Your child is now attaining puberty and entering a new phase of life. Here we have attempted to help you take a look at the growth and development that you can expect in your 10 years, 9-month-old child.Children at this stage are no longer adolescents or kids. They now shows marked changes in their behaviour and may not like the idea of you kissing their cheeks in front of their friends. It is important to understand their emotional maturity before taking any
parenting decisions. Here we shall help you understand the physical developments they are going through at this point of time.
Puberty in Girls
Girls attain puberty faster than boys. You may see the signs of breast development from this time, say the doctors. Her hips too start taking shape and many start menstruating now as well. You shall expect more physical developments in the coming years. Some of the other changes that you might expect are growth of pubic hair, increased oil secretions, body odour, and increase in body fat and so on. It is important to
prepare a girl about the physical changes she might be going through now. She should be taught about importance of hygiene and self care now.
Puberty in Boys
Now that you know about the approaching
puberty in girls, let us look into the physical developments of a boy here. Though some boys start attaining puberty at 10, most of them go through this phase at around 15. Some of the initial stages of developments include deeper voice, production of sperm, darkening of scrotum, ejaculations, erections, body odour, more hair, body hair, increase in mass of muscles.
Developments in Weight and Height
Children experience steady growth and development now. However, you need to keep in mind while some phases are fast, other phases may be slow as well. As girls attain their puberty faster, they are taller and heavier than boys. You can expect a girl to be around 88lbs and 56.4 inches in height. Boys at this age are around 85lbs and have a height of around 55.7 inches.
Development of Gross Motor Skills
This is the time when children are fine tuning their gross motor skills. You can see their balance, speed, reaction time and agility improved than before. Children can now combine different movements and adjust their balance, speed, direction or force. With increased physical endurance both girls and
boys shall love cycling, jogging, gymnastics or other outdoor sports.
Development of Fine Motor Skills
Children continue to develop their fine motor skills now. They shall be able to engage in detailed creations and develop complex patterns. You may also find them developing skills in computer education. Children at this age love to participate in different
household activities or develop a hobby. Encourage your child to take up music, dance, swimming or basketball, if he or she shows interest in them.
Indicators of Development Lags
Since it is always better to be armed with the right information, you need to know about indicators of development lags and identify them at the earliest. Here is what you should know. Take a look:
You need to be worried if you find your child worrying too much about performances and competitions. You need to keep a close watch at the behaviours in school. Headaches, anxiety, lack of attention, poor concentration, teasing, rebellious nature, social isolation, too much dependence on you, lack or decreasing interest, lack of interest in involving in different activities that are age appropriate, suicidal tendencies or bed wetting are some of the indicators you should consider seriously.
It is always better to schedule appointment with a doctor and diagnose your child. Timely intervention shall ensure not much damage is done. Again, you may also come to know that your child has no developmental lags at all.
How do preteens react to the changes taking place in their bodies? How to help preteens deal with puberty and adolescence? How to aid 10 years, 9-month-old child’s growth and development? Discuss here. 
