Specificities of Latvian pre-school children's growth

Abstract

This study was carried out within the pilot project ordered by the Ministry of Education for the government to decide if the children should start school from the age of 6 or 7 years. The study results prove that the physical development of children at this age is greatly variable, the dispersion in all the parameters is very great. Thus, we can conclude that one should decide of starting school at the age of 6 years individually by the child’s parents jointly with the family doctor. On average the physical development parameters correspond to the norm, though a part of children are lagging behind their peers. The growth and development at the age of six and seven years is different and individual, there is no pronounced gender dimorphism.