Developmental Achievements

Middle childhood brings many changes in a child’s life. By this time, children can dress themselves, catch a ball more easily using only their hands, and tie their shoes. Having independence from family becomes more important now. Events such as starting school bring children this age into regular contact with the larger world. Friendships become more and more important. Physical, social, and mental skills develop quickly at this time. This is a critical time for children to develop confidence in all areas of life, such as through friends, schoolwork, and sports.

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Here is some information on how children develop during middle childhood:

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Emotional/Social Changes

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Children want to please the important adults in their lives, like parents and teachers. So you might notice that doing things the ‘right way’ becomes very important to your child. On the other hand, at times your child might seem over-confident.

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Your child is easily embarrassed and sensitive to other people’s views and beliefs. In fact, your child has lots of empathy when family and friends are distressed. But at times your child can be very self-critical and might need your help to focus on the things they do well.

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Children in this age group might:

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• Show more independence from parents and family.

• Start to think about the future.

• Understand more about his or her place in the world.

• Pay more attention to friendships and teamwork.

• Want to be liked and accepted by friends.

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Thinking, Playing  and Learning

What does my child understand?

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At this age your child play has become complex. Children often play out ideas they've come across at school or in the media. For example, you might find your child in chracter serving dinner to a surfer, a rock star – or maybe even the President.

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Because your child is better at controlling their own behaviour and emotions, your child copes better with games that involve rules, as well as with winning, losing and playing fair.

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Your child also enjoys making friends and being a friend. Friendships give children a sense of belonging and help them learn and practise basic social skills like sharing and negotiating.

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Friendships can also be challenging because friends can sometimes be bossy or cranky. Sometimes friends might even leave your child out. Most of your child’s relationships will be positive, but keep an eye out for signs of bullying.

Your child might also start to play more with children of the same gender.

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As children enter into school-age, their abilities and understanding of concepts and the world around them continue to grow. While children may progress at different rates, the following are some of the common milestones children may reach in this age group:

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Thinking at 6 to 8 years old:

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• Have a much better understanding of the relationship between cause and effect. They begin to see how their actions affect other people, although sometimes they still seem self-centred.

• Show rapid development of mental skills

• Learn better ways to describe experiences and talk about thoughts and feelings.

• Have less focus on one’s self and more concern for others.

• Memory is also improving and your child can group objects according to size, shape and colour. Your child has a good understanding of numbers and can do simple maths problems like adding and subtracting.

• Knows daytime and nighttime

• Knows right and left hands

• Can copy complex shapes, such as a diamond

• Can tell time

• Can understand commands with three separate instructions

• Can explain objects and their use

• Can repeat three numbers backwards

• Can read age-appropriate books and/or materials