Middle Childhood Milestones

Off to school we go.

Your child has left the
little league and are
now moving to the minors. Elementary school
is there new play
ground. Now education
is at the forefront of
your childs development. You now get to
see how those social
skills they learned in
early childhood are going to work.

Cognitive
Children at this age are able
to begin expressing their
feelings and opinions.
Memory capacity is increased to be able to recite
and recall information.
Children are this age are
also becoming less selfish.
They start to care about
others opinions of them.

Physical Development
This is the time where
you can allow your child
to have more input about
their diets, are we packing lunch or buying it at
school. At this stage the
focus on gross and fine
motor skills are still important in the aspect of
school life. Growth has
slowed down awaiting
puberty.

Language Development

At this age children are

able to hold conversations with adults and
small groups of peers
with ease. They are also
able to easily dictate
past, present, and future
events. Reading skills
are enhanced.

Red Flags
All children develop at
different rates, yet there are
some milestones that are
considered to by typical
development. For example
displaying delays
in reading and
thought process,
poor gross motor
skills, and aggressive behaviors are
all red flags.

Social Factors
In middle childhood, friendships take on some of the key attributes characteristic of adult relationships and start to become something more than simple playtime companionship. Now,
friendships come to be based upon mutual regard for another individual's personality, abilities
and behavior. Children grow closer together because they respect the other child's kindness,
humor, loyalty, fearlessness, intellect, etc. Mutual trust and willingness to support each other
(in a word "reciprocity") are the hallmarks of these friendships.
Most children of this age also begin forming peer groups, which are circles of friends where
they spend most of their time playing, talking, and socializing. However, this period often is
associated with a decrease in children's total number of friends (e.g., a child might have 2 or 3
best friends rather than 5 or 6), as they put more time and effort into maintaining particular
special friendships. (Oswalt, A., & Dombeck, M. (n.d.). Emotional and Social Development: Social Connections.

Cultural Factors
Just like social factors are important in middle childhood development so are cultural influences and factors. The impact of a childs familys beliefs and morals can have great effects on their school and social
lives. The cultures of their schools and friends are also something to take into consideration. Where there
is compatibility between the school and family cultural background, studies show positive effects on student achievement and school satisfaction. For example, in a review of the socio-cultural compatibility of
classrooms with childrens natal cultural patterns, greater compatibility was associated with greater learning.27 In contrast, an integrated school environment, while perhaps offering greater resources, may at the
same time expose children to greater discrimination and unfamiliar contexts with others who are different
from them. One study found that children in such dissonant classrooms often experienced a lower sense of
self-esteem. (Coll, C. G., & Szalacha, L. A. (0). The Multiple Contexts of Middle Childhood.)

Play Based Strategies

How to support your baby
Talk with your child about respecting others and requiring respect.
Play the 5 questions game during dinner
Sign them up for organized sports teams
Get involved with the school community
For more information check out
Collins, W. A., & Russell, G. (1991). Mother-child and father-child relationships in middle childhood and adolescence: A developmental
analysis. Developmental Review, 11(2), 99-136.

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