Middle and late childhood spans the ages between early childhood and adolescence, approximately ages 6 to 11. Children gain greater control over the movement of their bodies, mastering many gross and fine motor skills that eluded the younger child. Changes in the brain during this age enable not only physical development, but contributes to greater reasoning and flexibility of thought. School becomes a big part of middle and late childhood, and it expands their world beyond the boundaries of their own family. Peers start to take center-stage, often prompting changes in the parent-child relationship. Peer acceptance also influences children’s perception of self and may have consequences for emotional development beyond these years. Learning Objectives
Overall Physical Growth: Rates of growth generally slow during these years. Typically, a child will gain about 5-7 pounds a year and grow about 2-3 inches per year (CDC, 2000). They also tend to slim down and gain muscle strength and lung capacity making it possible to engage in strenuous physical activity for long periods of time. The beginning of the growth spurt, which occurs prior to puberty, begins two years earlier for females than males. The mean age for the beginning of the growth spurt for girls is nine, while for boys it is eleven. Children of this age tend to sharpen their abilities to perform both gross motor skills, such as riding a bike, and fine motor skills, such as cutting their fingernails. In gross motor skills (involving large muscles) boys typically outperform girls, while with fine motor skills (small muscles) girls outperform the boys. These improvements in motor skills are related to brain growth and experience during this developmental period. Brain Growth: Two major brain growth spurts occur during middle/late childhood (Spreen, Riser, & Edgell, 1995). Between ages 6 and 8, significant improvements in fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination are noted. Then between 10 and 12 years of age, the frontal lobes become more developed and improvements in logic, planning, and memory are evident (van der Molen & Molenaar, 1994). Myelination is one factor responsible for these growths. From age 6 to 12, the nerve cells in the association areas of the brain, that is those areas where sensory, motor, and intellectual functioning connect, become almost completely myelinated (Johnson, 2005). This myelination contributes to increases in information processing speed and the child’s reaction time. The hippocampus, responsible for transferring information from the short-term to long- term memory, also show increases in myelination resulting in improvements in memory functioning (Rolls, 2000). Children in middle to late childhood are also better able to plan, coordinate activity using both left and right hemispheres of the brain, and to control emotional outbursts. Paying attention is also improved as the prefrontal cortex matures (Markant & Thomas, 2013). Overall Physical Growth: Rates of growth generally slow during these years. Typically, a child will gain about 5-7 pounds a year and grow about 2-3 inches per year (CDC, 2000). They also tend to slim down and gain muscle strength and lung capacity making it possible to engage in strenuous physical activity for long periods of time. The beginning of the growth spurt, which occurs prior to puberty, begins two years earlier for females than males. The mean age for the beginning of the growth spurt for girls is nine, while for boys it is eleven. Children of this age tend to sharpen their abilities to perform both gross motor skills, such as riding a bike, and fine motor skills, such as cutting their fingernails. In gross motor skills (involving large muscles) boys typically outperform girls, while with fine motor skills (small muscles) girls outperform the boys. These improvements in motor skills are related to brain growth and experience during this developmental period. Brain Growth: Two major brain growth spurts occur during middle/late childhood (Spreen, Riser, & Edgell, 1995). Between ages 6 and 8, significant improvements in fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination are noted. Then between 10 and 12 years of age, the frontal lobes become more developed and improvements in logic, planning, and memory are evident (van der Molen & Molenaar, 1994). Myelination is one factor responsible for these growths. From age 6 to 12, the nerve cells in the association areas of the brain, that is those areas where sensory, motor, and intellectual functioning connect, become almost completely myelinated (Johnson, 2005). This myelination contributes to increases in information processing speed and the child’s reaction time. The hippocampus, responsible for transferring information from the short-term to long-term memory, also show increases in myelination resulting in improvements in memory functioning (Rolls, 2000). Children in middle to late childhood are also better able to plan, coordinate activity using both left and right hemispheres of the brain, and to control emotional outbursts. Paying attention is also improved as the prefrontal cortex matures (Markant & Thomas, 2013).
 Body composition and body shape remain relatively constant during middle childhood. During preadolescence and early adolescence (9 to 11 years in girls; 10 to 12 years in boys), the percentage of body fat increases in preparation for the growth spurt that occurs during adolescence. This body fat increase occurs earlier in girls than in boys, and the amount of increase is greater in girls. Preadolescents, especially girls, may appear to be "chunky," but this is part of normal growth and development. During middle childhood, boys have more lean body mass per inch of height than girls. These differences in body composition become more significant during adolescence. During middle childhood, children may become overly concerned about their physical appearance. Girls especially may become concerned that they are overweight and may begin to eat less. Parents should reassure their daughters that an increase in body fat during middle childhood is part of normal growth and development and is probably not permanent. Boys may become concerned about their stature and muscle size and strength. During middle childhood, children's muscle strength, motor skills, and stamina increase. Children acquire the motor skills necessary to perform complex movements, allowing them to participate in a variety of physical activities. For females, most physical growth is completed by 2 years after menarche. (The mean age of menarche is 12 1/2 years.) Males begin puberty about 2 years later than females. Before puberty, there are no significant differences between boys and girls in height, weight, strength, endurance, and motor skill development. Therefore, throughout middle childhood, boys and girls can participate in physical activity on an equal basis. Late-maturing children, who have a prolonged period of prepubertal growth, usually have longer limbs than other children and often attain greater height. A temporary decline in coordination and balance may occur during puberty because of rapid growth. Some children may be unable to perform a physical activity as well as they did the previous year. This can be frustrating for children, parents, and teachers, particularly if they misinterpret this decline as a lack of skill or effort. Early-maturing boys have a temporary physical advantage over other boys their age because they are taller, heavier, and stronger. These boys usually achieve the most success in physical activity programs (e.g., hockey, football, basketball), which may lead to unrealistic expectations that they will continue to be outstanding athletes. Conversely, late-maturing boys have a temporary physical disadvantage. These boys may achieve the most success in physical activities in which size is not important (e.g., racquet sports, martial arts, running, wrestling). For girls, the onset of puberty is associated with an increase in body fat that may result in a decline in physical activity performance. Girls, parents, and teachers need to understand, and girls need to accept, the physical changes of puberty, because attempts to prevent these changes can lead to dieting or eating disorders. In addition, the increase in body fat and decrease in muscle flex may result in less fluid movements during the growth spurt and may increase the risk of overuse injuries in girls. Girls entering puberty are at particularly high risk for dropping out of physical activities, making anticipatory guidance particularly important to encourage continued participation. |
What are the physical development of middle and late childhood?
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