Emotional, Intellectual, and Social Development of Your Child
As physical growth slows down just before puberty, a child's mental
development accelerates. Children associate with teachers, playmates, and
friends, and their scope of interaction continues to widen. They become
interested in the outside world and their relationship to it, and are more
keenly aware of male and female differences. Toddlers and young children
often have playmates of both sexes, but during the latter part of childhood,
they usually make more friends of the same sex.
The latter part of childhood is ideal for learning, study, and the development of
intellectual and artistic abilities, as well as for the development of physical
strength and coordination. Children can be¬come actively involved in reading,
writing, mathematics, cooking, mu¬sic, art, sports, and other activities that
challenge them mentally and physically.
Children in the middle years are in a stage of transition from toddlers to
teenagers. They change from being completely dependent upon their parents
to being more independent. They develop a longer span of concentration,
more fluent speech, greater physical agility and control, the ability to reflect
about themselves and their actions, and to regulate their emotions and
behavior. Their thinking becomes deeper, involving larger areas of the brain
than in early childhood, and they begin seeking explanations for many of the
things they see around them. As children begin school and leave the home on
a regular basis, they are exposed to many outside influences and begin
comparing them with the attitudes, dreams, and patterns of daily life that they
have observed at home. They become increasingly sensitive to the way in
which others see them.
Children also develop the ability to take responsibility for small chores around
the house, such as keeping their rooms clean, helping in the kitchen or in the
garden or yard, and helping out with younger brothers and sisters. They also
do not seek or require the more constant care and attention they did at a
younger age, and begin taking initiative in expanding their horizons. They
want to demonstrate-to themselves as well as others-greater independence
by doing things like walking to school by themselves, riding their bicycles
without supervision, crossing the street, and playing outside with their friends.
Even though children act more independently as they grow older, however,
they still look to parents for approval and guidance. What they learn at home
forms the basis of how they evaluate society. Parents, brothers and sisters,
and other family members can help them to understand the many things they
encounter in society and to cope with and overcome any failures,
disappointments, and rejections that they experience. Some children may
begin to question the values or practices that they learned at home as a
result of being exposed to new ideas and ways of doing things. It is important
for you to be sensitive to the many questions that your children have and to
address them with love and understanding.