2. Middle childhood is the stage when children
undergo so many different changes –
physically, emotionally, socially and cognitively.
This is the stage between 6 to 12 years old.
Children in this stage receive less attention than
children in infancy or early childhood. The
support of the family and friends of the child is
very important during this phase of development.
3. Physical Development of the
Primary Pupil
Physical development involves many different
factors:
height, weight, appearance, visual, hearing
and motor abilities. Primary school children
undergo many different changes as they go
through this stage of development. This could
be caused by different factors; both natural
and environmental.
4. Physical growth during the primary school years is
slow but steady. During this stage, physical
developments involves :
1. Having good muscle control and coordination,
2. developing eye-hand coordination,
3. having good personal hygiene and
4. being aware of safety habits.
5. HEIGHT and WEIGHT
In this development stage, children will have
started their elementary grades, specifically their
primary years – Grades 1 to 3.
This period of gradual and steady growth will
give children time to get used of the changes in their
bodies. An average increase in height of a little over 2
inches a year in both boys and girls will introduce
them to many different activities that they can now
do with greater accuracy.
6. Weight gain averages about 6.5 pounds a year.
Most children will have slimmer appearance compared
to their preschool years because of the shifts in
accumulation and location of their body fats. A child’s
legs are longer and more proportioned to the body
than they were before.
A number of factors could indicate how much a
child grows, or how much changes in the body will
take place: genes, food, climate, exercise, medical
conditions and diseases / illness.
7. BONES and
MUSCLES
Childhood years are the peak bone-producing
years. This is the best time to teach of good dietary
and exercise habits to help them have strong, healthy
bones throughout their lives. Many lifestyle
factors, like nutrition and physical activities, can
substantially influence the increase of bone mass
during childhood.
8. MOTOR DEVELOPMENT
Young school-aged children are gaining control over
the major muscles of their bodies. Most children have a
good sense of balance. They like testing their muscle
strength and skills.
Children in this stage love to move a lot – they
run, skip, hop, jump, tumble, roll and dance. Because
their gross motor skills are already developed, they can
now perform activities like catching a ball with one
hand, tying their shoelaces, they can manage zippers and
buttons.
9. Performing unimanual (require the
use of one hand) and bi-manual
(require 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.
They can print their names and copy
simple designs, letters and shapes.
They hold pencils, crayons, utensils
correctly with supervision. Motor
development skills include
coordination, balance, speed, agility
and power.
10. Coordination- is a series of movements organized and
timed to occur in a particular way to bring about a
particular result. Children develop eye-hand and eye-foot
coordination when they play games and sports.
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.
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.
11. Power- is the ability to perform a maximum effort in the
shortest possible time.
All this skills are vital in performing different
activities, games and sports. Development of these skills
may spell the difference between success and failure in
the future endeavor of a child.
12. Cognitive Development of Primary
Schoolers
Jean Piaget is the foremost theorist when it comes to
cognitive development. According to him, intelligence is
the basic mechanism of ensuring balance in the relations
between the person and the environment. Everything
that a person experiences is a continuous process of
assimilation and accommodations.
13. Jean Piaget’s Concrete Operational
Stage
Concrete Operation is the third stage of Piaget’s
theory of cognitive development. It spans from 7 to
approximately 11 years, children have better understanding
of their thinking skills.
• Logic
Concrete operational thinkers, according to
Piaget, can already make use of inductive logic. Inductive
logic involves thinking from specific experience to a general
principles. But at this age, children have great difficulties in
using deductive logic or using a general principle to
determine the outcome of specific event.
14. • Reversibility
One of the most important developments in this stage is
an understanding of reversibility, or awareness that can action
can be reversed.
Example:
Teacher: Jacob, do you have a brother?
Jacob: Yes.
Teacher: What is his name?
Jacob: Marjun.
Teacher: Does Marjun have a brother?
Jacob: Yes.
15. Cognitive Milestone
Elementary-aged children encounter developmental
milestone. The skills they learn are in a sequential
manner, meaning they need to understand numbers before
they can perform a mathematical equation. Up until age
8, a child learn new skills at a rapid pace.
Specifically, young primary school-aged children can
tell left from right. They are able to speak and express
themselves develops rapidly. By six, most can read words or
combinations of words.
16. Information Processing Skills
Several theorist argue that like a computer, a human
mind is a system that can process information through the
application of logical rules and strategies. They also believe
that the mind receives information, performs operations to
change its form and content, stores and locates it and
generate responses from it.
17. Socio-emotional Development
The developmental theorist, Erik Erikson, formulated
eight stages of man’s psychological development . Each
stage is regarded as a ‘’psychological crisis’’ which arise and
demands resolution before the next stage could be
achieved.
Preschool children belong to the fourth stage of
Erikson’s psychological stage. Children have to resolve the
issue on Industry vs. Inferiority.
18. Erik Erikson’s Fourth Stage of Psychosocial Development
Industry vs. inferiority is the psychosocial crisis that
children will have to resolve in this stage. Industry refers to
a child’s involvement in situations where long, patient work
is demanded to them, while inferiority is 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 most likely, have begun
going to school. School experiences become priority, with
children so busy doing school work.
19. • Understanding the Self
One’s self-concept is the knowledge about the
self, such us beliefs regarding personality traits, physical
characteristics, abilities, values, goals and roles.
Having a self-concept does not mean that a child
thinks he is better than others. It means that he like
himself, feels accepted by his family and friends and
believes that he can do well.
Primary school children’s self-concept is influenced
not only by their parents, but also with the growing number
of people they begin to interact with, including teachers
and classmates. Children have a growing understanding of
their place in the world.
20. • School Years
In the transition from pre-elementary to primary
school, children tend to become increasingly self-confident
and 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 Friendships
Making friends is a crucial but very important of
children’s social and emotional growth.
Children, during this stage, most likely belong to a
peer group.
21. Peer groups are characterized by children who
belong approximately to the same age group and social
economic status.
Primary school children prefer to belong to a peer
groups of the same gender. Many children use their
surroundings to observe and mingle with other children.
Some will see this as an opportunity to make friends while
others remain a bit of loner.
22. • Antisocial
Behavior
When children poke, pull, hit or kick other children when
they are first introduced, it is fairly normal. Children at this age
are still forming their own world views and other children may
seem like a curiosity that they need to explore. Parents and
teachers can help children make friends. We can consider the
following:
o Expose the children to kid rich environments (e.g.
playgrounds, park)
23. o Create a play group in your class and let the children
mingle with their classmates.
o When your children hit other children, remind them that
their behavior hurts others.
o Coordinate with the parents and other teachers so that
the children will have greater opportunity to interact
with other children.
24. • Self-control
Once children reach school age, they begin to take
pride in their ability to do things and capacity to exert
effort. They like receiving positive feedback from their
parents and teachers. This become a great opportunity for
parents and teachers to encourage positive emotional
responses from children by acknowledging their
mature, compassionate behaviors.
