Timeline of Typical Student Behavior ages 5-18

Age 5

Oct 1, 2002

I am 5 years old and I:
- investigate everything
-eat more than ever
-when playing, I make up rules as I go

Age 6

Oct 1, 2003

I am 6 years old and I:
- am fiercely independent.... I know it all
- am in perpetual motion
- may have temper tantrums again

Age 7

Oct 1, 2004

I am 7 years old and I:
- complain all the time
- think about playing all of the time
- do not care what others think of me

Age 8

Oct 1, 2005

I am 8 years old and I:
- am overly sensitive to my parents approval and disapproval
- often have fights with my mother
- prefer playing with members of my own sex

Age 9

Oct 1, 2006

I am 9 years old and I:
- fiddle with everything and I am increasingly awkward
- rebel against too many directions and direct orders
- find friends more important than my mother

Age 10

Oct 1, 2007

I am 10 years old and I:
- generally accept my parents wishes and obey what is asked of me
- see rules as flexible and make excuses for all my behaviors
- demand that my friends keep their promises

Age 11

Oct 1, 2008

I am 11 years old and I:
- want my parents to guide me but not lecture me
- am developing strong friendships
- want to make my own descisions and chose my own friends

Age 12

Oct 1, 2009

I am 12 years old and I:
- find that my body is changing and causes me to be embarrassed
- am often ashamed of being seen with my parents
- am beginning to understand how other people feel

Age 13

Oct 1, 2010

I am now 13 and I am a teenager; I:
- have now began puberty
- have mood swings do to all my hormones
- worry about if I am normal

Age 14

Oct 1, 2011

I am 14 years old and I:
- want everything right now
- feel like I am indestructible
- am beginning to become money-oriented

Age 15

Oct 1, 2012

I am 15 years old and I:
- am beginning to have interest in dating and relationships
- am very impulse driven and do not concider the consequences
- am very influenced by my peer group

Age 16

Oct 1, 2013

I am now 16 years old and I:
- am exploring to find out who I really am
- am beginning to think abstractly and reflect on proper choices
- am making life very difficult on my parents. I think I am an adult

Age 17

Oct 1, 2014

I am 17 years old and I:
- am beginning to show my independence from my parents
- have developed a deeper capacity for caring and sharing
- feel a lot of pressure on me and it can cause me to become depressed. This could affect my grades in school and cause bad choices to become tempting: alcohol, drugs, sex

Age 18

Oct 1, 2015

I am now a legal adult. I am 18 years old and I:
- am gradually becoming more emotionally stable
- think about my future, education, and what I will do with my life
- have developed self confidense and take pride in my work