Background: Growth monitoring and interpretation of child growth charts are essential components of preventive paediatric care. This study aimed to examine the educational challenges and effective strategies for teaching growth monitoring and child growth-chart interpretation to medical students.

Methods: A structured narrative review, guided by the SANRA framework, searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, ERIC, SID, MagIran, IranMedex, ISC, and Google Scholar, alongside citation tracking, reference-list screening, and grey literature searches, from inception to April 2026. Eligible English- and Persian-language quantitative, qualitative, interventional, and review studies were independently screened, extracted, quality-appraised, and thematically synthesised by two researchers.

Results: Thematic synthesis identified three interrelated domains. First, fragmented curricular delivery, predominantly hospital-based training, limited exposure to well-child and primary care settings, inadequate opportunities for repeated practice, and insufficient structured feedback hindered the translation of theoretical knowledge into clinical competence. Second, learners required proficiency in accurate anthropometric measurement, selection and plotting of appropriate growth charts, longitudinal and context-sensitive interpretation of growth trajectories, clinical reasoning, and family-centred communication. Third, structured modules, supervised skills workshops, case-based learning using serial growth data, simulation, outpatient placements, longitudinal portfolios, direct feedback, and multi-method performance-based assessment were identified as potentially effective strategies. Although workshops and IMCI training improved short-term knowledge, evidence regarding skill retention, transfer to authentic clinical settings, and sustained effects on clinical performance remained limited.

Conclusion: A longitudinal, competency-based, primary care–oriented approach may better prepare medical students for evidence-based, family-centred child health care. Integrating structured teaching, supervised anthropometric practice, case-based learning, simulation, outpatient experience, feedback, and performance-based assessment can strengthen technical accuracy, growth-trajectory interpretation, clinical reasoning, and communication with parents.