121.5 cm (47.8 inches)
  – Weight: 23 kg (50lb) 
• Girls 
  – Height: 121.2 cm (47.7 inches) 
  – Weight: 22.7 kg (49.9lb) 

This is also a good time to get your little one engaged in physical activity. This is a crucial stage, and being involved and encouraging them to go out and play can help your little one stay fit and healthy.

At this age, your 6 years 11 months old should be able to:

• Catch a ball easily, and has improved hand-eye coordination.
• Balance easily, and gain skills such as riding a bike, or inline skates.
• Dance to music in rhythm.
• Can easily run, tumble, hop, and climb.
• Learn how to swim without any trouble.
• Skip rope.
• Write his/her name legibly, and his/her drawings will look more recognisable.

Tips

• Make physical activity a top priority not just for your little one, but also for the family. This is a crucial stage in your child’s life, and exercising with the family can establish good healthy habits in your child.
• Encourage your child to participate in team sports to foster cooperation. 
• Be sure to feed your child healthy foods such as fruits and veggies, and protein to boost his/her muscle growth and development.
• Try to limit your child’s screen time, and make sure that it doesn’t get in the way of family time or exercise.
• Let your child enjoy playing outside as well as playing with his/her friends.

When To Talk To Your Doctor

The following signs in your 6 years 11 months old may indicate that your child might have a problem. If you notice your child with any of these things, do not hesitate to talk to your doctor about it.

• Having trouble holding a pen, or writing his/her name legibly.
• He/she has problems with hand-eye coordination.
• Has trouble with physical activity, or finds it difficult to engage in sports.

Cognitive Development

At this stage, your little one’s brain development starts to go on overdrive. You might notice that his/her attention span has significantly improved, which means that your child can focus on various tasks without getting easily distracted. 

By 6 years 11 months old, your little one can also pay better attention to detail, and he/she will constantly be fascinated by new things. This also means that you will be bombarded by a ton of questions, so be ready to answer!

He/she will also start getting better at expressing himself/herself, and it’s not uncommon to see children of this age being outspoken and constantly speaking their mind. This is also when he/she starts to make more friends since he/she can better socialise with people.

As his/her first year in primary school slowly comes to an end, your 6 years 11 months old child should be able to: 

• Be able to socialise well with people, and make friends.
• Can tell the time.
• Can read and understand simple sentences.
• Able to understand more abstract concepts such as life and death.
• Starts to become even more observant of his/her surroundings.
• Able to accomplish simple puzzles.
• Starts to question things and shares his/her feelings about different topics.

Tips

At 6 years 11 months old, it’s important to encourage your child’s critical thinking skills. Here are some ways to go about it: 

• Encourage your child to share his/her opinions and observations about the world.
• Be attentive when he/she shares stories about his day in school, and ask him/her questions in order to engage critical thinking. 
• Your 6 years 11 months old child will be constantly bombarding you with questions. So be sure to keep your cool, and try to understand that this is your child’s way of making sense of the world around him/her.
• He/she is also able to add and subtract up to 20 easily.
• Talk to your child’s teacher to learn more about he/she acts in school, and so that you can find out what areas you should work on with your child.

When To Talk To Your Doctor

Please visit your doctor if you notice that your child showing any of the following signs:

• If your child has trouble counting, or is unable to tell the time.
• If he/she shows a lack of curiosity, or he/she seems uninterested about his/her surroundings.
• Has trouble understanding more abstract concepts.
• He/she is still unable to express himself/herself through words or struggles to communicate.
• His/her development still hasn’t improved from when he/her was 6-years-old. 
• Still has trouble with addition and subtraction of small numbers

Social And Emotional Development

You might notice that at 6 years 11 months old, your child seems to want to be more independent. He/she has started to be more comfortable with doing things on his/her own, or with friends. It’s not uncommon to see your child spending more time playing by himself/herself, or wanting some personal time.

His/her self-confidence also gains a boost at this age, and he/she will actively try to make friends in school or around your neighbourhood. Most of the time, boys will seek the company of other boys, and girls will seek the company of other girls, but it’s not uncommon to see mixed groups of kids playing.

Your 6 years 11 months old child will also have the following skills:

• Be able to work better with other kids, and playing with other children will be more fun compared to playing alone.
• He/she will talk constantly with his/her peers, and will start to learn how to socialise and behave around other people.
• He/she will also seek more independence from you, so it’s a good time to let him/her explore the world and learn things for himself/herself.

