(Semi-final)

UNIT 5 – MIDDLE CHILDHOOD – The Primary School Children

Physical Development of Primary School Children

Objectives:
 Describe the different physical characteristics of early school-aged
children
 Discuss several ways on how to encourage age-appropriate active
physical life style to primary school children

Physical development involve many different factors: height, weight, appearance, visual,
hearing and motor abilities. Primary school children undergo many different changes as they go
through the stage of development. This may be due to different factors: natural and
environmental.

Physical growth during this stage is slow but steady, during this stage, physical
development involves:

1. Having good muscle control and coordination

2. Developing eye-hand coordination
3. Having good personal hygiene
4. Being aware of good safety habits
The primary years- grades 1 to 3, children are extremely active, they get tired more easily
because of too much physical and mental exertions, at home and at school. Hence, activities
must be alternated between strenuous ones and relaxing or quite activities like storytelling time
after the Math period.

Height and Weight

This gradual and steady growth gives the children time to get used to the changes
happening in their bodies. Most children will have slimmer appearance compared to their
preschool years because of the shifts in accumulation and location of their body fat. Girls tend to
develop more fat cells. A number of factors that indicate how much a child grows: genes, food,
climate, exercise, medical condition, and diseases or illnesses.

Bones and Muscles

Childhood years are the peak bone –producing years, bones grow longer and broader.
This is the best time to educate children of good dietary and exercise habits to help them build
strong and healthy muscles throughout their lives. Ensuring an adequate calcium intake will
greatly help them strengthen muscles and bones. Bone and muscle growth are not yet complete
at this stage, teachers may provide more coordinated physical activities through sports and
games.

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Motor Development

At this stage, children are gaining control over the major muscles of their bodies, they
already have a sense of balance. They like to move a lot because their gross motor skills are
already developed, they can perform the following easily:

 Unimanual (requiring the use of one hand) and bimanual (requiring the use of
two hands)
 Graphic activities such as writing and drawing

Motor development skills

 include coordination – a series of movement organized and timed to

occur in a particular way to bring about a desired result
 balance – ability to maintain the equilibrium or stability of the body in
different positions
 Speed – ability to cover a great distance in the shortest possible time
 agility – ability to quickly change or shift the direction of the body
 power – ability to perform a maximum effort in the shortest possible
period
All these motor skills are vital in performing different activities, large scale
body movements are important, boys develop motor skills faster than girls except
for skills involving balance and precise movements.

Some Issues Affecting Physical Development

 Obesity – this is a major concern for parents and health providers because it is
becoming a trend – childhood overweight and obesity. Overweight and obese
children are likely to stay obese into adulthood and may develop non-
communicable diseases like diabetes and heart disease. This may be linked to
many factors like nutrition and inactivity.
 Child Nutrition – malnutrition remains a major health issue in the Philippines It
has a serious effect on the physical and mental development of children, poverty
is proven to be the main cause. Children’s diet should include a good supply of
vitamins, minerals and proteins found in fruits and vegetables. Schools must help
in lessening intake of junk foods, and fast food foods.
 Sleep – children need 9 – 11 hours of sleep each day including daytime naps.
Poor and inadequate sleep may result to mood swings, behavioral problems, and
cognitive problems.

Implications to Child Care, Education and Parenting

To help children to be physically healthy (1) provide them with good nutrition, and
(2) involve them in coordinated and appropriate physical activities. Teachers and parents
must do the following:

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  Encourage children to join or enroll them to related programs during
summer and free time
 Advocate better nutrition in foods at home and in school canteen
 Provide a balance between rigorous and quiet or relaxing activities
 Create an exercise plan for children
 Maintain daily sleep schedule and consistent bedtime routine
 Make children’s bedroom conducive for peaceful sleep, keep computers,
cell phones and TV outside of bed rooms.

Activity 23.

Surf the internet. Type https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utzv66KBRZc, watch in you

tube the physical activities for a summer program, and answer the following questions:

1. Are the activities age-appropriate? Justify your answer.

2. How does the execution of the movements of the big kids differ from that of the
smaller ones?
3. What physical characteristics do the exercise develop?

