Development and Health Concerns in Middle Childhood

1. Chapter 7 Middle Childhood

2. Middle Childhood • In this chapter, you will learn about • physical development • health concerns • cognitive development • social-emotional development • moral development

3. Objectives • Describe the physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development of school-age children. • Summarize potential health concerns of middle childhood. • Explain moral development during childhood.

4. middle childhood farsighted nearsighted obesity rehearsal operation concrete operations conservation seriation classification social comparison self-esteem Terms to Know

5. Terms to Know • empathy • compassion • moral development • morality

6. Middle Childhood • Middle childhood: the span of years between ages 6 and 12 • During this period, children are • becoming more self-sufficient • becoming better problem solvers • beginning the process of entering the adult world • capable of helping with younger siblings

7. Physical development during middle childhood is not as rapid as during the first years of life. Height Weight Gross motor skills Fine motor skills Physical Development

8. Health Concerns • Middle childhood is often one of the healthier periods for children. However, a variety of health problems can occur. • Chronic illness • Hearing • Vision • Teeth • Obesity

9. Chronic Illness • Several chronic illness may surface: • ulcers • asthma • diabetes

10. Hearing • Ear infections can be a health problem. If left unattended, they can cause permanent hearing loss. • For most children, the number of ear infections decreases due to structural changes within the body. • The eustachian tube has changed position.

11. Vision • During middle childhood years, farsightedness improves. • Farsightedness: being able to see objects in the distance more clearly than those that are close • Most common vision problem is nearsightedness. • Nearsightedness: being able to see close objects more clearly than those at a distance

12. Discuss • Timer: What are some children’s activities that can increase their chances of becoming nearsighted?

13. Teeth • During middle childhood, • children begin to lose their primary teeth • tooth loss can have a psychological effect • tooth decay becomes a common health problem

14. Brainstorm • Write on a notecard: How can you promote dental health to children?

15. Obesity • Obesity is a condition characterized by excessive body fat • Factors that contribute to obesity: • Heredity • Environment • Traumatic events • Impact of obesity: • Emotional health

16. Cognitive Development • During middle childhood, children begin to think mentally using • attention and memory • mental operations • language

17. Attention and Memory • Memory and attention improve; children are able to • ignore unnecessary information • focus attention on important aspects of a task • establish priorities • use rehearsal strategies (repetition of information after it is used)

18. Mental Operations • Operation: the manipulation of ideas based on logic rather than perception • Concrete operation: the use of logic based on what has been experienced or seen • Conservation: change in position or shape does not change the quantity • Seriation: ability to arrange items in an increasing or decreasing order • Classification: ability to group objects by common attributes

19. Brainstorm • Pair share (find someone who has their birthday in the same month as you): Provide examples of games that can be used in the classroom to develop the ability of children to classify objects.

20. Language • The ability to communicate improves gradually. • Vocabulary doubles between ages of 6 and 12. • Grammar skills improve. • Written communication starts.

21. School-age children are growing in self-understanding and becoming more aware of the feelings of others. Self-concept Understanding others Friendships Peer group activities Games with rules Team sports Social-Emotional Development

22. Self-Concept • Self-concept: the view a person has of himself or herself • Social comparison: a process where people define themselves in terms of the qualities, skills, and attributes they see in others • Self-esteem: the belief that you are worthwhile as a person

23. Discuss • How can you as a teacher promote children’s self-esteem? •  Write your response on a separate piece of paper • Crumple up paper and throw across the room • Find and read someone else’s response—share.

24. Understanding Others • School-age children make major advances in understanding others. They develop • empathy (the ability to understand the feelings of others) • compassion (awareness of others’ distress and desire to help them)

25. Friendships • Friends take a great importance, and children tend to • choose friends of the same sex • share important thoughts and feeling with their friends • accept peers based on appearance and behavior

26. Peer Group Activities • Peer group activities play an important role in the social development of children. • Learn how to cooperate with others to achieve goals • Learn rules of group behavior

27. Games with Rules • These are some games played during the school years: • Hide-and-seek • Red rover • Blind man’s bluff • Tag • Importance of the games: • Encourage to take other person’s perspectives • Teach why rules are important

28. Team Sports • By participating in competitive sports, children benefit in many ways. • Learn teamwork skills • Learn to get along with their peers • Benefit from the exercise • Enjoy the activity • Begin to form a pattern for a healthy lifestyle

29. Moral Development • Moral development: the process of acquiring the standard of behavior considered acceptable by a society • Morality: understanding and using accepted rules of conduct when interacting with others

30. Summary • Middle childhood refers to the span of years between ages 6 and 12. • Physical development slows down. • Gross motor skills are improving. • Some chronic illness may surface. • Ulcers • Asthma • Diabetes

31. Summary • Cognitive development continues as the children begin to think mentally using logic and symbols. • Children begin to make social comparisons. • Children’s self-concept forms. • Friendship and group activities take a greater importance. • Morality begins to develop.

32. The authors want to recognize Bethany L. Baughman for her contributions to this project.