An Overview of the Areas of Child Development Seven to Sixteen Years

Five Areas Of Development Physical Cognitive Language Emotional / Social

Aged 7 – 11 years AGE 7 to 11 years PHYSICAL COGNITIVE LANGUAGE SOCIAL / EMOTIONAL Ability to run, jump, catch and throw will improve Be able to tell the time Will know the different tenses (past, present and future) and be able to use correct tenses in sentences Likes rituals, rules, secrets, codes, and made-up languages Skating, skipping and bike riding are typical skills gained Have some understanding of money Will like to tell jokes and riddles Enjoys being a member of a club Increased skills allow for team sports and similar activities Read to themselves Enjoy reading a book on their own May form more complex friendships Girls are generally as much as 2 years ahead of boys in physical maturity Start to plan ahead Comprehension and use of language becomes more sophisticated May have increased interests in competitive sports Boys may show greater strength and muscle development than girls. Increased logical reasoning using concrete examples May share his/her opinions often Has better control of anger Flexibility, balance, agility and force will all improve during these years as gross motor skills further develop Increased awareness of memory and learning strategies May pick up on words that peers use. Could begin to learn new language without understanding the meaning Prefers spending more time with friends than with parents Increased muscle strength and developments in the brain contribute to better fine motor skills. Achievement and consolidation of academic skills, such as reading, writing, and computing May experience more peer pressure May face more academic challenges at school

Aged 11 – 16 years AGE 5 to 7 years PHYSICAL COGNITIVE LANGUAGE SOCIAL / EMOTIONAL A time of rapid growth in height and weight Ability to make decisions based on knowledge of options and their consequences 30,000 words in vocabulary Increased concern about body image, looks, and clothes Complete puberty and the physical transition from childhood to adulthood Continue to be influenced by peers (the power of peer pressure lessens after early adolescence) Word meanings are abstract Can be self absorbed Reach nearly their adult height, especially females (Males continue to grow taller into their early twenties) Build skills to become self-sufficient Use very complex grammatical structures More interested in and influenced by peer group Growth in body parts may occur out of sync with each other. For example, the nose, arms, and legs may grow faster than the rest of the body. Respond to media messages but develop increasing ability to analyse those messages Able to clarify opinions in conversations Less affectionate, sometimes moody, rude or short-tempered Develop increasingly mature relationships with friends and family Anxiety from more challenging school work Seek increased power over their own lives May experiment with risky behaviors and adult roles May start to learn to drive, increasing their independence Conflict is common as they begin to reject adult values and ideas