Assignment on Middle Childhood

Running head: MIDDLE CHILDHOOD
Middle Childhood
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MIDDLE CHILDHOOD1
Introduction
The stage of middle childhood is the time for the children, which starts when a child
enters the school and lasts till the child reaches the stage of adulthood. Children of age range 6 to
12 years fall under the middle childhood stage. In various countries and cultures, the children of
age 5 to 7 years are considered to be of the “age of reason.” It is assumed that the children start
building or acquiring new skills and abilities and as a result they are given specific roles and
duties in the family and community (Halfon, Forrest, Lerner & Faustman, 2018). But, in diverse
cultures, the age group of 6 to 12 years has been set apart than the babies, adults and the
preschool children. Early childhood and adolescence seem to get much more attention than
middle childhood. Increased focus on psychological differences amongst 10- to 12-year-olds and
pretty mature teenagers has also led to common and scholarly gaps across middle-aged and
adolescent (Halfon, Forrest, Lerner & Faustman, 2018).
There have been several studies and several theories regarding the middle childhood
stage since emphasis has been put in research and practice in diverse fields which involve,
psychology, schooling, pharmacy and healthcare, sociology and public administration, human
health, social work, family relations, and entertainment. Researchers and different theorists have
considered middle childhood as a period before the onset of puberty as preadolescence and after
the early childhood growth and development. The phase of mid childhood is defined by the
clinical psychologists as a time of latency preceding the strong sex interest (Devine, White,
Ensor & Hughes, 2016).
Several professors consider that middle childhood starts when children get into the
primary school at age of six; others emphasis wholly on the middle grades of secondary

MIDDLE CHILDHOOD2
schooling beginning at ages nine or ten. Whilst there is considerable discussion of the age
restrictions of this time, the majority of social scientists and practitioners endorse of the
qualitative variation of children at the middle childhood level from younger or older children. At
the start of the middle childhood, emerging cognitive skills allow the children to manage
complex problem solving situations and in a better way comprehend reciprocal social
relationships than they could in early childhood. But at the end of this stage there is a lot of self-
governance and the merging of problem-solving skills enabling the children to encompass their
skills to tasks which require flexible, abstract thinking, and the upkeep of close relationships
(Devine, White, Ensor & Hughes, 2016). The following article will discuss about middle
childhood development stage and will also focus on different developmental theories such as
Erik Erikson and Jean Piaget.
Discussion
Developmental activity
The growth or physical development in the middle childhood is usually described by
significant differences in growth patterns. These differences can arise as a result of sex, genes,
hormones, ethnic origin, nutrition, setting, or illnesses. Even though the children of this middle
childhood development stage grow accordingly to the same principle of growth, they do not
mature enough at the same rate (DelGiudice, 2018). During this stage, the middle childhood
children develop based on different stages such as cognitive, emotional, social, and motor skill.
But they do not understand the meaning of competition or teamwork. They also lack the
cognitive skills which can help them in making strategies or participate in decision making
process (DelGiudice, 2018).