Seven year old girls lead complex lives. They may feel independent and can rule the playground at recess, but they still need lots of love, attention, and supervision from trusted adults in their lives. Just assume you won't always understand what she and friends are talking about - you're too old to get it!
Age seven is also an important milestone for brain development. By seven, children's brains are undergoing a neurological process called 'pruning' which increases their mental processing speed and efficiency. Good thing that seven year old girls love to learn! Their brains can now keep up with more sophisticated reasoning and problem solving. Thinking games and logic puzzles are fun ways for them to train their expanding brain.
School also exposes them to new ideas and other people's opinions. While seven year olds may still fall into their old black-and-white thinking patterns, they're becoming more reflective and more able to understand other people's thoughts and perspectives.
With all those mental and emotional changes, it's no wonder that self-esteem is incredibly fragile at this age. By seven, kids start identifying feelings of guilt, pride, and shame, and girls become particularly prone to self-criticism. Build up her self-confidence by ensuring she gets frequent encouragement and positive feedback. If her finished science project or artistic endeavour doesn't look 'right', that's okay - let her know that what she learned is more important than how it looks.
Self-identity is crucial for girls at this age, and seven year olds take great pride in their strengths, talents, and abilities. Whether she's a superstar soccer player, a magnificent musician, or a bonafide bibliophile who has read more books than you, she'll appreciate any gift that helps her pursue her interests.
