Physical Growth/Motor
           
Boys have a slight advantage in explosive power (vertical jump, long jump, running speed, and throwing for distance).  Girls learn to strike objects, jump, kick, and throw later but learn to hop, skip, and catch earlier than boys.  They also have better balance than boys at this stage. 

7 y.o.  - They are showing interest in batting and pitching and can pedal a bicycle well.   

8 y.o.  - They are more graceful and rhythmic and can learn soccer and baseball. 

9 y.o.  - They can engage in vigorous physical activity, catch a fly ball, and can balance on one foot for 15 seconds or greater; they like to wrestle, play ball, and be part of a team.

10 or 11 y.o.  - Most children have mastered all fundamental motor skills.  They can most easily learn to hit a baseball or tennis ball or shoot a basketball at this age.  They still have limited aerobic and anaerobic capacity.  They can now perform over arm throwing and overhead striking (such as required in tennis).

Cognitive

They often have magical and futuristic thinking (e.g. they may think they have special powers that protect them from harm).  They are very concrete in their judgments (black or white).  Discussions about future consequences are minimally helpful.  They have longer attention spans but are still distractible.  They can plan and execute simple motor sequences.   They have further memory and rapid decision-making development.    They are now beginning to understand the purpose of the rules they learned earlier.  They can clearly understand skill differences.  They are very aware of body image. 

Language

They are using more complex language and can give complex directions to others and understand symbolic and broader use of words. 

Social/Emotional

They like to play by the rules and become upset at peers who do not follow them.  They like playing organized games as well as peer comparisons of athletic ability.  They are better able to control their negative emotions when they don’t get their way.   Children with more advanced skills may not understand that their “gifts” may be time-limited.  Less-gifted children may become withdrawn or less socially adept.  It’s important to build in confidence enhancing activities for all children – focusing on practice, correcting weak areas, developing overall skills, engaging in multiple activities, and doing one’s best.  They should be involved in more than one sport (at least one noncompetitive type) and other activities that contribute to other aspects of their development.  (i.e. music, voice, singing, art, reading, debate). 

Visual/Auditory

They have improved visual and auditory acuity but their sense of directionality may not be fully developed.  They can listen more selectively at this stage.   They are tracking moving objects well by 7 y.o., allowing them to hit a moving ball.

Perceptual Motor

They still have somewhat limited balance and posture but they are developing.  They are ready for most sports with respect to visual motor capacity, manual dexterity, and motor-planning skills.  They are developing their ability to estimate arrival of a moving object.  Tennis practice has been shown to increase this integration.

Sports Participation

Reactions and feedback from coaches, parents, and other adults to children’s attitudes and behaviors at this stage are very important to help them transition into adolescence.  While these children have more complex thinking processes, they have little history and limited perspective to give their experiences context.  They are still developing their self-confidence and body awareness.  They still may not understand the relationship between practice and performance.  Further, they may incorrectly categorize skills as things the “can” or “can’t” do.  This requires encouragement for the child to persevere and that they may develop such skills.

Sports activities for this age group should be focused on skill development as well as problem solving and cooperative play.  As such, children can learn to enjoy sports and develop appropriate skills to enjoy and engage in competitive sport.  They can be confused or upset if they are criticized severely or if adults (parents, coaches) scream or use facial gestures to give feedback.  They will often personalize the negative emotion of the message and not be able to learn from the content.  Children in this age group should engage in more complex sport activities that help them learn to refine and use their fundamental skills in a variety of settings.  They should receive “show and tell” style instruction in short intervals interlaced with free play and drills.  Involvement in competitive sports should be minimal as these children are forming their concept of self and also astutely aware of performance differences between them and their peers.  Further, it is important that children at this age engage in multiple sports rather than prematurely specializing. 

Suggested Activities:  

Entry-level soccer, baseball, tennis, track, swimming, tumbling, or gymnastics are all appropriate activities for this age.