Case Study of a child Age 6

Indiana Warrior
EDU 220- Education Psychology
 Abstract
Physical Emotional Cognitive/Intellectual

⊹ Improved motor skills ⊹ Follows the behavior of ⊹ Difficulty making

⊹ Nervous habits and a group. decisions.
fidgeting ⊹ Seek responsibility. ⊹ Reading and writing
⊹ Sense of body image ⊹ Struggle with criticism. improve.
develops ⊹ Distinct likes and ⊹ Thinking may seem
⊹ Very active dislikes. illogical to adults.
⊹ Increased focus time.

Psychological/Social Moral/Character/Philosophical
⊹ Growth mindset.
⊹ Insist on being correct.
⊹ Begin to develop perseverance.
⊹ Difficulty losing
⊹ Sees behavior as only right or wrong.
⊹ Very curious.
⊹ Begins to gain a better understanding
⊹ More able to express
of friend’s emotions.
complex emotions, ie:
loneliness.

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 Typical Physical Behaviors- Age 6
⊹ “Smooth and strong motor skills” (Medline, 2017)

⊹ Children begin to develop a sense of body image at this age. (Medline, 2017)

⊹ Energetic and has trouble staying still. (University of Washington, 1993)

⊹ “Eats with fingers and talks with mouth full.” (University of Washington, 1993)

⊹ Children this age may become picky and strongly dislike certain foods. (University of
Washington, 1993)

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 Typical Physical Development- Age 6(Snowman)
⊹ “...energy is often released in the form of nervous habits - for example pencil chewing,
fingernail biting, and general fidgeting.” (Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg.84)

⊹ Children need unstructured activity time in order to interact with other children and expand
their perspective. (Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015)

⊹ “Quite a few children may be farsighted because of the shallow shape of the eye.”(Snowman, J.
& McCown, R., 2015, pg.84)

⊹ “Bone growth is not complete. Therefore, bones and ligaments can’t stand heavy
pressure.”(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg.85)
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 Physical Development Observation- Age 6
Developmental Milestones Met:
⊹ The 6-year-old boy I observed can use the bathroom without help and no longer has accidents
frequently.
⊹ He has large amounts of energy and fidgets, particularly during car rides lasting more than 15 minutes.
⊹ He has also begun to develop a curiosity toward the opposite sex.
Developmental Milestones Not Met:
⊹ He has difficulty dressing and undressing himself.
⊹ He has not yet hit a growth spurt and is smaller and shorter than his peers.

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 Physical Development Recommendations- Age 6
⊹ Improve coordination by practicing bike riding, or catching a ball. (Child Development Institute,
2015)

⊹ Encourage fine motor skill development with scissors and tying shoelaces. (Child Development
Institute, 2015)

⊹ Avoid pointing out lack of coordination or changing appearance. (University of Washington,

1993)

⊹ Ensure children receive enough sleep and eat balanced meals. (University of Washington, 1993)

⊹ “Provide opportunities for a variety of physical activities.” (University of Washington, 1993) 6

 Typical emotional behaviors- Age 6
⊹ Children this age may follow the behavior of a group in order to fit in. (Medline, 2017)

⊹ “...more empathetic and better able to talk about feelings.” (Child Development Institute, 2015)

⊹ “Finds it difficult to accept criticism, blame, or punishment.” (University of Washington, 1993)

⊹ “...exhibits violent extremes...” in regards to mood and behavior (University of Washington, 1993)

⊹ Children this age may become picky and strongly dislike certain foods. (University of
Washington, 1993)

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 Typical Emotional Development- Age 6(Snowman)
⊹ “Young children need frequent praise and recognition. Because they tend to admire or even
worship their teachers, they may be crushed by criticism.” (Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015,
pg.86)

⊹ Children seek responsibility and enjoy assigned jobs that help the classroom. (Snowman, J. &
McCown, R., 2015)

⊹ Children become more aware of the feelings of others and may be insensitive without
understanding why their actions were hurtful. (Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015)

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 emotional Development Observation- Age 6
Developmental Milestones Met:
⊹ He does tend to only think of himself without thinking of others when making decisions.
⊹ When things do not go the way he would like them to his mood changes to a tantrum quickly. During
these outburst, he is often violent and does not think clearly.
⊹ He has become more independent and feels more comfortable completing simple tasks without
assistance from an adult.
Developmental Milestones Not Met:
⊹ He often has trouble interacting with peers in a group setting and tends to be more attracted to adults.
Unlike most children his age, he does not go with behaviors of the group and prefers to be alone.

