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MIDDLE CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT 1

PERIODS OF DEVELOPMENT
Middle Childhood Introduction

D
uring the middle childhood stage of development,
Two Physical
children go through advance development establishing
Developmental Milestones
their sense of identity. Children at this stage are striving
Two Language Developmental
to become competent, gaining independence and Milestones
spending more time with their social peers. Physical and cognitive Two Cognitive Developmental
developmental changes are also occurring, preparing them for Milestones

adolescence and later adulthood. The social-peer relationship is becoming One Sign of Atypical Development

more meaningful, and self-consciousness becomes important to them. One Family Strategy to Influence
Learning and Development
According to the text, Freud and Piaget viewed middle childhood as the
basis for development from when they were in their early childhood
Two Social -Emotional Milestones
stage. However, Erickson viewed this stage of development as a time
Two Signs of Atypical
when children are moving forward with independence and into a wider Development
social context impacting their development. Erickson called this stage a One Social Factor Influence
sense of industry, learning to cooperate with others and becoming more One Cultural Factor Influence

sophisticated with school academics and activities. Two Moral Reasoning/Self-


Regulation Milestones

Social competence and performances become typical development One Video and two graphic images

and when these typical developments are not mastered, then it becomes Reference Page

atypical. Erickson called this a sense of inferiority, leading to long-term


socio-emotional interpersonal and undesirable behaviors. Competence
and self-esteem are crucial at this stage of development and the primary
role to childs well-being. Children become affected when they feel they
are not able to meet peer expectations. These early difficulties in children
are most likely for academics to spiral downwardly and to not feel good
about themselves. Influencing childrens self-confidence is important as
well as engaging them in activities that will benefit their well-being.
Promoting cognitive changes broaden childrens experiences with peer
interaction and exposing them to social contexts to develop competencies
and regaining interests across their domains. Providing support and
MIDDLE CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT 2

fostering positive experience can develop a sense of industry. Cognitive skills are drastically changing to
acquire new skills and a deeper understanding of their experiences.

Supporting the middle childhood with positive experiences can develop a healthy sense of industry, in what
it was intended. Cognitive changes are dramatically changing, acquiring skills such as thinking skills or
conceptual skills are becoming refined. Children are becoming more culturally aware of their surroundings and
how they engage with others. According to The Future of Children, Children begin to plan consciously,
coordinate actions, evaluate their progress, and modify their plans and strategies based on reflection and
evaluation (Eccles, 1999, pg. 34). Through their reflections, children learn to understand other viewpoints and
the knowledge of others.
MIDDLE CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT 3

PERIODS OF DEVELOPMENT
Middle Childhood Fact Sheet

TYPICAL MILESTONES FOR THIS PERIOD OF


By Sylvia Sisneroz
DEVELOPMENT
ECE497: Child Development
Two Physical Developmental Milestones
Capstone Course (CNM724DS)
A physical developmental milestone that is typical for the middle
Instructor: Pilar Carroll childhood would be their bodies change noticeably in size, shape and
Date: June 26, 2017 proportion (Groark, 2014, Ch. 8.1). Children at this stage are
acquiring more complex activities and they revise each skill as their
5 Periods of Developmental
bodies grow larger and stronger (Berk, 2013, Ch.5.1). Obesity is
Fact Sheets
atypical development during the middle childhood period. It is
Prenatal important for children at this age to develop good eating habits as well
Infancy and Toddlerhood
as dental hygiene. Children at this stage continues to lose teeth and the
Early Childhood
brain development is continuing.
Middle Childhood

Adolescence

Two Language Developmental Milestones

At this period of development, language is becoming more


understanding of the function of grammar and producing words
correctly. According to Child & Adolescent Development, These
internal language processes that use self-reflection to further
understand language are called metalinguistic awareness (Mossler,
Ch. 9.4). Mossler further discusses the understanding of how nouns
Middle Childhood Period can be replaced with other nouns and learning the meaning of words
that are unknown to them. It is also during this time children learn to
make sarcastic and irony statements.

Two Cognitive Development Milestones


MIDDLE CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT 4

During this period of development, childrens cognitive abilities increasingly improve. The concrete
operational stage of development is based on the childs basic understanding of symbolic representations
(Groark, Ch. 8.2). Logic reasoning is being applied and at this stage children perform and process information
well with hands-on activities. Childrens attention span and selection attention become supportive when school
academics are becoming important and children are learning to tune out distractions. These skills are needed to
promote academic learning and to successfully increase their ability skills to concentrate and use short-term
(Groark, Ch. 8.2).

One Sign of Atypical Development

A signal for atypical development during this period of development would be a lack of energy, isolation
from activities, gradual or slight of loss of previously demonstrated motor skills, or sign of anxiety (Groark, Ch.
8.6). When signs of atypical development are suspected, it is best to approach the behavior sensitivity and not
affect the childs self-esteem.

One Family Strategy to Influence Learning and Development

During this period of development childrens brain development is continuing to be more complex, and it is
important to provide activities that are developmentally appropriate and positive that can foster academic
success and outside activities from school to provide continued achievement of future goals.

Additional Information

Atypical Development

Social development in the middle childhood stages is


essential for their development. A social skill deficit is an
atypical development that would raise concern and can be
sensitive to a child. When applying constructive criticism to a
child lacking social skill should be cautious. It is best that
they communicate empathy first before jumping in to offer
potential solutions to the child's social problem (Oswalt, Figure 1 Critical Periods in Social Skill Development
2010). Role modeling and practicing social skills across various
situations can provide opportunities for fostering social skills
and that are less intimidating.
MIDDLE CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT 5

One Cultural Factor Influence

A cultural factor influence in middle childhood development varies across cultures. Parenting styles vary as
to how culture functions and family believes. Authoritative parenting style is most commonly practiced in the
Western World than those of other cultures that value the authoritarian style. Authoritative parenting style can
provide many positive outcomes such as empathy. Developing empathy can provide overall success.

Figure 2 Social-Emotional Development

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