Cognitive Development of Primary School Children

Objective:

 Discuss the importance of information processing skills and how they affect
the child’s cognitive development.

Jean Piaget, the foremost theorist on cognitive development believes that

intelligence is the basic mechanism of ensuring balance in the relations between the
person and the environment.

Cognitive Milestone

Children encounter developmental milestones. This is the stage when they leave
behind egocentric thinking and start to develop a more mature way of looking at things,
which greatly enhances children’s problem-solving skills, Piaget calls this process-
decentration. The skills they learn are in a sequential manner – meaning, they need to
understand numbers before they can perform mathematical equations. Each
milestone they develop is dependent on the previous milestone they achieved. Up

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 to age of 8, children learn new skills at a rapid pace, when they reached the age of 8, the
skills they learn start to level off, and there is a steady increase of new skills.

Their ability to speak and express themselves develops rapidly, their attention
span is longer, and they are able to read words and combination of words.

Information Processing Skills

Several theorists argue that like the computer, the human mind is a
system that can process information through the application of the logical rules
and strategies. They also believe that the mind receive information, performs
operations to change its form and content, stores and locates it, and generates
responses from it.

Implications to Child Care, Education and Parenting

Children have varying intelligence profiles, which may be based on

influences of learning and achievement. Parents and teachers should:

 Help children draw on their strengths and promote growth in their

weakness.
 Plan lessons that cater to multiple intelligences based on instructional
objectives.
 Encourage children to read more every day to increase their vocabulary.
 Bring children to museums, art exhibits and historical landmarks to widen
their perspective about the world and people.
 Lessen children’s screen time and increasing their personal face – to- face
interaction.

Activity 24.

1. Read the study entitled Associations Between Traffic-Related Air Pollution in

Schools and Cognitive Development in Primary School Children: A Prospective
Cohort Study, which is accessible in http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?
id=10.1371/journal.pmed1001792. Write a short summary of the conclusion and
recommendations. Write also your own insights.

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Socio-emotional Development of Primary School Children

Objectives:

 Identify the different characteristics of the children in this stage of

development.
 Discuss the different factors that affect the socio-emotional growth of
the primary school children.

The primary school children are in the fourth stage of Erickson’s

Psychosocial Stages. They have to resolve the issue on Industry vs. Inferiority.

In this stage, children are most likely going to school, and school
experiences become their top priority as they become busy in school activities.
The encouragement of parents and educators helps to build a child’s sense of
self-esteem, confidence and ability to interact positively in the world.

Understanding the Self

One’s self-concept is the knowledge about the self, such as beliefs

regarding personality, characteristics, abilities, values, goals and roles. It also
involves a sense of belonging and acceptance, a sense of good and a sense of
being capable of doing good. Having healthy self-concept does not mean that a
child thinks that he is better than others, this only means that he likes himself, he
feels accepted by his family and friends and believes that he can do well.

Children’s self-confidence is influenced not only by their parents, but also

by all the people that they interact with, they have a growing understanding of
their place in the world, and they know that they can please their parents and
teachers. They are comfortable and show confidence in doing things they are
good at, and also show frustrations in things that they find difficult.

School Years

From pre-elementary to primary school, children tend to become

increasingly self-confident and able to cope well in social interactions. They are
not focused on themselves alone but have awareness of the needs of others.
The issues of fairness and equality become important to them as they learn to
care for people who are not part of their families. Characteristics like loyalty,
reliability, responsibility and kindness are being considered as well.

Building Friendship

“What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies”

- Aristotle
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 Making friends is a crucial but very important part of children’s social and
emotional growth, as children learn to walk and talk; they show natural inclination to be
around other children. Most likely, at this stage, children belong to a peer group –
children who belong to the same age group. Up to the age of 7 or 8, they think of
themselves more than others, they may play well with groups, but some time they play
alone. Primary school children prefer to belong to peer groups of the same gender.
Most children make friends while others remain a bit loner.

