THE SEVEN YEAR VISIT
The Seven Year Visit
At this visit, we will:
- Take your child’s height and weight
- Take blood pressure
- Perform hearing and vision tests
GUIDANCE
School: During this next year your child will be encountering many different types of social situations, both at school and at home. Now is an important time to discuss what they should do if they are being picked on by a bully.
Keep encouraging your child in their schoolwork and discuss subjects they feel they are good at and what they may need extra help or time with. At this age, contacting your child’s teacher to discuss any concerns either of you have may lead to early detection of learning disabilities, making them much easier to treat.
Health: A seven-year-old still needs at least 60 min of exercise a day to keep their bones and muscles healthy. If there is an activity or sport they enjoy at school, see if they would like to join an extracurricular club or team to further explore their new interest. Playing in a soccer league, for example, keeps kids healthy while they learn how to work as a team and make new friends. Maybe they’ll even win a trophy or two that they can show off to Grandma and Grandpa!
Safety: Be sure that your child is still wearing that helmet when on anything with wheels. We don’t want them to incur any long-lasting injuries while they are trying to show you a cool new scooter trick. In addition, now is a very good time to make sure that your little one knows to never open the door for strangers.
The Great Outdoors: This is a great age for running through fields, climbing rocks and trees, and exploring nature. Going on family hikes will not only give your seven-year-old a great source of exercise and learning, but some great time to talk and interact with you! Visit a local state or national park and have your child talk with the rangers about the best trail for all of you. This is a great way for your child to learn interesting facts about the park as well as feel empowered by helping to pick the hike that the whole family takes.