MIDDLE CHILDHOOD

Middle childhood is the stage of development between the ages of 6 and 12 years. The overall development of
children includes their physical, cognitive, social and emotional growth. In this program we will take a look at
the many factors that contribute to the development of the whole child.
During these middle childhood years, children gain body awareness, learn large amounts of information, and
establish relationships with others outside of their families. They begin to manage their own behavior and
start to find their place in the world.
Key points:
• Children master both gross and fine motor skills in middle childhood, as well as experience a stage of
general good health.
• Obesity in children ages 6 to 11 is increasing dramatically in the U.S.
• In this span of time children learn to read, write, and understand number relationships and historical
time. Vocabulary increases and semantic development occurs, as reading becomes the main way that
they learn.
• Children begin to note their internal qualities and realize that they are good at some things, and not
good at others.
• Children develop self-concepts and self-esteem.
• Children also develop a conscience and internalize moral rules.
• Divorce can cause maladjustments in children from 6 months to 2 years after the divorce.
• Friendships in middle childhood are based on loyalty and supportiveness rather than similar activities.
• Bullying is prevalent during the middle school years and includes physical, verbal, emotional and
extended to on-line harassment.
• Children with special needs can be accommodated and supported by adults to give them better
success in the classroom.

Physical Development
Children usually grow about 2 to 3 inches per year during their elementary school years. The onset of
puberty occurs at the end of middle childhood. Children usually lose and replace about 4 baby teeth a year
during this time as well.
During middle childhood, children master many gross and fine motor skills. Their muscle coordination
increases, and children are able to do jumping jacks, skip, and stop and change directions while running. With
fine motor abilities, children can write legibly, type on a keyboard, and cut with scissors.
While this is generally a stage of good health, some illnesses are more common during middle childhood, such
as allergies and asthma. More than 15 million children in the U.S. have asthma. 15% of children in the U.S. are
considered obese, which means that their body weight is more than 20% above the average for a child at a
given age and height. The biggest increase in obesity is children between 6 and 11 years old.

Cognitive Development
According to Jean Piaget, children fall into the concrete operational stage of development which is
characterized by the active and appropriate use of logic. There are four important aspects of operational
thought; decentration, reversibility, causality, and logic.
Lev Vygotsky proposed that language and social interaction play an essential role in development. He
proposed that children use self-directed speech, especially while problem solving. He believed that another
way children learn was within the zone of proximal development, or in a situation in which a task is just
beyond a child’s ability. In this zone adults can give hints or ask questions that allow a child to problem solve
on their own.
Semantic development includes acquiring more adult definitions of words that children know. Their
vocabulary expands and they create relationships among words. They advance in the use of syntax and
pragmatics. Children with little or no English speaking abilities participate in bilingual education, where one
strategy used is immersion.
By the beginning of middle childhood, children are moving into the transitional stage in which they spell out
words and begin to write full sentences. By age 9, most children move on to the conventional stage where
they begin to use correct spelling and apply spelling rules to their writing.
Reading development takes place in stages as well and around 6 or 7 years old, children in stage one sound
out words and blend sounds. Eventually they move on to create a sight vocabulary, which they can recognize
instantly. Around the age of 7 or 8 years, they learn to read aloud fluently. In stage three (9 and 13 years old)
reading becomes the main way in which children learn.
IQ tests are traditionally used to measure a child’s intelligence. Standard IQ tests focus on two types of
intelligence, logical-mathematical and linguistic. Researchers have brought up concerns that IQ tests may be
biased and not reveal fair judgments. Howard Gardner proposed a theory of multiple intelligences where he
identified at least 8 different areas where people have different levels of competency. These areas are
linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic.

Social And Emotional Development
During middle childhood, children begin to note their internal qualities, and begin to identify that while they
are good at some things, they struggle with others. Erik Erikson proposed that people move through stages of
emotional development, and children in middle childhood struggle between industry and inferiority. The stage
is characterized by efforts to attain competence.
Middle childhood is also the time when children begin to develop self-concepts and self-esteem. Self-concept
is one’s definition or description of attributes. Self-esteem is the evaluation of those attributes. Children have
a physical, emotional, academic, social, and global self-concept. Global self esteem is an overall positive or
negative evaluation of their self worth, and it is partially determined by the specific self-esteem in areas that
are most important to them.
In the classroom, teachers can create an atmosphere that promotes positive development by providing
students with experiences that lead to true success.
The middle childhood child develops a conscience and internalizes moral rules. Social learning theory suggests
that people learn from one another through observation, imitation and modeling. Caregivers can model
kindness and positive attributes to help children develop moral codes.
Middle childhood is a time of co-regulation; a period where caregivers and children jointly control children’s
behavior. Siblings can provide support, security, and companionship for a child, but can also be a source of
rivalry and jealousy. Some children can develop maladjustments after a divorce from 6 months to 2 years
after. Common maladjustments are phobias, depression, sleep disturbances, and anxiety.
During middle childhood, friendships gain importance and loyalty and supportiveness take a bigger role. Boys
tend to have larger networks of friends based on competition while girls tend to have smaller groups based on
popularity status and social competence. Bullying is aggressive behavior that is intentional, repeated, and
involves an imbalance of power or strength. It can be physical, verbal, or emotional including intimidation and
social exclusion. Children who are bullied are more likely to be depressed, anxious, lonely, and have low selfesteem.

