As your child reaches 9 years old, you’ll most likely notice that they will go through lots of language growth and cognitive developments. Many parents report these being a bit of a surprise. So it’s good to be aware of them when they come up, and understand how you can encourage their growth in this area.

So, what are the language and cognitive milestones for my 9-year-old?

Adult-like speech

Being a parent to a child for 9 years now, you’ll be used to hearing lots of ‘baby-talk’ in the house. However, at this age, they will likely develop adult-like speech. This means that they will have the same grammatical patterns as adults, and will be able to convey their feelings and emotions very clearly to others.

More sophisticated literacy abilities

As your child reaches 9 years old, they will be able to express themselves in an articulate manner through writing. This ability will clearly differ from their previous writing skills, as children below this age range are still understanding how to form words and sentences. At 9 years old, you also may notice that they are better able to convey their feelings and emotions through writing and that they may be more interested in other varying genres of books. For example, biographies, poems, historical fiction, non-fictional words, etc.

Increased attention span

A young child’s attention span tends to have a shorter shelf-life in comparison to a 9-year-old’s, and at this age, you will notice them taking more time to concentrate on different activities. For example, reading suspenseful books, playing baseball, or pursuing other hobbies. You’ll see that they will develop a keen interest to do well in the activities that they are passionate about. However, although a 9-year-old’s attention span is longer than that of a younger child, they might also switch their interests at a fast rate.

Mastering more complex mathematical concepts

At this age, the maths that your child is learning becomes much more complicated. For example, they will learn how to tackle multiplication, fractions, geometry, adding and subtracting fractions, as well as collecting, organising and sharing data in reports and presentations. In general, the maths that they attempt at this age will require a lot more logical and analytical thinking.

Spatial intelligence

Up until this age, you may have noticed that your child doesn’t have as much spatial awareness as an adult. However, now that they are aged 9, they will have begun to understand the concept of space in a much more abstract way. This means that they will be better equipped to visualise objects and draw conclusions about what an object will look like from another’s perspective. They can practice this new skill by playing games like Tetris, or by carrying out spatial awareness puzzles.

What are the language and cognitive milestones for a 9-year-old?

Unii explores important developmental milestones for your 9-year-old.