Some of the questions or concerns you may have about your 8-year-old can be raised at this checkup. These might include:

• Hyperactivity which interferes with school performance.
• Concerns about reading or other aspects of school performance.
• Inability to get along with peers or siblings, or lack of friends.
• Poor school progress or school avoidance.
• Being overweight.
• Bed wetting or soiling.
• Recurrent nightmares, tics, aggressive behavior, fears.
• Disobedience, talking back, being uncooperative.

• Tell your child every day that you love him or her.
• Always find words of praise that encourage schoolwork and friendship. Use more encouraging than discouraging words when speaking to your child. He or she needs to feel valued in the family and with friends.
• Provide personal space for your child at home, even if it's limited.
• Encourage your child to talk with you about school, friends or feelings. Answer his or her questions.
• Spend individual time with your child, doing something you both enjoy.
• Enhance your child's experiences through family trips.
• Help your child develop an ability to deal constructively with conflict and anger in the family, at school and in the neighborhood.
• Find good friends for your child. Promote interaction and allegiance with peers through participation in social activities, community groups and team sports. Help your child learn how to get along with his or her peers. Talk to your child about the enjoyable and difficult aspects of friendships.
• While parents should establish fair rules with respect to chores, TV watching, outside activities, homework, bedtime, etc., the number of rules should be kept to a minimum. The role of peers in the life of an 8-year-old increases, and children may resist adult authority at times.
• The TV can become a major pastime for the 8-year-old. Don't let it. Television can be a positive resource if watched in small and controlled doses. Always watch TV with your child and explain the differences between reality and fantasy.
• Ensure that an adult is present with your child (or make another appropriate arrangement) when you are not at home.
• Spend active time with your child on a daily basis, if possible. Especially show interest in your child's daily school activities.
• Understand the importance of serving as a parental role model.
• Praise and encourage your child's activities. Build his or her self-esteem. Show affection. If there are siblings, promote the individual strengths of each child.
• Encourage age-appropriate independence and self-responsibility.
• Encourage reading. Read together. Your example will help reinforce that reading gives pleasure. If you haven't already done so, get a library card and use it.

• Able to tell time.
• Can read for pleasure.
• Has a sense of humor ("do you know any good jokes? What's your favorite joke?").
• Is concerned about rules - good (fair) vs. bad (unfair).
• Cares for herself, her room, and her belongings; can take responsibility for home chores.
• Has more control over small muscles, and therefore writes and draws with more skill.
• Likes to belong to informal "clubs" formed by children themselves.
• Performs at grade level in all subjects (e.g., scores at the 40th percentile or better on school achievement tests)

• Ensure that your child brushes his or her teeth twice a day with a pea-size amount of fluoridated toothpaste. Teach him or her how to floss.
• Give your child fluoride supplements as recommended by the health professional based on the level of fluoride in your drinking water.
• Schedule a dental appointment for him or her every six months, unless the dentist determines otherwise based on your child's individual needs/susceptibility to disease.
• As your child's permanent molars erupt, ensure that his or her dentist evaluates them for application of dental sealants.
• Teach your child how to handle dental emergencies, especially the loss or fracture of a tooth.
• Teach your child not to smoke or use smokeless tobacco.

• Growth in weight and height should remain steady. Report to your physician any rapid weight gain or if there has been no weight gain at all.
• Allow your child, with supervision, to choose and prepare family meals. This will help teach good food habits.
• Encourage your child to eat three regular meals per day and nutritious snacks.
• Share meals as a family on a regular basis. Make mealtimes pleasant and companionable. Encourage conversation.
• Model and encourage good eating habits. Serve a variety of healthy foods.
• Teach your child how to choose nutritious snacks rich in complex carbohydrates. Limit high-fat or low-nutrient foods and beverages such as candy, chips or soft drinks.
• Teach your child how to eat a balanced diet. Teach her to choose plenty of fruits and vegetables; breads, cereals and other grain products; low-fat dairy products; lean meats; and foods prepared with little or no fat.
• Teach your child how to eat a nutritious lunch at school, either through the school lunch program or by packing a balanced lunch.
• Children watch what their parents eat, so set a good example.

• Ensure that your 6-year-old child gets adequate sleep. For children 6-10 years of age, the suggested bedtime is 8-9 p.m.

• Be a role model for your child by having a healthy lifestyle.
• Supervise your children's play with their peers.
• Encourage regular physical activity.
• Limit television watching to an average of one hour per day of appropriate programs. Watch the programs together and discuss them.
• Reinforce with your child personal care and hygiene.
• Discourage interest in tobacco products. Parents are very influential in teaching children to avoid tobacco. If a parent smokes, the parent should set a quit date and stop smoking. Modeling nonsmoking is a powerful example with important health consequences. Tell your child that smoking is related to the cause of death for 1 in every 5 people in the U.S.