Parent of a 5 to 11 year old

Supporting your child’s growing plans

Between the ages of five and 11, your child will begin their journey of independence.

They’ll grow up considerably and will gradually spend more time without your watchful eye over them, with primary school becoming a huge part of their independent world.

For the first time, your child will encounter lots of everyday things without you by their side, and will be left in the care of other grownups. As a parent of a child with allergies, relinquishing control might feel terrifying, but it’s also a golden opportunity to teach them how to stay safe and manage their condition confidently and independently.

Managing their allergies

Helping your child to understand their condition and how it’s managed, is the first step they can take to gain independence with their allergies. In this section, there are a host of hints and tips to help this sail more smoothly, as well as some additional resources on how get the best relationship between parents and the school in relation to allergy management plans and more.

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Anxiety

Starting primary school, changing classes, or even a change in routine, can cause some anxiety for children. If your child’s also living with an allergy, these changes might feel overwhelming and leave them worried about how their condition might be affected.

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Starting Primary School

Primary school is likely to be the first place that your child will practise living independently with their allergy. They will develop their own independent friendships, start to understand their own place in the world a little more and want to explore their independence.

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Residential trips, sports, clubs and youth activities

Around these ages your child might start showing an interest in sports or extra-curricular activities such Scouts, dance or swimming classes or performing arts. Your child may be invited to residential trips with their school or club. This is likely to be the longest amount of time they stay away from home at this age, so preparing them for this trip is an important step in building their confidence and independence.

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Spending time with friends

Between ages five and 11, your child’s social calendar will explode. As the years pass, they will gradually start spending more time with their friends, without so much adult supervision. So it’s important to prepare them for this independence.

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