Moral Development in Middle Childhood
Parenting and nurturing children to become morally fit members of society may be complex. Moral development can be defined as the comprehensive evolution of morality from infancy through adulthood. It is essential that as children develop, they learn to discern between right and wrong acts. Moral development is critical in ensuring that children grow to be compassionate and emotionally sound people. This is because one’s morality controls their behavior, attitude, thoughts, and human interactions. Age six to eight, commonly denoted as middle childhood, is a critical time in a child’s moral advancement (Nunner-Winkler & Sodian, 2020). Children tend to solidify their identity, self-esteem, and self-concept at this age. For instance, during this period, children with better toys tend to feel better than those without bad ones. Children also enjoy what they do best, such as drawings, and they will often tell everyone what they have done.
Further, the children define themselves and make comparisons between themselves. They start reflecting and internalizing the values they have learned from their interactions with the family and other people. Parents and guardians, therefore, should offer good guidance at this stage. This is because the children often seek constant acknowledgment from them. They should direct them appropriately and take charge of the rules. This will help children understand that each behavior has consequences and be able to draw the link between action and reaction (Nunner-Winkler & Sodian, 2020). For example, they will know that if they misbehave, they will be punished. The children will also develop empathy-based morality and can rationalize that hurting someone will make them feel bad.
Moral development in middle childhood is affected by different factors. As such, they include the family, which plays the most active role in nurturing a child’s morality. The family should provide a congenial environment to facilitate the child’s growth. The virtues of truthfulness, obedience, sincerity, love, honesty, sympathy, love, discipline, and cooperation are learned to form the family (Nunner-Winkler & Sodian, 2020). An immoral background in the family will adversely affect the child’s development. This effect can be observed in children of low-class parents who tend to emphasize conformity to authority. Their children, especially the boys, grow up being aggressive with less guilt.
The neighborhood of the child also influences moral development. The child learns from the habits, sentiments, and behavior of the people around them. Religious institutions are considered to be the primary social and moral centers. Religion significantly affects children’s ethical and moral development during middle childhood. Children also learn from their friends as they interact. Their playmates influence their moral attitudes, sentiments, habits, and beliefs (Nunner-Winkler & Sodian, 2020). Additionally, the cultural environment also directs molarity through customs, traditions, and the societal values of the community.
From my personal experience, I can argue that social clubs and organizations plan a significant role in enabling children to learn about themselves and others in their middle childhood. Therefore, it is paramount that parents and guardians ensure that their children are in the right clubs. Some clubs appropriate for moral development at such an age include scouting. Such a group allows the child to identify themselves and learn how to do what is right. Sporting clubs also provide children with an opportunity to develop both moral and social skills.
Further, they learn teamwork and promote their self-esteem. During my middle childhood, I was an active member of the Sunday school club in our hometown. This allowed me to grow spiritually and meet friends with similar beliefs. Additionally, it enabled me to master the skills of morality as the church laid more emphasis on good and evil. Such religious groups, therefore, are salient as they teach children how to differentiate good and bad actions and avoid doing what is ungodly.
Physical Growth During Middle Childhood
Middle childhood is also marked by relatively slow physical growth. However, during this period, the children rapidly improve their motor skills. They tend to better their capabilities to perform gross and fine motor skills. They include bicycle riding and fingernail cutting. The boys at this age grow faster than the girls because of their masculine nature. It is approximated that during middle childhood, the child gains up to 7 pounds yearly (Boyden et al., 2019). An improved appetite and food intake accompany this. The body shape and composition are held constant during this period. The boys, however, have lean bodies compared to the girls. Children in middle childhood also become aware of their physical appearance and become concerned. Further, the children can acquire and perfect complex skills and engage in various physical activities.
Physical growth during childhood is affected by various factors. As such, they include heredity, which defines the physical features of the children gained through transmission from parents to children. It influences aspects of physical appearance such as height, hair texture, skin complexity, and body structure (Boyden et al., 2019). If the child inherits the recessive genes, their physical growth may be hindered. Effective physical development requires adequate nutritional well-being. During middle childhood, a child who does not receive adequate food intake or those suffering from malnutrition lacks physical growth.
The body’s endocrine system plays a central role in physical development by releasing hormones. If it is impaired, leading to malfunctions such as failure to produce growth hormones, the child will not grow. Additionally, physical growth may be hindered by the child’s geographical location (Boyden et al., 2019). The neighborhood also plays a significant role in defining growth. Children raised in an environment that is physically unfit without the necessary resources end up with underdeveloped motor skills and talents.
Self-Esteem Change in Middle Childhood
During the middle childhood period, children tend to be less egocentric. They also start being very responsive to others and the views they have about them. This is a time marked by the development of self-concept and the realization of self as a social object. The children start to have low self-esteem, and this is because they develop thoughts of being less appealing (Magro et al., 2019). The period also involved learning various skills, such as bicycle riding. At these times, children become proud of what they can master. However, those who fail in such tasks feel inferior and less talented; consequently, their self-esteem is lowered. This makes them hesitant to try new things and become frustrated.
The family plays a significant role in developing a child’s self-esteem. During middle childhood, the family ought to listen to and recognize the thoughts and feelings of their children. This will give them a sense of belonging and love and improve their esteem. If they fail to do so, the child will feel lonely and rejected. The family also has a role in determining how much control children have over their lives. Families that allow their children to make minor decisions such as the clothes they will wear and the games to play aid in developing the child’s esteem. Similarly, the playmates of the child also influence their esteem levels. If the friends make them feel inferior and incapacitated in performing various activities, the child becomes frustrated, resulting in low self-esteem (Magro et al., 2019). Such effects can be experienced if the playmates make fun of their looks and abilities.
References
Boyden, J., Dawes, A., Dornan, P., & Tredoux, C. (2019). Middle childhood: A key time for healthy development and learning. In Tracing the consequences of child poverty : Evidence from the young lives study in Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam(pp. 73-100). Policy Press. Web.
Magro, S. W., Utesch, T., Dreiskämper, D., & Wagner, J. (2019). Self-esteem development in middle childhood: Support for sociometer theory. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 43(2), 118-127. Web.
Nunner-Winkler, G., & Sodian, B. (2020). Moral emotions and moral motivation beyond childhood: discussion to the special issue. Frontline Learning Research, 8(5), 92-104. Web.