Special Needs
Many children have challenging conditions that affect their physical and motor development and limit their
movement, such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and muscular dystrophy. Some children have sensory
difficulties such as visual, hearing, and speech impairments. 3 to 5% of children in middle childhood experience
speech difficulties, with stuttering being the most common. Myopia, or nearsightedness, is the most common
vision problem in middle school.
Some children develop learning disorders, which can involve academic difficulties, perceptual-motor difficulties,
faulty thinking, and language and speech delays. Approximately 1 to 3% of school-aged children have a form of
intellectual disability and are performing below their appropriate grade level. At the same time, 3 to 5% of
school-aged children are classified as gifted. To better meet these students’ needs, some schools offer
acceleration and enrichment programs.
Children with any special needs may need assistance with social interactions. Some children have serious
emotional disturbances, which include hyperactive behavior such as short attention span and impulsiveness.
Some children will exhibit aggressive behavior or social withdrawal. In any instance of a disability, regardless
of which, school-aged children can be accommodated and mainstreamed into classrooms with their typically
developing peers.

Review
For the most part, middle childhood is a stage of good health where ailments are mild and short lasting.
Increases in height and muscle coordination help contribute to the growing number of gross and fine motor
abilities of the middle childhood child. Good nutrition provides the fuel for physical growth, but it has also
been linked to positive cognitive, social, and emotional development.
Between the ages of 6 and 12, children make many advances in their development as they learn to read, write,
and communicate effectively. There is significant growth in academics, logic, and memory. Children in middle
childhood have a more developed theory of the mind, and are able to think about and understand their own
thinking. They also establish their individual personalities and influence their family and friends. With support
and encouragement, children in middle childhood can succeed and grow.

Interactive Elements
Questions For Discussion
1. Which one of Gardner’s 8 areas of multiple intelligences do you most associate with now? Which areas did
you most associate with when you were 10 years old? Are there trends in who associates with what?
Students can engage in a discussion of the 8 areas of multiple intelligences, as well as recall if they have
changed as they have developed.
2. What are some trends and characteristics of the basis of friendships in middle childhood? What are they
based on, and what are the differences between boys and girls (if any)?
Students can discuss the change to loyalty and supportiveness as a basis for friendship. Students can
also talk about their own experiences in middle childhood and their own relationships with peers.
3. Children grow physically, emotionally, socially, and intellectually during middle childhood. What do you
think are some good ways to cope with the changes that occur socially and emotionally during this stage
of development?
Students should touch upon the following ideas: Talking to caregivers and teachers to learn that all changes are
natural and normal. Teachers can foster self-esteem growth by providing opportunities that will make the
student successful. Caregivers, even in blended families can provide support for all of their children.
4. What is bilingual education? What are some strategies to enhance learning for non-English speakers?
Students can talk about immersion techniques and bilingual education in middle school.
5. Is intelligence testing biased? Should IQ tests be given in school or by psychologists/doctors?
Students can talk about how research has shown that IQ tests can be biased, and have students talk
about what they could do to overcome that bias. Students can debate on the importance of general IQ
in success in school.

Middle Childhood Evaluation/Testing
Fill-In-The-Blank
Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the bank at the bottom of the page.
_____________ may cause psychological maladjustment from six months to two years after.
_____________, _____________, sleep disturbances, and _____________ are some examples.
According to Lev Vygotsky, one way children learn is through the zone of _____________ development.
Two common classroom practices that encourage this learning are _____________ learning and
_____________ teaching.
_____________ is aggressive behavior that is _____________, repeated over time, and involves and
imbalance of power. It can be _____________, _____________, or _____________ such as intimidation,
threatening gestures, and social exclusion.
_____________ is the most common _____________. It is a substantial disruption in the rhythm and
fluency in speech.
According to Jean Piaget’s theory of development, children of the middle childhood age are in the
_____________ stage, which focuses on developing logical thinking. The four main aspects of this stage are
logic, _____________, _____________, and _____________.