Pre-teens (10-12 years)

Glandular fever is a condition that spreads from person to person through saliva. It’s most common in older tamariki (children) and teenagers.

Many tamariki (children) come across porn and online sexual images now, whether it’s by accident, a friend has shown them, or because they’re curious. Sexual content is now featured across many mainstream social media platforms and often easier to find than avoid. Over a quarter of tamariki have seen porn by age 12. Having simple and age-appropriate conversations around porn and online sexual content with tamariki is a great way to help protect and prepare them to navigate their online world.

Vaping rates in rangatahi (young people) continue to increase in Aotearoa New Zealand. Vaping is harmful to tamariki (children) and rangatahi - it can have an impact on their health and wellbeing. 

To give others easy access to KidsHealth's content on parenting teens, you can share a QR code poster. Anyone can scan the QR code with their phone and go straight to the KidsHealth section on parenting teens. 

Your child will start to lose their primary or baby teeth around the age of 6 and will have all their adult teeth (except for wisdom teeth) by the age of 14. Find out what to expect and how to care for their teeth.   

The brain develops very rapidly in the first 3 to 5 years of life, and all the structures and building blocks are present by the age of 9. Find out when the different centres of the brain develop.

Rewards can really motivate a child to improve their behaviour. They work best if given soon after the behaviour, not after a few days.

If your child is anxious about going to sleep or you think it may be hard to keep them in their bedroom, then using the 'checking method' may be helpful.

For tamariki (children) who have a difficult time staying in their bedroom or cry out, making a bedtime pass for your child may be valuable.

Teenagers need an average of 9 hours of sleep each night.

Putting tamariki (children) to bed when they are not tired increases the chances of bedtime struggles. Therefore, for some tamariki it is best to start by setting the bedtime at the time they usually fall asleep and gradually making the bedtime earlier.

Sleep is important for children's learning and behaviour. Sleep also helps children's brains grow.

SPARX is a free online tool for rangatahi (young people). It teaches them the key skills to help fight mild to moderate depression, anxiety or stress.

Screening for some vision problems for your child should happen around 11 or 12 years of age. Your child will not have their hearing checked at school so if you are concerned about your child's hearing, it's important that you visit a health professional.