Child Development (6-12 Years) PDF

Cognitive Emotional and Social Changes Chapter 30 Pg: 415-416 Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development  Sensorimotor – Birth to 18 months  Preoperational – 18 months to 7 years  Concrete Operations – 7 to 12 years  Formal Years – 12 years onwards Cognitive Changes  Between the ages of 6...

Cognitive Emotional and Social Changes Chapter 30 Pg: 415-416 Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development  Sensorimotor – Birth to 18 months  Preoperational – 18 months to 7 years  Concrete Operations – 7 to 12 years  Formal Years – 12 years onwards Cognitive Changes  Between the ages of 6 to 12 years the child is called a school aged child.  This is the period of greatest cognitive development  Between the ages of 5 to 7 years there is a reorganization of the child’s central nervous system Attention span  Attention span older than 7yrs is substantially greater than that of the child younger than 5 At 6years  Child can only write his/her name At 12 years  Child can communicate through words or writing  They understand grammar  Many will be able to speak and/write more than one language Concepts that a child acquires between 6 to 12 years  Relativity – ability to relate to objects in the more than one way. Eg: Dark color is not just black  Constancy – The ability to relate to objects despite external differences. Constancy of length, mass, weight and volume can be appreciated.  Assimilation – The child learns to take different information from the environment and is able to process that information to make decisions. Mental representations of actions become the part of the cognitive abilities of child. Some Dimensions of Conservation: Number, Matter, and Length Type of conservation Initial presentation Number Matter Length Two identical rows of objects shown to child Two identical balls of clay shown to child Two sticks are aligned in front of child One row is spaced Experimenter changes shape of one ball Experimenter moves one stick to right “No, the longer one has more” “No, the one on top is longer” Manipulation Preoperational child’s answer to “No, the longer row has more” “Are they still the same?” Piaget’s Conservation Task A B C Two identical beakers shown to child, and then experimenter pours liquid from (B) into (C) A B C Child is asked if (A) and (C) have the same amount of liquid. The preoperational child says “no” and will point to (C) as having more liquid than (A). COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENTAL THEORY - Jean Piaget Hierarchical classification Emotional changes  Between 6 to 12 years the child learns to accept the norms of society  Relinquishes like crying, tantrums, etc to possible modes of expression of frustration.  Preschooler immediate rewards for gratification but this age masters in delaying gratification  Can be taught to use their time for useful activities like homework or lessons. Involvement in activities  Between the ages of 6 to 12 years the need for the parents to give attention to the child’s activities rapidly decreases  By the age of 12 years the child has his own list of activities and will decide which activities are more important and knows how to strive from boredom Importance of looks or body image  Body image begins to become an emotional feature of the child’s life.  The greatest importance to body image is during adolescence, but it begins to appear in this age group. Dental implication  The child’s esthetic requirements increase  Fluorosis (discoloration of teeth) in a 6 year old will trouble only the parents of the child  Fluorosis in a 12 year old will affect the child, and the child may be afraid to smile, laugh or play with other children because he/she does not wish to show his/her teeth. Social Changes  The years between ages 6 to 12 are called as middle childhood Socially important years because:  The child goes to school (where there is interaction with many people)  There is an importance given to peers  There is an expansion of the child’s social environment (he interacts with people at school, in the playground etc.)  Child will give importance to certain activities while reducing the importance to others  School is a very important influence on a child of this age  Studies show that the child’s feelings towards the teacher are similar to the feelings towards the mother Importance of Peers Importance of peers  Peers are friends or other children of the same age  Most children want to be a part of a group of friends at this age  If the peers tease the child or refuse to play with him/her this will be emotionally damaging.  If the child does not learn to cope with these problems then he/she will have more serious problems in adolescence.  So very important for the parents, caregivers etc to make the child emotionally resilient. Should be trained to handle carefully at this age. Influence of the Peer group on the child  Have a powerful influence on the social development of the     child Sometimes the values of the peer group may be the opposite of what the parents and teachers are saying Parents should be aware of the influence of the peer group and try to provide support to the child. Middle child hood is the period where the child first starts to form a meaningful friendship. Friendship usually with the children of same sex Influence of School on the child  In the first few years of school many children like school  The self importance and self control of the child improve as he/she goes to school  The child gets an ability to become independent (will want to brush his/her own teeth, will want to pour the milk into the glass).  In later years children begin to dislike school  If the parents are educated then the child may like school more Influence of the teacher on the child  The teacher is the first adult outside the family who has any authority on the child  The teacher has a very important role to play in the development of the child Qualities of the teacher appreciated by the child are  Fairness  Consistency  Ability to praise effectively  Ability to maintain order without being overly authoritative