Middle Childhood (The Primary Schooler)
Middle Childhood (The Primary Schooler)
Middle Childhood (The Primary Schooler)
- this period of gradual and steady growth will give children time to get used to the
changes in their bodies.
- an average increase in height of a little over two inches a year in both boys
and girls will introduce them to many different activities that they can now do with
greater accuracy.
- Weight gain averages about 6.5 pounds a year.
A number of factors could indicate how much a child grows, or how much
changes in the body will take place:
* genes * exercise
* food * medical conditions
* climate * diseases / illness
Bones and Muscles
- childhood years are the peak bone – producing years - bones grow longer and broader.
- replacement of primary teeth, also known as baby teeth, with permanent teeth occur
around ages 6 to 7 years and up until age 12, most children will have all their primary teeth
replaced.
- large muscle control is at bigger play over fine motor.
- some may still have difficulty holding a pencil properly or coloring inside the lines. We
have to limit writing time, since children may develop a negative attitude towards writing.
- bones and muscles growth are still not complete during this stage. Most activities which
use heavy pressure will be very difficult for growing bones, muscles and ligaments.
- if students are engaging in too much strenuous activities to test their strengths, teachers
may suggest or provide more coordinated physical activities or competition or rotate players
during sports or games.
Motor Development
- young children are gaining control over the major muscles of their bodies.
- they enjoy doing real life tasks and activities.
- they pretend and fantasize less often because they are more in tune with
everything that is happening around them.
- children during this stage love to move a lot – they run, skip, hop, jump, tumble,
roll, and dance. Because their gross motor are developed, they can now perform
activities like catching a ball with one hand and tying their shoelaces. They can
manage zippers and buttons.
* Performing unimanual (requiring the use of one hand) and bi-manual
(requiring the use of two hands) activities becomes easier. Children’s graphic
activities, such as writing and drawing, are now more controlled but are still
developing.
DIFFERENT MOTOR SKILLS AND IT’S DEFINITION!
Coordination – is a series of movements organized and timed to occur in a particular
way to bring about a particular result (Strickland, 2000).
Balance – is the child’s ability to maintain the equilibrium or stability of his/her body in
different positions.
Static balance – is the ability to maintain equilibrium in a fixed position, like balancing
on one foot.
Dynamic balance – is the ability to maintain equilibrium while moving (Owens, 2006).
Speed – is the ability to cover a great distance in the shortest possible time.
Agility – is one’s ability to quickly change or shift the direction of the body.
Power – is the ability to perform a maximum effort in the shortest period.
*All this motor skills are vital in performing different
activities, games and sports. Development of these skills
may spell the difference between success and failure
endeavors of the child.
*Large scale body movements are key in this stage.
Most of the time, boys develop motor skills slightly faster
than girls except for skills involving balance and precise
movements.
Here are some milestones of primary school-age children:
(Bergin and Bergin, Child and Adolescent Development in Your Classroom, Third
Edition: 2018, Boston, MA, USA)
Fine Motor Skill Gross Motor Skill
• Zip zippers and lace shoes • Hop
• Able to learn piano or violin • Skip on alternating feet
• Control pencil with the finger and thumb. • Jump rope
Movement comes from the elbow. • Walk on a balance beam
• Write and draw with more control, but • Throwing, catching, and kicking become
writing looks choppy and uneven. Letters smoother
are getting smaller. Uppercase letters are • Begin to participate in organized games
somewhat mastered, but lowercase letters (e.g. hopscotch) and sports ( e.g.
continue to be challenging through 3rd basketball)
grade, especially letters with slants and • Skate, ski, bike and other specialized skills
curves. with training
Some Issues Affecting Physical Development
Obesity – this is becoming a major concern for parents and health care providers, since it
seems its becoming a trend.
- evidence also shows that overweight and obese children are likely to stay
obese well into their adulthood and are more prone to develop non-communicable diseases
like diabetes and some cardiovascular diseases at a much younger age.
Childhood Nutrition – malnutrition remains a major health issue in the Philippines.
- school-age children’s diet should include a good supply of vitamins, minerals and
protein found in most fruits and vegetables to combat the trend of eating out and eating
too much which puts children at risk of increased consumption of soft drinks, sugary
and salty snacks like crackers and chips.
Sleep – primary school – age children need 9 to 11 hours of sleep every day
(including daytime naps).
- poor and inadequate sleep may result to mood swings, behavioral problems
such as hyperactivity and cognitive problems which may impact their ability to
concentrate in school.
Implications to Child Care, Education and Parenting
Helping children draw on their strengths and promote growth in their weaknesses.
Planning lessons that cater to multiple intelligences based on the instructional
objectives.
Encouraging children to read more everyday to increase their vocabulary.
Bringing children to museums, art exhibits and historical landmarks to wider their
perspective about the world and people.
Lessening children screen time and increasing their personal and face-to-face
interactions.
SOCIO EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
(Primary Schoolers)
Erik Erikson’s Fourth Stage of Psychosocial crisis that children will have
to resolve in this stage
INDUSTRY – refers to child’s involvement in situations where long patient
work is demand of them.
INFERIORITY – the feeling created when a child gets a feeling of failure
when they cannot finish or master their school work.
In this stage, children will mostly likely have begun going to school
work. The encouragement of parents and caring educators helps to
builds child’s sense of self-esteem, confidence and ability to interact
positively in the world.
Understanding the self
One self-concept is the knowledge about self, such as beliefs regarding
personality traits, physical characteristics, abilities, values goals and roles.
School years
In the transition from pre elementary to primary school, children tend to
become increasingly self-confident and be able to cope well with social
interactions
The issues of fairness and equality become important to them as they
learn to care for people who are not part of their families.
BUILDING FRIENDSHIP
- Making friends is a crucial but very important part of
children’s social and emotional growth. As soon as they
are able to walk and talk they will tend to show natural
inclination to be around other children.