Recommended Daily Calories for a Seven-Year-Old

Gender and Fitness
Good Fat

Written by Carolyn Robbins

13 June, 2017

Fact Checked

If your 7-year-old is like most children his age, he is always on the move. Skateboarding, running at the park and fidgeting at the dinner table all burn calories. Your child is also going through a period of growth and will need plenty of energy to support healthy development. Recommended calorie intakes give you some idea of how much your child should eat, but don't fret over the numbers too much. Allow your child to eat when he feels hungry and stop when he is full.

Gender and Fitness

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 gives an estimate for children's caloric requirements based on gender and activity level 1. A 7-year-old sedentary girl would need 1,200 to 1,400 calories compared to the 1,400 to 1,600 requirement for a moderately active girl. Eighteen hundred calories is the max recommended for active girls. The guidelines for sedentary and moderately active 7-year-old boys are the same as for girls. An active boy should get between 1,600 and 2,000 calories per day.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 gives an estimate for children's caloric requirements based on gender and activity level 1.
A 7-year-old sedentary girl would need 1,200 to 1,400 calories compared to the 1,400 to 1,600 requirement for a moderately active girl.

Good Fat

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The American Heart Association recommends that children ages 4 to 18 get 25 percent to 35 percent of their daily calories from fat 2. Food sources of healthy fat include nuts, seeds, avocado, fatty fish and vegetable oils. Steer clear of saturated fat found in fries, hamburgers, chips and other junk food.