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 emotional Development Recommendations- Age 6
⊹ Help verbalize more complex emotions such as loneliness, jealousy, and gratitude. (PBS, 2019)

⊹ Encourage children to focus on one task for at least 15 minutes. (Medline, 2017)

⊹ “It is important for the child to learn how to deal with failure or frustration without losing
self-esteem” (Medline, 2017)

⊹ “Don’t dismiss fears as unimportant.” (University of Washington, 1993)

⊹ “Give child time, freedom, and opportunities to practice being independent.” (University of
Washington, 1993)
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 Typical Cognitive/Intellectual Behaviors- Age 6
⊹ Children are in the intuitive stage. (Ellsworth, 1998)

⊹ “Mental imagery may be used to begin integration of ideas.” (Ellsworth, 1998)

⊹ Stress may cause children to stutter. (University of Washington, 1993)

⊹ Has difficulty making choices and “wants all of everything” (University of Washington, 1993)

⊹ “Begins to have organized continuous memories; most children learn to read and write.”
(University of Washington, 1993)

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Typical Cognitive/Intellectual Behaviors- Age 6 (Piaget & Vygotsky)
Piaget
⊹ Preoperational Stage: (Prelogical) 2-7 years old. (Snowman, J.
& McCown, R., 2015, pg. 40)
⊹ “From an adult perspective, their thinking and behavior are
illogical.”(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg. 41)
⊹ “...focus attention on only one characteristics of an object or
aspect of a problem or event at a time.” (Snowman, J. &
McCown, R., 2015, pg. 42)
⊹ “They seem to assume that others see things the same way
they see them.” Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg.42)
Vygotsky
⊹ “...the proper development of a child’s mind depends on
learning how to use these psychological tools, and this will
only occur if classroom instruction is properly designed.”
(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg. 53)
⊹ Cognitive development occurs through spontaneous and
scientific concepts. Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015)
⊹ Spontaneous concepts are, “... unsystematic, unconscious,
and directed at the child’s everyday concrete experiences.”
(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg. 53)
⊹ Scientific Concepts are those structured in the classroom.
(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg. 53)
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 Cognitive/Intellectual Observation- Age 6
Developmental Milestones Met:
⊹ He has begun to learn to read and write.
⊹ He does find it difficult to make choices and wants everything at once. This is common of six year olds.
⊹ He knows his colors, numbers, and coins.
Developmental Milestones Not Met:
⊹ Unlike other six year olds, his memories are slightly disorganized and not always continuous. He often
forgets parts of a memory and will substitute them with new information.

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 Cognitive/Intellectual Development Recommendations- Age 6
⊹ Help children develop responsibility through household chores such as washing the dishes.
(Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017)

⊹ “Make clear rules and stick to them.” (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017)

⊹ Allow opportunities for decision making without providing too many choices. (University of
Washington, 1993)

⊹ “Promote child’s reading and writing.” (University of Washington, 1993)

⊹ Allow children to change their opinions and preferences. (University of Washington, 1993)
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 Typical Psychological/Social Behaviors- Age 6
⊹ “Poor at adapting to friend’s needs or admitting guilt.” (Ellsworth, 1998)

⊹ Children this age often insist on being correct. (Ellsworth, 1998)

⊹ “Understand more about his or her place in the world.” (Center for Disease Control and
Prevention, 2017)

⊹ “May voluntarily help younger siblings.” (Child Development Institute, 2015)

⊹ May change rules to win, has difficulty losing. (University of Washington, 1993)

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 Typical Psychological/Social Behaviors- Age 6 (Erickson)
Industry vs. Inferiority (6-11 years of age):
⊹ “A child entering school is at a point in development when behavior is dominated by
intellectual curiosity and performance.” (Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg.29)