Antisocial Behavior – some adult may perceive that some children’s behavior towards
other children as antisocial when they poke, kick or hit other children, but it is fairly
normal. This is because children at this stage are still forming their own world views and
others may seem like curiosity that they want to explore.

Parents and teachers can help children make friends by considering the following:

 Expose the children to kid-rich environment like parks and playgrounds.

 Create a play group in the class and encourage them to mingle with their
classmates.
 Remind them that their behaviors hurt others when they hit other children.
 Parents and teachers should coordinate with each other and with other
teachers so that children will have opportunity to interact with more peers.
Self- control

Once children reach school age, they take pride in their ability to do things and
their capacity to exert effort. They like receiving positive feedback from their parents and
teachers. This is a great opportunity for parents and teachers to encourage emotional
positive emotional responses from children by acknowledging their mature and
compassionate behaviors and reminding them to avoid negative or hurting behaviors.
These will booster the children to develop self-control.

Implication to the Child Care, Education and Parenting

The primary school children’s socio-emotional competency should be viewed in

the context of the child’s developmental stage, parents and teachers should be able to:

 Gain understanding of their child’s emotional strengths and weaknesses by

observing the child’s behavior at home and at school.
 Work cooperatively to expand one’s insight on the child’s development.
 Provide a supportive setting where children have opportunities to practice
emotional regulation and social skills with peers.
 Give children activities where they can practice taking turns, sharing and
playing collaboratively.
 Demonstrate calmness and staying in control of one’s own feelings.

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Activity 25.

Read and study the situations given below. Write a letter to the worried mother
advising her about her problem on her child’s behavior.

Situation 1.

Dear Teacher,

I am really heart-broken. My eight-year old daughter is feeling

lonely, isolated and friendless. It seems that she has felt this way for
quite a while. She says that she mostly spends time alone – that she has
no friend because no one wants to play with her.

She tags along, but usually left out eventually. She can become
angry if things don’t always go her way and also teary. I don’t know
where to turn to help her. The thought that she finds school so painful is
heart-breaking.

Please help me.

Sincerely,

Situation 2.

Dear Teacher,

I am a really proud parent. My son is in primary grade and he is

doing a lot better than his classmates. He sometimes becomes restless
in school- he says he knows what the teacher is talking about. Some
teachers even suspect that he is gifted, but there seems to be a
problem.

He is bossy, he always orders people around- his classmates

and people at home. How can I help him be comfortable in school and
lessen his bossiness?

Thank you.

Sincerely,

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Activity 26.

Watch the video on https://www.virtuallabschool.org/school-age/social-emotional/

lesson-2. Write what are asked:

1. Based on the video you watched, give 3 important aspects of school-aged

children’s socio-emotional development. Explain each.
2. Give 3 suggestions or practices the teachers in the video mentioned that you
find most helpful when dealing with children’s socio-emotional development.

The Intermediate School Children

Objectives:
 Identify the different physical characteristics of intermediate school
children.
 Design a simple exercise program appropriate for intermediate
school children.

Physical Development of Intermediate School Children

This stage is also called preteens which come around the ages of 9 to 12.
Physical changes in this stage are unpredictable. The physical activities of
children help them greatly to develop their motor skill functioning. They get so
busy in their school works, interacting with friends, exploring other possible
activities, but this period of physical development take on a leisurely pace. This is
also the stage when puberty begins – where their bodies undergo physical
changes and become capable of reproduction.

Early Puberty

Generally, girls are 2 years ahead of the boys in terms of physical

maturity. Puberty may begin early: for girls, budding breast, some girls
have menarche (first menstruation) at the age of 8 and some at 13.

Puberty starts when the brain triggers the production of sex

hormones, here are some changes that occur during puberty.

