Two in three 10-11 year olds said that they were worried about a family member becoming seriously ill or injured, more than half were concerned about fighting within their family, and more than four in 10 children were worried about their parents losing their job.
Once your child hits puberty, you can generally expect moodiness and a roller coaster of both distress and happiness. 1 "Due to hormonal changes and additional challenges, this age group shows mood swings, low self-esteem, depression, and aggression," says Dr. Gott.
What are common some of the common worries among children? Doing homework, being late for school, changing schools, not getting good grades. Health problems or becoming sick • Being smaller or much larger than other children.
At 11, your daughter will likely start spending more time with friends and less time with your family. They may start to assert their own identity and push back against your authority, leading to potential conflicts.
Most of the fears kids in this age group face are fears related to themselves or a family member. Other common fears for primary school-age kids include: Bad weather, such as tornadoes and loud noises from thunderstorms. Being home alone.
Most fears are a normal, natural part of childhood. However, if a child is afraid all the time, or has fears that stop them from having fun or interfere with their daily life, this could be a sign of anxiety and it may be time to get some professional help.
Fears are Common:
A fear of darkness, particularly being left alone in the dark, is one of the most common fears in this age group. So is a fear of animals, such as large barking dogs. Some children are afraid of fires, high places or thunderstorms.
Kids between 8 and 12 are called “tweens” because they are in between children and teenagers. It's very normal for kids this age to start to move from being very close to parents to wanting to be more independent.
Around 9 to 12 years old, your child will enter their “tween” years. Also called pre-teenagers, tweens are at the age where they're leaving childhood and entering adolescence. With the onset of puberty during this stage, your child will experience a great number of changes and perhaps you as well as a parent.
Sleep: what to expect at 5-11 years
At 5-11 years, children need 9-11 hours sleep a night. For example, if your child wakes for school at 7 am and needs approximately 10 hours sleep per night, your child should be in bed before 9 pm. Some children fall deeply asleep very quickly when they go to bed.
Babies and young children don't tend to worry about things. For children to be worried, they have to imagine the future and bad things that might happen in it. This is why worries become more common in children over 8 years of age. Children also worry about different things as they get older.
9 to 12 years – The 'tween' they may express worries related to school performance including a fear of tests and exams. They may have concerns with their physical appearance as well as being injured, and death.
Worrying about schoolwork or grades. Juggling responsibilities, such as school and work or sports. Problems with friends, bullying, or peer group pressures. Changing schools, moving, or dealing with housing problems or homelessness.
Helps Keep Kids Safe
The easiest and best reason to buy a mobile phone for an 11-year-old kid is safety. Kids face many dangers these days, and having a mobile phone can help protect them. Kids should know how to use their phones in case of emergencies while they're out on their own.
When we stop to consider all that tweens are going through emotionally, physically, and socially, it's no wonder they get a little moody. As they move toward puberty, their hormones begin to fluctuate, causing emotional instability. 1 Tweens also lack the emotional development to fully control their moods.
Reasons Tweens and Teens Act Out
Sometimes they will act out or rebel for the same reasons they did as a child—they are hungry, tired, stressed, or simply want attention.
For children, anger issues often accompany other mental health conditions, including ADHD, autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and Tourette's syndrome. Genetics and other biological factors are thought to play a role in anger/aggression. Environment is a contributor as well.
The "tween years" can be challenging for both children and their parents. Young adolescents are continuing to explore their community and world and beginning to develop unique identities separate from their parents.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child defines child as, "A human being below the age of 18 years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier.” This is ratified by 192 of 194 member countries.
It's normal for children to feel worried or anxious from time to time – such as when they're starting school or nursery, or moving to a new area. But for some children, anxiety affects their behaviour and thoughts every day, interfering with their school, home and social life.
If your child is afraid of the dark, they're not alone. “It's very common in children and adolescents alike,” says Thomas Ollendick, a distinguished professor emeritus at the Child Study Center at Virginia Tech who has dedicated much of his career to understanding fears and phobias in children.