⊹ “If children at this stage are encouraged to make and do things well, helped to persevere,
allowed to finish tasks, and praised for trying, industry results.” (Snowman, J. & McCown, R.,
2015, pg. 29)

⊹ “If the children’s efforts are unsuccessful or if they are derided or treated as bothersome,
feelings of inferiority result.”(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg. 29)
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 Psychological/Social Observation- Age 6
Developmental Milestones Met:
⊹ He loves to play games that require a vivid and creative imagination, such as pretend to play rocketship.
⊹ He is familiar with adults outside of his immediate family and can identify his relationship with them.
⊹ The boy I observed struggles when expectations are too high and tends to act out when he feels under
pressure. This is common of children six years old.
Developmental Milestones Not Met:
⊹ While children this age tend to place themselves, over their parents, as the center of the world, he still is
rather dependant on his mom.

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 Psychological/Social Development Recommendations- Age 6
⊹ Allow children to communicate their concerns and feelings without fearing punishment.
(Medline, 2017)

⊹ “All children need alone time sometimes to wind down and enjoy their own thoughts.” (PBS,
2019)

⊹ Schedule play dates to help children develop friendships and improve social skills. (PBS, 2019)

⊹ “Provide guidance in making and keeping friends.” (University of Washington, 1993)

⊹ Teach children how to avoid being a sore loser. (University of Washington, 1993)
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 Typical Moral/character/philosophical Behaviors- Age 6
⊹ “Engages in many power struggles.” (Ellsworth, 1998)

⊹ “Child may tend to express a pessimistic view on life.” (Ellsworth, 1998)

⊹ “Needs help overcoming own rigidity.” (Ellsworth, 1998)

⊹ Children this age begin to have grit which develops a “growth mindset.” (PBS, 2019)

⊹ “...sometimes blames others for own wrongdoing.” (University of Washington, 1993)

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Typical Moral/character/philosophical Behaviors- Age 6 (Kohlberg)
⊹ Children 10 years old and under tend to see rules as, “...sacred pronouncements handed down
by external authority.” (Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg.60)

⊹ “Holds single, absolute moral perspective (behavior is right or wrong).”(Snowman, J. & McCown,
R., 2015, pg.60)

Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Reasoning (Level 1: Preconventional Morality)

⊹ Stage 1 (Punishment- obedience orientation): “Punishment should be avoided by staying out
of trouble.” (Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg.61)
⊹ Stage 2 (Instrumental relativist orientation): “Obeying rules should bring some sort of benefit
in return.” (Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg.61) 20
 Moral/character/philosophical Observation- Age 6
Developmental Milestones Met:
⊹ He does tend to view life with a more negative outlook.
⊹ Strong desire to please adults and be well behaved.
⊹ He has developed a clear sense of what is right and wrong and aims to do what he believes is the right
thing.
Developmental Milestones Not Met:
⊹ He does not tend to be too concerned with how his behavior affects the family. However, he does tend
to blame others when he has does something wrong.

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Moral/character/philosophical Development Recommendations- Age 6
⊹ Teach children the importance of telling the truth and being honest. (PBS, 2019 )

⊹ Encourage feelings of gratitude. (PBS, 2019 )

⊹ Encourage children to play games that require attention to detail to, “...help young brains
grow and help kids increase their ability to persevere.” (PBS, 2019 )

⊹ “Teach children to be concerned and responsible for own behavior.” (University of Washington,
1993)

⊹ “Assure child that everyone makes mistakes.” (University of Washington, 1993)

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 References
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). Child development.
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/facts.html

Child Development Institute. (2015). The ages and stages of child development.
https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/ages-stages/#.WR3Id_QrLrc

Ellsworth, J. (1998). Online lesson: PEPSI as a screening tool.

https://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jde7/ese504/class/pepsi/lesson2-1-1.html

Medline. (2017). Adolescent Development.

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002003.htm

PBS (2019) Learn & grow by age.

https://www.pbs.org/parents/learn-grow/age-3

Snowman, J. & McCown, R. (2015) Psychology applied to teaching, 14th ed. Stamford, CT: Cengage
Learning.

University of Washington. (1993). Child development: Using the child development guide.
http://depts.washington.edu/allcwe2/fosterparents/training/chidev/cd06.htm
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