1. Primary Age Children-1st Grade
By: Kelsey Arlt & Nohemi
2. Introduction about 1st Grade
1st grade is the next grade level after kindergarten. The ages
are between 6-7 years of age!
3. Emotional Development
• For the first grader, oneself is extremely important. Students are
competitive and self-centered. First graders love having a “best friend”
even though they may decide to “tattle tell” on their friend at any given
moment.
• First graders may have some extreme behaviors that need to be understood, but not always
tolerated: tantrums, teasing, bossing, complaining, and tattling.
• Extremely sensitive, a warm encouraging comment from a peer or more importantly a teacher can
go a long way
• Criticism and/or failure is hard for child to handle
• School replaces the students' home as most significant environmental influence.
• Like to work with and look after younger children
• Very interested in rules and rituals
• Spending time with friends becomes increasingly important; enjoy working/playing with same sex
friends
• First graders love to be first and are often loud, rash, active and verbal.
• By the end of first grade, students should become better able to work with peers and function
better as a “social unit.”
5. Physical Activities
• Play dates- give children of the same age a chance to practice social
interaction.
• Role playing activities- simulate real-life situations that involve emotional
or social development. Children are able to practice handling situations
they might encounter, such as a peer who won't share a toy or a child who
is bullying.
• Creative time play- Creative activities let young children express emotions
they may have difficulty verbalizing. Painting a picture or playing with clay
are two examples of art projects to facilitate social and emotional
development.
6. Physical Development
• First graders are alive with energy and with growing! The average
first grader grows rapidly with as much speed as their physical
activity!
• Good visual pursuit for reading
• More aware of fingers as tools; fine motor skills still developing
• Sloppy; in a hurry; speed is a benchmark of first graders
• Noisy in the classroom
• Learning to distinguish left from right
• Oral activity (teething)- chews pencils, fingernails and hair
• Easily tires; frequent illnesses
• Child “play” is ending and the role of reality is moving to the forefront both
physically and mentally.
• Proportionately longer arms and legs give them an awkward appearance
• Like to test muscle strength and skills
• Have a good sense of balance
7. Abnormal Signs
• Does not seem to recognize self as a separate person, or does not
refer to self as “I”
• Has great difficulty separating from parent or separates too easily
• Is anxious, tense, restless, compulsive, cannot get dirty or messy,
has many fears, engages in excessive self-stimulation
• Seems preoccupied with own inner world; conversations do not
make sense
• Shows little or no impulse control; hits or bites as first response;
cannot follow a classroom routine
• Expresses emotions inappropriately (laughs when sad, denies
feelings); facial expressions do not match emotions
• Cannot focus on activities (short attention span, cannot complete
anything, flits from toy to toy)
8. Physical Activities
• First graders are beginning to really develop their ability to move.
Your child should be able to:
• demonstrate locomotor skills including: run, hop, jump, leap, slide,
gallop, and skip
• combine two locomotor movements to form a pattern (skip, skip,
jump, jump, repeat)
• perform kicking, striking, throwing and catching patterns in a simple
fluid environment (a throwing and catching game or a kicking game)
• put together simple tumbling patterns that involve weight shift,
rolling, and flight (hop, hop, hop, somersault, run and leap)
• move to a simple rhythmic beat while recognizing the pattern
9. Cultural and Ethnic Factors
• Children might… • Adults Role:
• Family and culture • Family and culture
• • Include your child in family and cultural traditions,
• • Tell friends or adults about a family or cultural rituals, routines
tradition. • and activities.
• • Bond with family and friends who share their • • Involve your child in preparing meals, household
time and talents with chores, gardening,
• the child. • shopping and other daily tasks.
• Self management • • Build community with other families through activities
such as coffees,
• • Calm down own strong emotions and avoid • celebrations, fi eld trips, etc.
acting on impulse.
• Self management
• • Understand how the body and face show • • Teach your child calming techniques: such as counting
different emotions. to 10, taking
• • Describe ways to cope with and manage • a walk or singing a favorite song. Remind your child of
stress. For example, if a these skills
• friend doesn’t want to play any more (stress), • when he or she is upset.
invite someone else to • Learning to learn
• play with you (cope). • • Together with your child, explore Web sites or books
with pictures
• Learning to learn • of animals, foods or things that interest the child. Talk
• • Focus attention on a task/topic and ignore about what
distractions. • you see.
• • Start to be able to stay focused on tasks • • Turn off television and video games while doing
assigned by others. homework or
• chores to help the child stay focused.
• • Listen with attention.
