Mid-Childhood & Ministry

The life of a 7-11 year old.

Healthiest time period of our lives

Exercise promotes learning & advances health

Play teaches kids how to relate to peers, achieve a sense of

morals through rules, and learn about world
Play & technology.
Implications technology has on kids
connecting with Jesus
Social Comparison and Self Esteem.
Self criticism & self consciousness increases from ages 6-11 (Berger).

Affirming pride is an important counter balance for increasing self esteem

(Berger).

Because children think more concretely (concrete operational stage)

materialism matters more to them. They care about their hair texture, sock
patterns, & light up sketchers (Berger).

They notice their inadequacies & need praise for their accomplishments.
Self Perception.
Looking glass self: we see ourselves based off of how other people
see us (Beebe & Redmond).

Children's self concept is influenced by the opinions of others, even

by those they don't know (Berger).

Self pride doesn't depend on actual accomplishments but how

others view our accomplishments (Berger)

Kids ages 7-11 are concerned if they are industrious or inferior.

Competent or Incompetent?
 We hope this approach will be a
Ministry Lens foundation for future conversations
about faith!

We want to praise kids for how they learn, how they relate to others... not
for static qualities such as intelligence or popularity (Berger).
Moral.
Kohlberg's Theory of Moral
Development
Kohlberg studied how Moral Development
changes as people grow older
Stages of Moral Development
Level 1: Preconceived Morality- Moral
Decisions are made based on the standards of
Adults and the consequences they get from
following or breaking rules
Level 2: Conventional Morality- Acceptance of
social rules as right and wrong. Authority is
often supreme, and social norms are
emphasized.
Level 3: Post conventional Morality- Focuses
on Moral Development and the individual.
Emotional.
With Marbles
Piagets Model of Social
Emotional Learning
Morality emerges as children develop
relational skills with peers.
Piaget Observed How Children Played
3 years old, Children tend to be
unaware of their surroundings
3-6, Children are often inconsistent
about rules and applying them
7, Children begin to understand rules
9, Children begin to understand mutual
consent
11, Children master rules and put them
into practice
Cognitive.
Piagets Model of Cognitive
Development
Sensorimotor: Birth to 24 months old.
Focuses on Object Permanence.
Pre-operational: 2 to 7 years old. Focuses
on Symbolic Thought.
Concrete Operational: 7 to 11 years old.
Focuses on Operational Thought.
Formal Operational: Adolscence to
Adulthood. Focuses on Abstract
Concepts.
Erikson's Model of Psychosocial
Development
Stage 1: Trust vs. Mistrust
Stage 2: Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
Stage 3: Initiative vs. Guilt
Stage 4: Industry vs. Inferiority
Stage 5: Identity of Confusion
Stage 6: Intimacy vs. Isolation
Stage 7: Generativity vs. Stagnation
Stage 8: Integrity vs. Despair
Spiritual Development.
Elkind highlights 3 stages of Spiritual
Development

The "global" stage: Children are unable to comprehend abstract thought and
do not know how to differentiate religions.
The "concrete" stage: Still focused on the concrete, but can now understand
how to relate spirituality to themselves.
The "personal connection" stage: Relationship starts to develop as well as an
actual sense of a triune God.
OUR ANSWER FOR MIDDLE CHILDHOOD
 HINT: COLLEGE-STUDENT MENTORS PAIRED WITH KIDS?

"Be a bridge between children's developmental potential and the

skills needed to achieve that potential by guided participation and
scaffolding."
Wonderfully Made Ministries
(a ministry under Wheaton College's Office of Christian Outreach.)