Tips

• Let your child make decisions, so that he/she can learn to make decisions and take responsibility for those decisions.
• Encourage your child to socialise with other kids. Don’t restrict interactions to just the same sex, having a mixed group is good for your little one’s social growth.
• Keep an open line of communication with your child. Your child might want to be more independent, but he/she will still seek your love and attention.
• Kids this age might start to lie, cheat, or steal. Be sure to let them know the difference between right and wrong, and that there are consequences for negative actions. 
• Be sure to give your child enough time to rest, and don’t pressure him/her too much when it comes to schoolwork.

When to Talk to Your Doctor

You must visit a doctor if your child:

• Has problems socialising, or has a hard time making friends.
• Doesn’t want to be more independent, or if he/she constantly wants to stay by your side.
• Is unable to express his/her emotions, or has a hard time talking about his/her feelings.

Speech And Language Development

At 6 years 11 months old, it’s not uncommon to hear your child constantly talking about all sorts of things. He/she might talk about his/her day in school, about what games he/she likes to play, or simply what he/she thinks about the TV show he/she’s watching.

Your child is also able to communicate better at this stage, and can express a number of feelings and emotions. You also might find yourself wanting some peace and quiet because your little one’s so talkative!

His/her spelling skills will also significantly improve during this time, and he/she should be able to write simple sentences without too much trouble.

Here are some other things that your 6 years 11 months old child should be able to do:

• He/she can understand and even tell jokes.
• Can communicate clearly, and is always eager to tell new stories.
• Eager to learn new words, and is constantly building up his/her vocabulary.
• He/she can also understand commands, and has no trouble doing what you ask him/her to do.

Tips

• Constantly read stories to your child. Books are your child’s best friend, and it’s always a good idea to turn him/her into a bookworm.
• Encourage him/her to use new words, and don’t be afraid to introduce more complex words to your little one.
• Kids this age might start asking about “bad” words, so be prepared to talk to your child about why those words should be avoided.
• You can teach your little one to start a personal diary, to help improve his/her writing skills, creativity, and memory.

When to Talk to Your Doctor

Talk to your doctor if your child:

• Has difficulty following understanding simple commands.
• He/she has trouble communicating or saying simple words.
• Has trouble reading, or easily gets confused when he/she reads.
• Is constantly falling behind in school.

Health And Nutrition

At 6 years 11 months old, your little one’s diet should still be full of nutritious and healthy food. Eating healthy food helps boost your child’s growth and development, and keep it at a good pace.

Boys and girls at this age also need to have the following amounts of calorie intake: 

• Boys: 1,835 Kcal/day
• Girls: 1,721 Kcal/day 

That’s why it’s a good idea to supplement your child’s diet with healthy snacks aside from their meals. However, make sure not to give him/her too many snacks since it can ruin his/her appetite.

As usual, exercise is also very important when it comes to your child’s development. It helps keep your child fit, strong, and healthy.

When it comes to your child’s diet, here’s what you need to provide:

Dairy group

Dairy products are crucial to your child’s development since they contain calcium which helps support bone and teeth development. However, some dairy products contain a lot of fat, which can be bad for your little one’s health.

Be sure to give your child low-fat or skim milk, yogurt, cheeses, and healthier dairy foods to keep his/her fat intake in check. At this age, your child needs anywhere between 17 and 20 ounces of dairy intake per day. 

In terms of servings, your child should have either 2 cups of milk, 1 ounce cheese, or about 1 cup of yogurt for each meal.

Protein group

Protein is important for your little one’s growth since it helps his/her muscle growth and muscle repair. Foods such as cheese, nuts, meat, fish, and beans are all good sources of protein for your child’s development.

Ideally, your child should have a meal with protein at least twice a day with a recommended serving size of either 2-3 ounces of meat, 1/2 cup cooked beans, or 1-2 eggs per meal.

Fruit and vegetable group

When it comes to fruits, three cups of fresh fruits are always the best choice for your 6 years 11 months old child. Fresh fruits have a lot of fiber which helps with digestion, and it also contains a ton of vitamins and nutrients that helps boost your child’s health and immune system.

