Resources

Checkups at 7 Years

[7 Year Old Quiz]

What Can Your Child Do at Seven?

• He can ride a bicycle well.
• She can skate.
• He knows his right from his left.
• She draws a person with many parts including clothing.
• He reviews school reports with his parents and should feel confident in school this year.
• She reads for pleasure.
• He takes good care of his belongings.

What Can Your Child Eat?

• She should have a balanced diet.
• Discourage his frequent snacking other than with fruits or vegetables. Do not add extra salt in his diet.
• Increase her intake of fiber in cereals, whole-grain breads, fruits, and vegetables.
• Encourage him to engage in physical activity and to limit passive play such as watching television or playing video games.
• Make sure she brushes her teeth at least once a day.
• He should not have red meat and eggs daily.
• Your eating habits are usually the models she uses for her eating. Make mealtime a pleasant time which includes conversation with her.
• A multivitamin once a day may be a good idea if he is a picky eater.

Immunizations

She should be up to date on immunizations and not require any more for several years.

Tests to Be Done

• He may have an analysis of his urine on his next checkup. This checks for kidney disease, diabetes, and bladder infections.
• A tuberculin (TB) skin test may be needed if she has been exposed to someone with TB, a chronic cough, IV drug use, HIV disease (AIDS), recent prison time, time in a developing country, or if required by her school or insurance.

Accident Prevention

• He needs to know a safety plan to get out of your home in case of fire.
• Teach her that she should not cross fast-moving streams.
• He should enter ponds or lakes feet first and only with adults watching. Life jackets should be worn by everyone in a boat.
• Air rifles and pellet guns should be treated cautiously since they have become more powerful and have caused many deaths.
• She should know her home phone number, 911 for emergencies, and that she should never go anywhere with strangers.
• He should wear a safety helmet at all times while riding a bicycle. Teach him to look for cars both ways at the curb or driveway.
• She should swim only when adults are watching.
• He should not ride in the back of a pickup truck nor sit in the front seat of a car with airbags.
• Teach her to avoid strange animals.
• Keep him away from power tools, electrical equipment, matches, guns, sharp tools, and poisons.
• The number for Poison Control is 1-800-POISON 1 (1-800- 764-7661). Have Ipecac in your home.

Emotional and Social Development

• Teach her that there are private parts of her body that even relatives should not touch.
• He should have daily chores to learn responsibility. A weekly allowance will help him learn to use his money.
• Each parent should have time alone with her. Encourage her to read for fun.
• Be quick to praise and slow to anger with him. Never belittle or embarrass him, and avoid harsh criticism whenever possible. You will encourage him to change his behavior much more readily if you act tenderly toward him.
• Extensive television and video games limit family interaction and discourage her creativity.
• He will readily accept fair discipline at this age.
• Pay attention when she talks to you.
• You cannot show too much affection toward him.
• She should have a regular bedtime.
• Be involved with his schoolwork as much as possible. Involvement with a parent-teacher organization will give you some say in how he is taught. If you are not happy about school, by law, you can be granted a conference with his teacher, principal, and school counselors to discuss your concerns.
• Make every effort to attend athletic events, plays, recitals, and other special occasions that occur in her life. Few things you do for her will be so important.
• He may have a lot of questions about sexual differences and where babies come from. If these questions are answered as they arise with general answers initially, it is usually not difficult to discuss details with him in a few years.

Moral Development of Your Child

• She will learn more from your example than from what you tell her. If you model smoking and frequent drinking, she will likely do these when she is older. If you model divorce or sexual activity with many partners, she will likely repeat this in adulthood. If you eat too much, swear often, and are self-centered, she will likely be just like you 15 years from now.
• You should limit his exposure to undesirable influences such as the undisciplined child next door, television, movies, and some printed material. All of these affect the way he thinks and the values he develops. Let him be a child for as long as possible.
• Television and movies are special problems because children watch so much, adult activities such as sex and violence can be "understood" to a degree by young children, the impressive technology appears "truthful" and they appear more exciting than ordinary life, giving her a skewed view of reality.
• You should actively set limits on the amount and type of programs he watches and teach him what is morally good and bad about what he sees.
• About 80-90% of the sex shown on TV is premarital, extramarital, or violent, and most of the marital sex is depicted as unenjoyable. Seldom is an unintended pregnancy, disease, or divorce mentioned. Most parents disagree with this type of irresponsible sex, yet do not realize how their child is being trained by what she sees.
• Violence as shown in the movies and television is usually self-serving or vengeful. If you do not want him to think of violence as acceptable behavior when angry or selfish, you need to limit his exposure to that philosophy.
• It is philosophically difficult to maintain firm moral standards without some form of religious instruction. Traditional Christianity and Judaism place value on the individual, the healthy family, and compassion toward others. The media and most other world views emphasize selfishness, irresponsible lives, and hunger for possessions. This is one of the main reasons so many children, teenagers, and young adults are confused and in trouble.
• We strongly encourage you to provide her with religious instruction. Otherwise her values will be shaped by others with whom you may not agree. One of the greatest gifts you can give your child is to join a traditional Christian church or Jewish synagogue that has a good "children's program.
• Moral instruction begins at a young age. Waiting to begin until he is a teenager is too late.

 

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7 Year Old Quiz

Circle the Right Answer

(Parents may want to read the questions to their child at this age)

These questions, based on research, are meant to teach your child facts that will help him or her have a fuller life.

1. Kids who read a lot get good grades in school (yes or no).
2. Smoking cigarettes can make your teeth turn dark (yes or no).
3. When people drink too much beer, they throw up (yes or no).
4. The police say you have to wear helmets when riding your bicycle (yes or no).
5. If you are nice to your brother or sister you will get in a lot of trouble (yes or no).
6. People who are married for a long time, usually live a long time (yes or no).
7. Kids who use drugs make bad grades in school (yes or no).

 

Answers and Explanations for Parents

1. Yes. Children or adults who read a lot, even if "fun" books, tend to have better basic skills so that they do better in most of their schoolwork, not just reading.2. Yes. Smoking releases agents that tend to darken the teeth over time when tobacco is smoked or chewed. 3. Yes. Alcohol causes the stimulation of the emesis center in the brain leading to vomiting if too much is taken in too fast. 4. Yes. It is now against the law in many cities for a child to ride his bike without a helmet on. 5. No. Treating siblings well helps children to feel that they are nice kids and keep them out of trouble with their parents. 6. Yes. Many, many studies show that people who marry once and stay married tend to live  significantly longer than divorced people or people who cohabit. The reasons that this seems to be the case include that a) married people tend to take better care of  themselves as far as health and nutrition b) married people tend to be less risk-takers  (such as avoiding drinking and driving) c) a married person always has their spouse to help out when life becomes stressful and d) married persons do not have to go  through the trauma of divorce and all of its after effects. 7. Yes. Needless to say, drugs do not help a child to concentrate and often make worse the underlying problems that caused them to use drugs in the first place.