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 Girls Boys

Breast  Small lumps from behind  May also have

the nipple occur, swelling on their
sometimes painful but chest, but goes
eventually the pain goes away within a
away year or 2
 It is normal that one
breast develops more
slowly than the other
Genitals  The vulva starts to  Subtle increase in
increase a bit testicle size
 The vagina gets longer  Penis and
 The uterus gets bigger scrotum start to
grow
 Semen may be
released when
awake or in sleep
Hair growth  Hair starts to grow in the  Hair becomes
armpit and pubic areas thicker
 Hair grows in the
armpit and
around pubic and
genital areas
 Hair may also
grow in chest and
face

Height, Weight and Muscle Development

Children at this stage may experience growth spurts (sudden boost in

height and weight) which are accompanied by increase in appetite and food
intake. Many of the body structures like the liver, muscle, skeleton, kidney and
face follow a normal curve of development for boys and girls. Brain, intestine and
other organs and bodily systems mature at their growth time, thus affecting
growth pattern.

Increase in body fats occur earlier in girls and are greater in quantity.
Girls appear to be chubby while boys have leaner body mass, these are normal
development. The differences in body composition become more significant
during adolescence.

During this stage, movements of the muscles and bones become more
coordinated, they like to play sports like swimming, basketball, volleyball and

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 running. The physical skills become their source of pleasure and great
achievement. In large muscle activities, boys are more nimble than girls.

The fine motor skills develop gradually, their numbers and letters become
more refined, and they produce good quality crops, and have greater control in
the use of instruments. In fine motor skills, girls surpass the boys.

Insecurities

At this stage, children become more concerned in their physical

appearance, girls are conscious of their weight and tend to eat less, boys
become aware of their stature, muscle size and strength. Since this stage may
bring about insecurities, parents and teachers must be very conscious in dealing
with them. Appropriate activities must be designed so that children are guided to
proper direction, they must be given opportunities to engage in worthwhile
activities that:

 Promote healthy growth

 Give them a feeling of accomplishment
 Reduce the risk of certain diseases

Implications to Child care, Education and Parenting

During this stage, children are more physically active, but they still have a
lot of physical maturity to undergo. Parents and teachers must consider the
following to help children:

 Provide ample opportunities at home and in school for physical exercises and
sports
 Encourage children to participate in various worthwhile activities until they are
able to discover the ones that they really are interested in.
 Develop a strong emotional attachment with children so as to address any
insecurities and social concerns.
 Provide them with healthier food choices, since children in this stage have
more control in their eating habits.

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Activity 27.

1. Search on various activities/ sports/exercises and design a simple exercise

program appropriate to children ages 9 to 12, divide your program into 3
parts:
Part 1 – Warm up activities – may include breathing exercises and
stretching routines.

Part 2 – Exercise proper – may consist 4 to 5 sets of exercises which may

focus on the areas: (a) body balance and posture, (b) endurance,
(c) muscle strength, (d) agility.

2. Research connection: Children in this stage suffer many kinds of insecurities,

one thing they feel most insecure is their body. Search and read researches
regarding obesity during late childhood.
Summarize one research by stating the following:
 Research methodology
 Findings
 Conclusions
 Recommendations
 References

Cognitive Development of the Intermediate School Children

Objectives:

 Discuss the important factors that affect the cognitive development of

the intermediate school children.
 Enumerate ways on how teachers can promote creativity in the
learning environment, learning activities and instructional materials.

In the late childhood stage, the mental skills of children are rapidly developing.
According to Piaget, concrete operational thinkers can now organize thoughts
effectively, although they can only perceive the immediate situation. They can apply
what they have learned to situation and events that they can manipulate. Thus, their
reasoning and logical thinking are still very limited. But with proper guidance and
nurturance from parents and teachers, and the rest of the community, children can easily
succeed in their intellectual endeavors.

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Initial Cognitive Characteristics

Intermediate school children greatly enjoy the cognitive abilities that they can
now utilize more effectively in their complicated school works. Their ability to use logic
and reasoning gives them opportunities to think about what they want and how to get it.
They become interested in talking about their future and potential careers. They are
capable of understanding concepts without having hands-on or direct experiences.

