MIDDLE AND LATE MIDDLE AND LATE CHILDHOODCHILDHOOD

Janeth Castro Kimberly Cesena Sheryl Debski Carrie Hamlin Jacquelyn Heffner Shelly Maidment Erica Hernandez Erin Higgins Rebecca Lee Kahrin Burdick

Janeth Castro Kimberly Cesena Sheryl Debski Carrie Hamlin Jacquelyn Heffner Shelly Maidment Erica Hernandez Erin Higgins Rebecca Lee Kahrin Burdick

"In middle and late childhood, children are on a different plane, belonging to a generation and feeling all their own. It is the wisdom of the human life span that at no time are children more ready to learn than during the period of

expansive imagination at the end of early childhood. Children develop a sense of wanting to make things-and not just to make them, but to make them well

and even perfectly. They seek to know and to understand. They are remarkable for their intelligence and for their curiosity."

-Santrock

Children between the ages of 6-12 are commonly referred to as middle

childhood. The middle years are tremendously important for support

and nurturing high self-esteem in children. Self-esteem during this

period of development leads to be a better-adjusted, more confident adolescence. This is a time when

children are beginning to assume a larger share of

accountability for their own actions in interactions to others. Developing independence from family becomes

more important. School brings about contact with the larger world and friendship within this world is critical. By this time, children can

dress themselves, catch a ball more easily with only their hands, and tie their shoes. Rapid development of physical, social, and mental skills

continues bringing a critical time for children to develop confidence in all

areas of life.

What Is Middle and Late Childhood?