Page 8 - LESSION 9.pmd

Stages of Child Development Three to Six years and Six to Eight Years

9.2.1 Physical Development and Motor Development

At this age, children grow about one to three inches per year. They start gaining
weight faster at the age of eight to nine years. Their large muscles including Notes
those of arms and legs are more developed than small muscles. At this stage,
children engage in a lot of physical play. They can bounce a ball and run, but
it is difficult to do both at the same time.

Fig. 9.1 Children at Play

Some of the physical capacities of children during this phase are:

• Slow and consistent growth
• Muscle mass and strength

• ‘Baby fat’ decreases

• Muscle tone improves

• Control over body movements increases

9.2.2 Socio-emotional Development

In this stage, children develop relatively complete concepts of themselves. They
develop a growing understanding about one’s place in the world. They start to
feel about how they look and how they are growing. They become more realistic
about their abilities and capacities. Their descriptions about themselves are
based on both their explicit (such as physical capacities and possessions) and
internal characteristics (such as, "I am good").

EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION 127