Reading Development

Children in this stage are marked by a wide application of word attack. This is
due to the presence of previous knowledge, they have now a wide array of vocabulary
which enable them to understand the meanings of unknown words through context clues
– “Reading to Learning” stage in developmental reading. They are no longer into fairy
tales and magic stories, they are now interested in more complex reading materials.

Parents and teachers must choose appropriate reading materials through:

 Considering who the child is – his personality traits and personal preferences
 Making a selection with the child in mind – choose an informational book or a
novel in an area of specific interest.
 Choose books that encourage discussion and insight-building.

Attention

Older children have longer and more flexible attention span, which is
determined on how much is required by the given task. In school works, older
children can focus more for long periods of hours especially if they are highly
interested in what they are doing.

Creativity

“Creativity is not the finding of a thing, but making something out of it

after it is found.”

-James Russel Lowell

Children at this stage are open to explore things. Creativity is innate to children,
they just need a little guidance and support from parents, teachers and people around
them. They are usually at their best when the work is done in small pieces.

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Creativity in children is encouraged when the activities:

 Encourage different responses from each child;

 Celebrate uniqueness;
 Break stereotypes;
 Value process over product;
 Reduce stress and anxiety in children;
 Support to share ideas, not only with teacher, parents but also with other
children; and
 Minimize competition and external rewards.

The Impact of Media

“TV viewing is a highly complex, cognitive activity during

which children are actively involved in learning.”

- Anderson and Collins, 1988

In 1950’s, the dream of having television in every class room started. It was
considered as one of the first technological advancements in schools. The impact of TV
and other media like the computer has gained popularity because students are given
more opportunity to:

 Communicate effectively in speech and writing;

 Work collaboratively;
 Use technological tools;
 Analyze problems, and formulate strategies for achieving those goals; and
 Seek out information or skills on their own, as needed, to meet their goals.

Media and Aggression

Violence and aggression are often dubbed as among the results of

media. According to the Public Health Summit on 2020, the following are some of
the negative results of media:

 Children will increase anti-social and aggressive behavior.

 Children may become less sensitive to violence and those who suffer from
violence.
 Children may view the world as violent and mean, becoming more fearful of
being a victim of violence.
 Children will desire to see more violence in entertainment and real life.
 Children will view violence as an acceptable way to settle conflicts.

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 The school, home and the community provide unlimited access to these
various media. It should be a collected effort among the factors working together
to support children in every aspect of their development.

Having a role model is extremely important for children at this stage of

transition – from childhood to adolescence. Children need adult role model to provide
them with motivation to succeed. One of the most important of teachers is to become a
very good role model to children.

Implication to Child Care, Education and Parenting

Children have varying intelligence profiles, which are based on the influences
on learning and achievements. Parents and teachers should be able to recognize these
through:

 Being an eager participant in children’s growth and development;

 Understanding how to use the children’s natural curiosity to help make the
appropriate developmental leaps in their skills and abilities; and
 Creating an atmosphere where risks can be taken and discoveries made while
children remain safe.

Activity 28.

1. Discuss the following words/ phrases based on how you understand them.
a. Concrete operational thinkers
b. “Reading to Learn” stage (in reading development)
c. Attention spa
d. Creativity
2. Write your understanding of the following statements by Howard Gardner:
INTELLIGENCE is:
 The ability to create an effective product or offer a service that is valued in a
culture;
 A set of skills that makes it possible for a person to solve problems in life;
 The potential for finding or creating solutions for problems which involves
gathering new knowledge.

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 3. Use the graphic organizer below to give the things that you should do as a creative
teacher to help your intermediate pupils develop holistically.

The Smart Teacher

The Learning The Planning of The Designing of

Environment Activities Instructional Materials

Socio-emotional Development

Objective: Identify the socio-emotional characteristics of children in their late childhood

stage.

At this development stage, children are spending less time at home, the bulk of
their time is spent outside of the home, alone or with other children, rather than with
adults. They are used to interacting with different ages and gender. These social
networks are not only sources of social support but also different forms of learning.

