Middle Childhood

Fact Sheet

Physical Development
Childrens gross motor skills improve during the middle school years. Technique and skill become noticeable with children who are active in sports. Children continue to grow in height and gain weight. Children generally grow two to three inches and gain six to seven pounds on a yearly basis. By the end of middle childhood, girls are typically taller than boys. Girls are beginning to store fat as their body prepares for puberty (Berk, 2013).

Language Development
During middle childhood, children are building their vocabulary. Children are starting to understand the meaning of more words and using the words during conversations with peers and parents. Children are also beginning to realize that words have more than one meaning. Children become better communicators during this stage. They are capable of expressing themselves. Children learn more about their language through conversation. During this stage children begin to understand social etiquette of language. They learn how to conduct a conversation and clarify the meaning of the conversation (Wortham, 2012). A typical conversation between my daughter and I starts off with; how was your day at school/work? I do not allow her just to say ok, I want her to use her words and

tell me about a fun or not so fun event. Having open communication with your children is important. They want to share their thoughts and ideas with you. My eleven year old daughter is excited to talk about her friends at what they did at lunch. Children at this age love to talk your ear off at times because they are excited about what is happening in school. My daughter loves to talk about her friends at youth group and about the dances they are learning in ballet.

Cognitive Development
According to Piaget, the concrete operational stage marks a major turning point in cognitive development. Thoughts become more logical, flexible, and organized, more closely resembling the reasoning of adults than that of younger children (Berk, 2013). Children at this age obey logical rules. You will observe the child wanting to go step by step through the process of figuring out a game or an event. The child will not want to skip around; they will want evidence to their hypothesis. Children at this age, also displays effective spatial reasoning as indicated by the ability to construct well organized cognitive maps and give clear directions (Berk, 2013).

Atypical Development

During the middle childhood years children are going through many different changes. Their bodies are changing drastically many will start to feel uncomfortable in their skin; some kids may start to act out. Parents need to be aware of the changes that their children are going through. Some children at this stage can go through depression, because they feel like an outcast to others. If you notice that your child is hanging out in her room a lot, not interacting with friends, grades drop, and fatigued, these may be signs of depression (Charlesworth, 2011). If the depression continues, the parents should consult their doctor to make sure the child gets back on the right track. Parents also need to make sure they are monitoring their childs diet. Since the children may be starting puberty their eating habits will also start to change. Parents need to make sure the children are getting healthy foods throughout the day. You do not want your child to develop poor eating habits, which will lead to childhood obesity. Obese youth are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. In a population-based sample of 5- to 17-year-olds, 70% of obese youth had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease (http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/obesity/facts.htm).

Influence
Continue to be part of your childs daily schedule. This is one of the most important times of their development. They are truly discovering who they are. Influence your children to take the next steps to become a better athlete, reader and math whiz. Children in this stage need to feel welcome by their parents. They have many different thoughts and feelings going on. Influence your child to ask questions and be open with your child. Be their role model and let them know you are there for them day in and day out.
Social / Emotional Development

Your child is starting to become independent and wanting to do everything on their own. Making breakfast, cleaning their room, and doing their homework, are all tasks that children like to do. As parents we have to go over their work to make

corrections, or continue to cook the food till it is ready. The children want to prove to their parents that they can do more on their own. This is great for the child and the parents. Parents should encourage this around the house and at school.

Social and Cultural Influence

At this age children are starting to notice differences amongst their classmates. If parents teach and mold their children to not see color, or atypical behavior, the children will be accepting of their peers. It warms my heart when I see children interacting with children who may struggle and have a difficult time in school. Children are blind to differences unless taught by their parents.

References Berk, L. E. (2013).Child development. (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Charlesworth, R. (2011) Understanding Child Development Webster State University Wortham, S.C. (2012). Assessment In Early Childhood Education. (6th edition) Upper Saddle River: New Jersey.