Benchmarks
Early elementary students gain
new skills that will help their
competency in all areas of
development. They ask more
complex faith questions that create
in-depth discussions. They may
look different from their peers and
have different skills due to their
own rate of development. Making
new friends can be a challenge
but can be done by learning how
to accept and include others.
This stage is one of increasing
independence and exploration.
Spiritual
Early elementary children are
beginning to learn more about God
through singing songs, reading Bible
stories, participating in traditions,
and asking questions. They are
beginning to ask big questions such
as "What happens when I die?" or
"Why did God create the devil?"
They may ask more questions as
you share the Bible with them.
Social
Children become more aware
of the differences between
themselves and their peers
through social exchanges,
especially at recess or other
less structured times. They
may experience acceptance or
rejection while making friends.
Adults play an important role in
teaching children how to include
everyone and acknowledging
God's creation of different people.
Emotional
Early elementary children are
learning how to manage and
identify their emotions, so being
empathetic toward others'
emotions is an even greater
challenge. It is easy for them
to have their feelings hurt and
assume things are done on
purpose. Parents do well by
teaching empathy and how to
treat others the same way we
would like to be treated.
Intellectual
As opposed to learning to read,
early elementary students are
reading to learn. The greatest
intellectual milestone of this age is
gaining confidence: to read, to ask
detailed questions, to challenge
themselves, and to make new
friends. Children are building
their own sense of competence
and gaining confidence that
will help them grow in all other
areas of development.
Physical
At this age, children need to move
frequently, especially during
long school days. During these
years, height, age, and weight
have great variance from child
to child. It's important to use
these differences to teach kids
the importance of loving their
neighbors. Skills in coordination,
handwriting, physical education,
and sports are still evolving.
Early Elementary • 2 • cph.org • Copyright © 2019 Concordia Publishing House