OUR MISSION:
To come alongside young students to
help them discover that they are
uniquely designed by their Creator.
Our core
characteristics.
Scripturally
Inspired
For you formed my inward
parts; you knitted me together
in my mother's womb. I praise
you, for I am fearfully and
wonderfully made. Wonderful
are your works; my soul knows
it very well.
(Psalm 149:13-14)
Relationship-
Oriented.
We consider children's thought
processes, not just outcomes.
We remember they are curious
and creative. Not robotic!
Identity
Driven
Kids in middle childhood are
beginning to develop a keen
self-awareness, and a need for
identity formation. WMM
serves to remind each child
that they are God's uniquely
beloved, and are given identity
through Jesus.
Our "Buddy" System The Parameters
Children are individually paired with a
college student who best matches their
interests/personalities.
Children will meet with their "buddies" at
least once a week for a loosely structured
time focused on their passions or needs.
Buddies volunteer with WMM through the
OCO as an academic year-long
commitment.
Buddies will focus all of their attention on
the child in their 1-on-1 time.
Buddies constantly affirm.
Buddies MUST be consistent with their
commitment to the ministry. This includes
always logging their time with their child.
Logs are then immediately sent to the
student director & parent/guardian.
Same-gendered pairs.
Background checks on every volunteer.
Thorough interview process between the
Staff/Student Director and volunteer.
Ministry training retreat before fall
semester.
Parent/guardian MUST fill out a consent
form before 1-on-1 sessions begin.
WHERE
All one-on-one experiences will take place
on Wheaton's campus.
ONE BIG PLAYGROUND
Residence Halls will be restricted.
Live classrooms will be restricted unless a
specific request has been put forth.
WHO
Any local 6-11 year-old.
For anyone uncomfortable with a one-on-
one meeting time, WMM provides the
option for small group hangouts. 1-on-1's
are highly encouraged for identity
development/affirmation.
ABSOLUTES
NO TECH
To avoid additional stimuli, children will not
have screentime in their weekly time with
buddies. Unless essential for a child's
passion, buddies will not incorporate
screentime into their weekly meetups.

This program is of no cost to a child's

parent/guardian.
Children cannot leave campus with their
buddy due to OCO liability.
How can one get plugged in?
As simple as these four steps.

Visit WMM's Fill out our Coffee or Call. Final Placement!

Parent/guardian will be contacted
website! information profile via email/phone call with final
application.* details for their child's buddy.

*located on our website.

 RESOURCES
Human Material
40 volunteer buddies 1) $400 1) $0 OCO S.D. office space
student director (stipend) 2) $1000 2) $1000 Small student fund
staff director (salary) 3) $35,000

$37,400
 How does WWM address the obstacles of middle
childhood? (a dev't theory-based overview)
"It is noteworthy that findings from this study... show that the correlation between shyness and
self-esteem is not restricted to self-evaluations of social competence or physical appearance,
but includes a range of domains of the self." (Crozier)

Erickson: WMM steps in during a child's Industry vs.
Inferiority stage. We serve to remind each child that
their value does not come from their achievements,
but from their Creator who designed them
uniquely.
Piaget: an emergence into logical thinking by young
children is met by our ministry with a team ready
to help grow their every-evolving skills/interests.
Children also begin to understand/apply rules, thus
giving WMM more freedom for loosely structured
time.
Kohlberg: although WMM believes that every
child should remain in
Preconceived/conventional morality, we strive
to begin to move them into Post Conventional
thinking as WMM focuses on the individual
identity.
Elkind: parallel with Piaget, children now have
a more concrete understanding of
faith/spirituality, and can personally apply it to
their lives. Most importantly, however, their
identity.
 REFERENCES
1) Invitation to the Life Span by Kathleen Stassen Berger

2) Interpersonal Communication: Relating to Others (7th Edition) by Beebe and Redmond

3) "High, low, and in between: Self-esteem development from middle childhood to young adulthood" by Chung, Hutteman,
van Aken, and Denissen

4) "Creativity in Middle Childhood: Influence of Perceived Maternal Sensitivity, Self-esteem, and Shyness" by Cantero, Malero,
and Alfonso-Benlliure

5) "Shyness and self-esteem in middle childhood" by W. Ray Crozier

6) "Faith and Cognitive Development" by Margaret A. Krych

7) "Children's development of Spirituality" by Katy Abel

8) "Developmental changes on concept in Mid-Childhood" by Barabara Long, Edmund Henderson, and Robert Ziller

9) "Kohlberg stages of Moral Development" by Angela Oswalt Morelli