Middle and Late Childhood

Middle and Late Childhood

--from about 6 to 11 years of age

—involves slow, consistent growth.

 

During the elementary school years, children grow an average of 2 to 3 inches a year.

At the age of 8 the average girl and the average boy are 4 feet 2 inches tall.

--weigh 56 pounds (National Center for Health Statistics, 2000).

--The weight increase is due to the size of the skeletal and muscular systems, as well as the size of some body organs.

 

Muscle mass and strength gradually increase as “baby fat’’ decreases in middle and late childhood.

 

The increase in muscular strength is due to heredity and to exercise.

--more the muscle cells, boys tend to be stronger than girls.

 

During the middle and late childhood years, children gain about 5 to 7 pounds a year.

 

Changes in physical proportions are:  Head circumference, waist circumference, and leg length decrease in relation to body height.