Child’s friends and other children their age are beginning to influence how the child sees themselves (their self-image).Develops close friendships with other children.Enjoys group play and may show an interest in joining a club or team.May get competitive when playing games – likes to win and might not be happy to lose.To help your child build their self-esteem, give your children tasks at home that they’re responsible for, and involve them in activities outside of the home. Begins to know the difference between behaviour that’s okay and not okay.May be interested in comparing animal and human behaviour. Still asking questions about pregnancy, birth and babies.Has their own sense of humour and enjoys telling jokes.Learns to describe their experiences and talk about their thoughts and feelings better.Tends to think that sexual terms are ‘bad’ words.May use some ‘bathroom vocabulary’ (e.g., enjoys rhymes about poo).Starts to think about the future, understand their place in the world more and consider other people’s view of things.Starts to show more independence from parents and family.They can be helpful, cheerful and pleasant as well as rude, bossy and selfish.Emotions change quickly and reactions are strong – children this age may be sensitive and overly dramatic.Their main attachments are still often with those of the same sex.They’re aware of reproduction and the differences between the sexes, but may not be too interested.They may explore adult roles with reverse role-play (e.g., acting out the role of the opposite sex while playing house). In the final stages of creating the base or foundation of their gender identity.Some children may start to experience physical changes related to puberty.Read more about what your child is experiencing in this stage of development. Talking about sexual health and sexuality now will help to start the conversation and keep it going as your child gets older. Your child is becoming more emotional, more independent and has a good understanding of their place, as well as the place of others, within their world. 7, 8 and 9 Year Olds Understanding Your Child’s Development