LATE

CHILDHOOD
(THE INTERMEDIATE
SCHOOLER)
 How do you define
Intermediate schoolers?
* Late childhood is generally defined as
ages 9 through 12
* May call this stage as preteens.
* Playful
* Physically Active
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
OF THE INTERMEDIATE
SHOOLERS
 Early Puberty

* On the average, girls are generally as much as

two (2) years ahead of boys in terms of physical
maturity.
* Puberty’schanges start when the brain triggers
the production of sex hormones.
 Changes During Early
Puberty
GIRLS

*Small lumps from behind the nipple may

occur, which sometime could be painful but
eventually, the pain goes away.
*The vulva starts in increase a bit.
*The vagina gets longer
*The uterus gets bigger
*Hairs will start to grow in the armpit and
pubic area
BOYS
*May also have swelling on their chest but
tend to go away within a year.
*Subtle increase in testicles size
*Penis and Scrotum starts to grow
*Semen may be released when he is awake or
even during asleep.
*Hair will start to grow and become thicker
*New hair will start to grow in the armpit and
pubic area around genitals
*May start developing chest and facial hair
 Height, Weight and Muscle
Development
*Many of the bodily structures like the liver,
muscles, skeletons, kidneys and face follow a
normal curve of development for both girls and
boys
*Increase in bodily fat
*Girls appear to be “chubby” wile boys tend to
have more lean body mass per inch of height than
girls.
 Motor Skills
*During this stage, movements or the muscles
and bones become more coordinated.
*At the age of 10 or 11 years, most children
will have learned to play sports like swimming,
basketball, volleyball and running.
*From the age of 8, children show greater
coordination in writing.
 Insecurities
*At this stage, children may become very
concerned about their physical appearance.
* Girls especially, may become concerned
about their weight and decide to eat less.
Boys may become aware of their stature and
muscle size and strength.
 Implication to child-care,
education, and parenting
During this stage, children are more physically active
however; they still have a lot of physical maturity to undergo.
Here are some points to consider for health-care providers,
teachers and parents.

*Provide ample opportunities at home and in school for

physical exercises and sports.
*Encourage children to participate in varied worthwhile
activities until they are able to discover the ones they are
interested in.
*Develop a strong emotional attachment with your children
so as to address any insecurities and social concerns.
*Since children in this stage have more control over their
eating habits, provide them healthier food choices.
Cognitive Development of the
Intermediate Schoolers
 Initial Cognitive
Characteristics
*Their ability to use logic and reasoning gives
them chances to think about what they want
and how they get it. They now become very
interested in talking about their future or
even their potential careers.
*They develop special interests in collection,
hobbies and sports. They are even capable of
understanding concepts without having
direct hands-on experiences
 Reading Development
* Children in this stage, is marked by a wide application of word
attack.
* They are no longer into the fairy tales and magic type of
stories but are more interested in longer and more complex
reading materials.(e.g., Fiction books and series books)
* In choosing books appropriate to their age, consider the
following.
•Consider who the child is – his or her personality traits and
personal preferences when choosing a book.
•Make a selection with the child in mind; choose an
informational book or novel in an area of specific interest.
•Choose books that encourage discussion and insight-
building.
 Attention

