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Developmental
Stages:
What to Expect From Your Little
It
takes a certain kind of patience and understanding to work well with children.
Having some knowledge of the different developmental, emotional, physical
and social milestones children go through can be helpful in developing
that understanding.
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What
to expect from
5-7 year olds…
General Characteristics
- Eager to learn,
easily fatigued, short periods of interest
- Learn best when
active
- Self assertive,
boastful, less cooperative, more competitive
Physical Characteristics
- Very active and
need frequent breaks to do things that are fun and involve using energy
- Large muscles well
developed, small muscles still developing, tend to be more accident
prone
Social Characteristics
- Like organized
games and are concerned about following the rules
- Very competitive
and may try to cheat
- Very imaginative
and involved in fantasy play
- Self assertive,
aggressive, want to be first
- Like to talk
Emotional Characteristics
- Alert to feelings
of others but unaware of how own feelings affect others
- Very sensitive
to recognition and praise, feelings easily hurt
- Maturity levels
are inconsistent, will regress when tired or when family members are
present
Developmental Tasks
- Sex role identification
- Early moral development
- Group play
What
to expect from
8-10 year olds…
General Characteristics
- Interested in people,
aware of differences, willing to give more but expect more as well
- Capable of prolonged
interest
- Decisive, dependable,
reasonable, strong sense of right and wrong
- Very curious, collectors
of everything
- Looking for independence
- Often outspoken
and critical of adults
Physical Characteristics
- Very active and
need frequent breaks to do things that are fun and involve using energy
- Bone growth not
yet complete, may still be accident prone
Social Characteristics
- Competitive
- Choosy about friends
and acceptance becomes important
- Team games become
popular
- Worshiping heroes,
TV stars, sports figures is common
- Eager to answer
questions
Emotional Characteristics
- May be conflicts
between adult rules and peer rules
- Very sensitive
to recognition and praise, feelings easily hurt
- Maturity levels
inconsistent
Developmental Tasks
- Team play
- Skill learning,
self evaluation
- Wide discrepancies
in learning
What
to expect from
11-13 year olds…
General
Characteristics
- Testing
limits, "know it all" attitude
- Vulnerable,
emotionally insecure, mood swings
- Identifies
with admired adult
- Tend
to be perfectionists, get frustrated if "can't get it right"
-
Want independence
- Attention
span can be lengthy
Physical
Characteristics
- Small
muscle coordination good - crafts, arts, music are common interests
- Concerned
with appearance, self-conscious about body growth (esp. early maturers)
- Diet
and sleep may be disrupted, causing low energy
Social
Characteristics
- Being
accepted by friends very important
- Team
games are popular
- Great
need to conform with friends in order to "belong"
- Friends
set rules of behavior
- "Crushes"
on same age range
Emotional
Characteristics
- Very
sensitive to recognition and praise, feelings easily hurt
- Loud
behavior hides lack of self-confidence
- Caught
between being child and adult
Developmental
Tasks
- Team
play
- Social
cooperation
- Skill
learning, self evaluation
Other
resources for Bigs:
Youth
Services
32 Walnut Street
PO Box 6008
Brattleboro, VT 05302
Phone: (802) 257-0361
Fax: (802) 257-2171
Email: info@youthservicesinc.org
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