Library
Ages 6–8
Updated 25 Oct 2026
How your child is growing
- Many children this age dress themselves, tie their shoes and catch a ball more easily using only their hands.
- Your child shows more independence from parents and family, starts to think about the future and understands more about their place in the world.
- Friendships matter more and more. Your child pays more attention to friendship and teamwork, and wants to be liked and accepted.
- Mental skills develop quickly. Your child finds better ways to describe experiences and to talk about thoughts and feelings.
- There is less focus on self and more concern for others.
- This is a time when confidence is built through friends, schoolwork and sport.
How you can walk alongside
- Show affection and recognise what your child achieves. Praise what they did, such as “You worked hard to figure this out”, rather than a trait like “You are smart”.
- Talk every day about school, friends and what your child is looking forward to. Open-ended questions invite longer answers.
- Give household tasks that fit, such as setting the table. Help your child set achievable goals of their own, so they learn to take pride in themselves.
- Make clear rules and stick to them, such as TV time and bedtime. Whenever you talk about what not to do, follow it with what to do instead.
- Use discipline to guide and protect, not to make your child feel bad about themselves. Help them practise patience, like finishing a task before going out to play, and thinking about consequences before acting.
- Get to know the teachers and their learning goals so home and school can work together. Keep reading with your child; once they can read, take turns reading to each other.
- Encourage new challenges, joining a team or group at school, and sorting out small disagreements with other children on their own. Do fun things as a family: games, reading, going out together.
Changes and things to keep in mind
- The first weeks of a school year can make a child anxious. Your own calm and confidence, and steady routines for meals, homework and bedtime, help them feel settled.
- Viet Nam’s National Institute of Nutrition food pyramid for ages 6–11 points to varied meals with colourful vegetables and fruit, and less sugar, salt and fizzy or sweetened drinks. You set the example at family meals.
- Both the CDC and the National Institute of Nutrition advise physical activity every day. Outdoor play, cycling, swimming or any active game your child enjoys all count.
- Agree a daily limit on screen time with your child, and choose good-quality content.
- More physical ability and more independence also bring more falls and accidents. Teach your child to watch for traffic when walking to school, cycling or playing outside.
- Teach water safety and have an adult watching whenever your child swims or plays near water. Viet Nam’s Ministry of Health and WHO encourage swimming lessons.
- Talk about how to ask for help when it is needed. Keep household chemicals and dangerous tools out of reach.
When to ask a doctor
- Signs of puberty appear while your child is still in the early primary years, such as a sudden growth spurt and clear changes in body shape. Vinmec advises a medical check when these appear.
- Your child shows extreme anxiety or unusual difficulties around school. Talk it over with the teachers and a mental health professional.
- Your child sleeps badly, often complains of aches, or is afraid of school and tries to avoid it. UNICEF lists these among the signs that a child may be being bullied; listen calmly and contact the teacher.
- Your child withdraws, suddenly loses friends, or comes home with unexplained injuries or damaged belongings.
Sources
- Vinmec – Tháp dinh dưỡng cho trẻ từ 6-11 tuổi (theo Viện Dinh dưỡng Quốc gia) (accessed 4 Oct 2026)
- WHO Việt Nam – Tỷ lệ đuối nước chưa giảm đủ nhanh: Bộ Y tế, WHO và các đối tác kêu gọi hành động nhân Ngày Thế giới Phòng, chống Đuối nước (accessed 4 Oct 2026)
- UNICEF Armenia – Back to School Tips for Parents and Teachers to Safeguard Children's Wellbeing (accessed 4 Oct 2026)
- UNICEF Parenting – Bullying: What is it and how to stop it (accessed 4 Oct 2026)
- CDC – Positive Parenting Tips for Healthy Child Development: Middle Childhood (6–8 years of age) (CDC Stacks, PDF) (accessed 4 Oct 2026)
- UNICEF Uzbekistan – Mental health conversation starters: 6–10 years (accessed 4 Oct 2026)
- Vinmec – Khi nào cần đưa con đi khám dậy thì sớm? (accessed 4 Oct 2026)
This article helps you understand and prepare. It does not replace a check-up. For an answer about your own situation, please ask the doctor who is caring for you.