Vegetables are also necessary for your child’s development, and your child’s meals should have vegetables as a main component. Your child should have two cups of vegetables at least 3 times a day, with a serving size of a cup cooked veggies or 1 cup of salad for each meal.

Grains 

At this stage, your child also needs to be given 4 ounces of grains per day. One ounce of grains equals ready-to-eat cereal, or one slice of bread, or half (1/2) cup of cooked pasta or cooked cereal. So he/she needs four times of this divided the entire day. 

You can choose whole grains, such as oatmeal, quinoa, whole-wheat bread, popcorn, or brown or wild rice. But make sure to limit refined grains such as white bread, pasta, and rice.

• Keep a healthy stock of fruits around the house to give as snacks for your kid.
• Vegetables should be a big part of your child’s diet.
• Occasionally replace meat-based protein with vegetable-based protein such as beans, nuts, and tofu.
• Developing good eating habits should be an important priority at this stage, so that your child takes these habits with him/her to adulthood.

In a nutshell, here’s what you child needs every day (refer above for what the amounts look like):

• Fruits: three cups for boys; three cups for girls
• Vegetables: two cups for boys; two cups for girls
• Grains: four ounces for boys; four ounces for girls
• Proteins: 36g for boys; 36g for girls 
• Milk: 17-20 ounces for boys; 17-20 ounces for girls
• Water: 1500 ml for boys; 1500 ml for girls (around six cups)

Vaccinations and Common Illnesses

Most of your child’s vaccinations have already been covered by this age. But if that hasn’t been the case, we’d recommend that you check with your physician for those still left, on a regular basis.

As your child spends more time in school, he/she may or may not contract common colds and the flu. So keep an eye out for rashes or fever, itching or even body ache. Encourage your child to share any feeling of physical discomfort and rush to the doctor if you are unsure of the cause.

As a reminder, here are the vaccinations that your child should have already received at this age:

• Diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough (pertussis) (DTaP) (5th dose)
• Polio (IPV) (4th dose)
• Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) (2nd dose)
• Chickenpox (varicella) (2nd dose)
• Influenza (Flu) (every year)

However, even with a complete vaccination record, your child might still catch colds, the flu and other common illnesses like Hand Foot and Mouth disease. If your child shows signs of severe discomfort, including vomiting, diarrhoea or very high fever (over 38°C/100.4°F), you must consult a doctor.

Treating Common Illnesses 

To manage the three most common medical issues in kids – fever, cough, and cold – you can try the following: 

• Fever: If your child has fever up to 38°C (100.4°F), give him/her plenty of fluids and encourage your kid to rest. You could also apply lukewarm compresses to your child’s forehead, armpits, and groin areas to help bring the temperature down. If your child’s temperature rises above 38°C (100.4°F) you should bring him/her to the doctor and follow medical advice to manage your child’s health. 
• Cough: While coughing is a reflex that clears the throat, it can become a nuisance if accompanied by a runny nose and sneezing. Ideally, you should first try home remedies such as ginger and honey mixed in lukewarm water. Plus, ask your kid to drink a minimum of eight glasses of water a day to help ease the discomfort. If your child cough does not ease after three to five days, or turns very phlegmy, bring him/her to the doctor for treatment and management advice.  
• Cold: Unless its extremely distressing, avoid taking any OTC medication for common colds. Colds are caused by a virus and so antibiotics will not help. If your child’s cold is accompanied by body aches and very high fever, it could in fact be influenza. You’d need to bring your child to a doctor if so for medical advice. 

It’s important to note here that while some medications can be bought without any prescriptions, your first option of treatment for mild health issues should be simple home remedies. For example, a child with a cold and cough should be given extra warm fluids.

He or she can also gargle with warm salt water for a sore throat remedy. Meanwhile, nasal saline solution will help decongest the nasal passage. 

It’s also a good exercise to teach and encourage your child to practice good hygiene, especially hand-washing which can help prevent the spread of illnesses.   

When to Talk to Your Doctor

See your doctor as soon as you notice that your child:

• Has unusual rashes, lumps or bruises that don’t seem to heal.
• Has a fever over 39 degrees C, or a fever that lasts for more than a week.
• Is under or over-weight for his/her age.
• Refuses to eat, or constantly doesn’t have a good appetite.

Previous month: Child development and milestones: Your 6-years-10-months-old

Sources: Web MD, CDC, Kid Central TN