Middle Childhood Development

As children progress into middle childhood,

their bodies begin to take a more different
shape. Most children in this age range have
a slimmer appearance due to the shifts in the
accumulation and location of body fat.
Their body fat stays relatively constant as
they grow at a rate of a little over 2 inches
and 6.5 pounds per year.
Though the foundation of language is
developed during preschool and early
elementary school years, children continue
to refine their language skills throughout
middle childhood (Zembar & Blume, 2010).
Their vocabulary expands even further and
they begin to pay attention to the intricacies
of the language live verb tense. They also
are able to use context to determine the
meaning of a word. This is a much higher
level of understanding. A seven-year-old
understands cross to mean go over. In
middle childhood, children are able to use
context in a sentence to determine that cross
is a synonym for angry.
Cognitive development in this stage is
focused greatly on logical and concrete
information (Cherry, 2014). This is where
science and math are really introduced in
schools. Children are also much better at
concentrating for longer periods of time.
Parents will notice there is less time spent in
play and art projects and more time devoted
to textbook learning in schools.


Most atypical development has shown
symptoms by this point. It is rare that
cognitive or physical disabilities begin in
this age range. One cognitive development
issue that often shows itself in this age range
is Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
(ADHD). Parents often times chalk up their
childs over-activity or inattentiveness to
them being young. As they get older and
never grow out of this phase, it becomes
more apparent that something is wrong.
At this age, parents should encourage their
children to get involved in extracurricular
activities like soccer, baseball, gymnastics,
piano lessons, etc. They are at the age
where they need to learn to work together as
a team. They need an outlet for their energy
so that they can better focus when it is time
to buckle down and study.



Cherry, K. (2014). Cognitive development in middle childhood. Retrieved from
http://psychology.about.com/od/early-child-development/a/cognitive-development-in-middle-
childhood.htm

Zembar, M., & Blume, L. (2010, July 20). Language development in middle childhood. Retrieved from
http://www.education.com/reference/article/language-development-middle-childhood/