Understanding Self-competence, Self- Identity and Self-Concept

One of the most recognized characteristics of this stage of development is the

acquisition of feeling of self-competence. This is what Erickson referred to in his
developmental task of middle childhood- the social crisis industry vs. inferiority.
Industry refers to the drive to acquire new skills and do meaningful work. Varied
opportunities must be provided in order for children to develop a sense of
perseverance, they should be offered chances to both fail and succeed, along with
sincere feedback and support.

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 During late childhood, children can describe themselves with internal and
psychological characteristics and traits. They most likely employ more social
comparison – distinguishing themselves from others. They show increase in
perspective taking in dealing with other children, which increases with age. It enables
them to: (1) judge other’s intentions, purposes and actions; (2) give importance to
social attitudes and behaviors, and (3) increase scepticism of other’s claims.

Emotional Development

Children in this stage show improved emotional understanding, increased

understanding that more than one emotion can be felt in a single experience. They
also show greater ability to conceal emotions, utilize ways to redirect feelings and a
capacity for genuine empathy.

Another milestone in this stage is the development of the children’s emotional

intelligence (EQ) – which involves the ability to monitor feelings of oneself and
others to guide and motivate behavior. EQ has four main areas:

 Develop emotional self-awareness

 Managing emotions (self-control)
 Reading emotions (perspective taking)
 Handling emotions (resolve problems)

Building Friendships

As children go through their late childhood, the time spent in peer interaction
increases. For them good peer relationship is very important. The approval and
belongingness they receive contributes to the stability and security of their emotional
development. Peer size also increases and less supervision by adults are required.

The Five (5) Types of Peer Status

 Popular – frequently nominated as the best friend and rarely disliked by peers
 Average – receive an average number of positive and negative nomination from
peers
 Neglected – very seldom nominated as best friend but one who is not really
disliked by peers
 Rejected – infrequently nominated as best friend, but one who is also disliked by
peers
 Controversial – frequently nominated as a best friend, but at the same time is
disliked by peers.

Popular children have the following skills which friends find very positive and as a
result, they become the most favoured in the group.

 They give out reinforcement

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  They act naturally
 They listen carefully and keep open communication
 They are happy and are in control of their negative behaviors
 They show enthusiasm and concern for others
On the other hand, there are also characteristics of neglected children and why the
group or majority of the peers develop negative feelings toward them:

 They participate less in the class room

 They have negative attitudes on school tardiness and attendance rules
 They are more often reported as being alone and lonely
 They are aggressive; the boys:
- Become impulsive, inattentive and disruptive
- Emotionally reactive and slow to calm down
- Have fewer social skills to make and maintain friends

Family

Family support at this stage is crucial. If children do not find a supportive family
when they find their interest (like hobbies), they can easily get frustrated. If family is a
prime support system, failures and setbacks become temporary and surmountable
rather than something that is attributed to personal flaws or deficits. This stage is the
critical time for children to develop a sense of competence. A high quality adult
relationship enable children to successfully go through this stage of development.

Big Ideas on Late Childhood

 During late child hood, a wide variety of biological, psychological and social
changes take place;
 As children progress through late childhood, the family environment remains
extremely important, while the community environment, such as the school,
becomes a significant factor in shaping the child’s development;
 During this stage, peers have increasingly strong impact on development; peer
acceptance becomes very important to wellbeing.

Implications to Child Care, Education and Parenting

Primary school children’s socio-emotional competency should be viewed on the

child’s developmental age. Parents and teachers should be able to:

 Gain understanding of the child’s socio-emotional strengths and

weaknesses;
 Encourage children to talk about their feeling without doing it forcefully;
 Provide opportunities for children to build relationship with teachers and
fellow classmates;
 Remind children that friendship has its ups and downs and that
occasional conflicts and arguments can be healthy;

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  Design activities that allow children to work on their own and discover
activities and hobbies that they enjoy; and
 Model healthy relationship.

Activity 29.

Study the illustration below. It shows some of the factors that may result in some degree
of emotional stress to primary school children. What can you say to kids who may be
experiencing emotional stress? Write a letter to them.

My dear Children,

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

Your teacher, 18
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