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Middle Childhood Observation

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An Observation of Middle Childhood
Monica Thomas
University of St. Thomas
EDUC 5339: Human Growth and Development
Dr. Tera Torres

The following observation is of my own child. Isabel is seven years old and on this day she was playing with best friend at home. The other child is the same age, yet Isabel is quite taller and looks as if she is older. She wears glasses for her nearsightedness. Berger (2011) states is myopia – nearsightedness vision is the most common problem in middle childhood.
The girls decided they would swim first. They changed into swim suits and came out ready to go. They did not bother to cover or hide themselves. They were very unware of their bodies in swimsuits. They did however, comment on each other’s suit. Isabel told her friend she got it the suit. Her friend replied “Cool, I like it.” Isabel replied by say, “You can borrow it next time.” When they finally entered the pool, Isabel immediately suggested they play a game. Isabel told her friend how they were going to play the game and the “rules.” I believe she was making them up at that moment. Her friend told her that she didn’t like a certain part and made a suggestion. Isabel told here that was good too but suggested they do hers first then they would play again using the friend’s rule. The two clearly have agreed friendship. Berger (2001) explains that friend or peer relationships are formed when both individual have like each other’s personal qualities & respond to one another’s needs and desires. As they played, they repeated the process of the game a few times because they felt they were not doing it well. The game was to jump of the board a certain way, swim to a float, then do a flip in the water. Sports and other activities provide opportunities to develop both gross and fine motor skills. According to the National Institutes of Health, such physical abilities as endurance, balance and coordination vary widely between children (Fritscher 2008). The friend complained that they were not doing her way yet. Isabel kept tell her they would “in a minute.” Eventually, her friend got out of the pool, dried, and sat in a chair while Isabel was still swimming. Isabel, tried to keep her friend playing by saying, “Ok, we will do your way now.” They just ended the pool play and went inside. In Piaget’s concrete operational thought, school aged children are no longer limited by egocentrism (Berger 2001). Isabel used logic to see her friend outside the pool and was no longer interested in playing.
They girls changed and decided they were hungry. Isabel took her friend into the kitchen and asked her what she would like. Isabel explained and showed what was available. She was quite the hostess. They decided on a sandwiches. I offered help but the girls said they could do it on their own. They pulled out everything needed to make ham and cheese sandwiches. I did have to remind Isabel not to climb up on the counter to reach the plates and glasses. She replied by saying, “I will be careful.” Though they were slightly messy, they did make ham and cheese sandwiches. Before eating, they decided that they would pretend to be at a fancy restaurant. They asked for cloth napkins and permission to use the wine glasses to drink there fruit punch. During the meal, the spoke with their fancy voices say “darling” and such. They seemed to have a grand lunch. After observing the girls prepare lunch for themselves, it is clear they are in Psychosocial Stage 4 - Industry vs. Inferiority of Erikson’s Theory: Industry v. Inferiority. Through social interactions, children begin to develop a sense of pride in their accomplishments and abilities (Cherry 2014).
Afterwards, the played dress up. The pretended to go shopping, being Mom and Daughter. However, there was a small argument about who would be Mom. It was not the only tiff they had. There were several, but they always managed to compromise and continue play. They played for about 45 minutes until Isabel’s friend’s mom came to pick her up. They were both very disappointed that it was time for the friend to leave. They asked for sleep over’s but this day was not good. The friend began to cry because she did not want to leave. They pleaded for more time. Both Moms explained they could play another day and that next time Isabel could go over to friend’s house and do manicures. They were very happy with that arrangement.

Sources:
Berger, K. (2011). The Developing Person through the Life Span. (8th ed.). New York: Worth Publishers
Cherry, K. Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development Psychosocial Development in Young Adulthood, Middle Age, and Old Age. (2014). Retrieved on July 6, 2014 from http://psychology.about.com/od/psychosocialtheories/a/psychosocial_3.htm
Fritscher. L. Physical & Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood. (2008). Retrieved July 6, 2014 from http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/physical-cognitive-development-middle-childhood-3774.html

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