*Older children have longer and more flexible

attention span compared to younger children.
Their span of attention is dependent on how
much is required by the given task.
*Interms of school work, older children can
concentrate and focus more for long period of
hours especially if they are highly interested
in what they are doing.
 Creativity
*Children at this stage are open to explore new things.
*Creativity in children is encouraged when the
activities:
•Encourage different responses from each child
•Celebrate uniqueness
•Break stereotypes
•Value process over product
•Reduce stress and anxiety in children
•Support to share ideas, not only with the
teacher/parents but also with other children
•Minimize competition and external rewards.
 Impact of Media
*The dream of having a television unit in every
classroom started in the 1950’s.
*The impact of the use of television and other
media like the computer has gained popularity
because students are given, ore opportunity to:
•Communicate effectively in speech and in
writing
•Work collaboratively
•Use technological tools
•Analyze problems, set goals and formulate
strategies for achieving those goals
•Seek out information or skills on their own.
As needed to meet their goal
Violence and aggression are often dubbed as one of the
result of media, according to the public health summit in
2000
The following are some negative results of media:
•Children will increase anti-social and aggressive
behavior
•Children may become less sensitive to violence and
those who suffers from violence
•Children may view the world as violent and mean,
becoming more fearful of being a victim of violence
•Children will desire to see more violence in
entertainment and real life
•Children will view violence as an acceptable way to
settle conflicts.
 Implications to Child Care,
Education and Parenting
Children have varying intelligences profiles. These profiles
may be based on influence on learning and achievement.
Parents, child-care providers and teachers should be able
to recognize these through:
•Being an eager participant in children’s growth and
development
•Understand how to use the children’s natural
curiosity to help make the appropriate
developmental leap in their skills and abilities
•Creating an atmosphere where risks can be taken
and discoveries made while children remain safe.
 Socio-Emotional
Development of the
Intermediate Schoolers
 Understanding Self-
Competence, Self-Identity and
Self-Concept
*One of the most widely recognizes a
characteristic of this period of development is
the acquisition of feeling of self-competence.
*During late childhood, children can now
describe themselves with internal and
psychological characteristics and traits; they
most likely employ more social comparison –
distinguishing themselves from others.
 Emotional Development
*The same with other areas of development,
children in this stage, show improved
emotional understanding, increase
understanding that more than one emotion
can be experienced in a single experience.
*Another milestone in this stage is the
development of the children’s emotional
intelligence (EQ),
Emotional intelligence has four main areas:
•Developing emotional self-awareness
•Managing emotion (self-control)
•Reading emotion (perspective taking)
•Handling emotion (resolve problems)
 Building Friendship
* The approval and belongingness they
receive contributes to the stability and
security of their emotional development.
* Peer size also and less supervision by adults
is required. At this stage, children prefer to
belong to same-sex peer groups.
 There are five types of peer
status:
*Popular – frequently nominated as the best friend
and one who is rarely disliked by peers.
*Average – receive an average number of positive
and negative nomination from peers
*Neglected – very seldom nominated as best friend
but is not really disliked
*Rejected – infrequently nominated as a best
friend but one who is also disliked by peers
*Controversial – frequently nominated as a best
friend but at the same time is disliked by peers.
Popular children have the following skills
which peers find very positive and as a
result they become the most favored in the
group:
1.They give reinforcement
2.They act naturally
3.They listen carefully and keep open
communication
4.They are happy and are in control of their
negative emotions
5.They show enthusiasm and concern for
others.
Characteristics of neglected children and why
the group or majority of the peers develop
negative feelings toward them:
1.They participate less in classroom
2.They have negative attitudes on school
tardiness and attendance
3.They are more often reported as being lonely
4.They are aggressive
 Family

*Family support at this stage is crucial. If the

children do not find a supportive family when
they find their interests they can easily get
frustrated.
*If families are a primary support system,
failure and setbacks become temporary and
surmountable rather than something that is
attributed to personal flaws or deficits.
 Implication to Child Care,
Education and Parenting
Intermediate school children’s socio-emotional
competency should be viewed in the context of
the child’s developmental age. Health-care
providers, teacher and parents should be able to:
•Gain understanding of their child’s socio-
emotional strengths and weaknesses by
•Encouraging children to talk about their
feelings without doing it forcefully.
•Provide opportunities for children to build
relationship with teacher and fellow classmates
•Remind children that friendship have their
ups and downs and occasional conflicts and
arguments can be healthy
•Design activities that allow children to work
on their own and discover activities and
hobbies that they enjoy
•Model healthy relationship.