Case Study of a Child
Age 7
By: Alexander Garcia
EDU 220
Abstract
Physical: Emotional:
Cognitive/Intellectual:
● Active ● Easily distracted
● Better Health ● Feeling inferiority ● Challenge themselves
● Hand-eye ● Wanting attention ● Collecting things
coordination ● Nervous Habits ● Sense of responsibility
● Nervous Habits
Psychosocial/Social: Moral/Character/Philosophical:
● More ● Guilt and shame
independence and ● Listening to rules
responsibility ● Peer pressure
● Group activities
● Aggressive
problem solving
Typical Physical Behaviors at Age 7
●“Drives self until exhausted.”
(University of Washington, 1993)
●“General health improves with fewer to surface with many children of this age.”
(Ellsworth, 1998)
●“Now has well-established hand-eye coordination and is likely to be more
interested in drawing and printing.”
(University of Washington, 1993)
●“May develop nervous habits or assume awkward positions.”
(University of Washington, 1993)
Typical Physical Developmental Level According to
Snowman at Age 7
● “Primary grade children are still extremely active.”
(Snowman & McCown, 2015, pg. 84)
● “Children still need rest periods.”
(Snowman & McCown, 2015, pg. 84)
● “Children tend to be extreme when it comes to their physical activities.”
(Snowman & McCown, 2015, pg. 84)
Physical Development at Age 7
Developments Met:
● Doesn’t get sick a lot.
● When he is sitting down, he tends to move around when he is sitting, even
when told not to.
● Plays a lot of soccer and basketball outside almost every day.
Developments Not Met:
● He hasn’t been interested in drawing anything.
Physical Development Recommendations
● “Be patient with annoying habits, and do not draw attention to awkwardness.”
(University of Washington, 1993)
● “Assist child in changing activity to avoid complete exhaustion.”
(University of Washington, 1993)
● Even if your kid doesn’t get sick much, make sure to still check on their health from time to time.
(University of Washington, 1993)
● “Provide opportunities and materials for drawing and printing.”
(University of Washington, 1993)
Typical Emotional Behavior at Age 7
● “Easily distracted and forgets a lot.”
(University of Washington, 1993)
● “Feeling inferiority from small setbacks.”
(Ellsworth, 1998)
● “Wanting attention from others.”
(University of Washington, 1993)
● “May get nervous habits (biting their fingernails, hair, or clothes).”
(Ellsworth, 1998)
Typical Emotional Developmental Level According to Snowman
at Age 7
● “Sensitive to criticism.”
(Snowman & McCown, 2015, pg. 86)
● “Most primary grade children are eager to please the adults around them.”
(Snowman & McCown, 2015, pg. 86)
● “Becoming more sensitive towards others.”
(Snowman & McCown, 2015, pg. 87)
Emotional Development at Age 7
Developments Met:
● He gets easily distracted and forgets to do his homework.
● I have seen him throw tantrums or get into arguments to get attention from
others.
● He bites his nails when he gets nervous.
Developments Not Met:
● He didn’t show any sign of him feeling like a failure. I’ve seen him fail some
assignments and tests in school, but he doesn’t get sad. Instead, he would use
it as a motivation to do well on the next one.
Emotional Development Recommendations
● When your kid has homework make sure to check that they aren’t distracted.
(University of Washington, 1993)
● Provide sympathy towards your child when they feel like they aren’t succeeding.
(University of Washington, 1993)
● Talk to them in a neutral tone and ask them yes and no questions about their feelings.
(Child Development Institute, 2015)
● Talk to your kid and ask why they are nervous.
(University of Washington, 1993)
Typical Cognitive/Intellectual Behavior at Age 7
● “Likes to challenge themselves.”
(University of Washington, 1993)
● “Likes to collect things."
(University of Washington, 1993)
● “Child may truly wish to do good work for an internal sense of responsibility.”
(Ellsworth, 1998)
Typical Cognitive/Intellectual Level According to Piaget &
Vygotsky at Age 7
Piaget’s Concrete Operational Stage(Elementary to Early Middle School):
● “A greater understanding of logic based tasks.”
(Snowman & McCown, 2015, pg. 43)
● “Capable of learning advanced concepts.”
(Snowman & McCown, 2015, pg. 43)
Vygotsky
● “He saw social interaction as the primary case of cognitive development.”
(Snowman & McCown, 2015, pg. 52)
● “Vygotsky believed that children gain significantly from the knowledge and conceptual tools handed down to them by
those who are more intellectually advanced.”
(Snowman & McCown, 2015, pg. 52)
Cognitive/Intellectual Development at Age 7
Developments Met:
● The child I observe has tried to solve questions that I have to do for college.
He tries so hard to find the answer, and when I tell him the answer, he gets so
confused about how I got it.
● I have noticed he likes to collect rubber bands he finds on the floor, keeps
them inside a box, and plays with them when he gets bored.
● When he does his homework, I have noticed that he works tirelessly to get
good grades because he knows that having As is important.
Cognitive/Intellectual Development Recommendations
● Give your kid a challenge that is more at their grade level.
(University of Washington, 1993)
● Encourage your child to find more hobbies.
(University of Washington, 1993)
● Let them know that they have time to accomplish many things in the future
and that it’s fine to take your time.
(University of Washington, 1993)
Typical Psychosocial/Social Behaviors at Age 7
● “Likes more independence and responsibility.”
(University of Washington, 1993)
● Participates in a lot of group activities.
(University of Washington, 1993)
● “May use aggression as a means to solve problems.”
(University of Washington, 1993)
Typical Psychosocial/Social Level According to Erikson at Age 7
Industry Versus Inferiority( 6 to 11 years old; Elementary to Middle School)
● When your child enters school, their behavior is dominated by intellectual
curiosity and performance.
(Snowman & McCown, 2015, pg. 29)
● Soon children learn to win recognition by creating things and are encouraged
to well, finish tasks, and be praised for trying.
(Snowman & McCown, 2015, pg. 29)
Typical Psychosocial/Social Development at Age 7
Developments Met:
● The kid I observed has done chores around the house by himself such as
laundry and dishes and loves being praised for doing a good job.
● He goes outside and plays soccer and tag with the kids around the
neighborhood a lot.
● Sometimes, when he gets into arguments with his brother, he starts to hit him
from being annoyed or losing an argument.
Psychosocial/Social Development Recommendations
● Help your child have a sense of responsibility by assigning them house
chores and praising them for doing a good job.
(Child Development Institute, 2015)
● Encourage your kid to social interaction to get more friends to hang out with.
(University of Washington, 1993)
● “Attempt to prevent conflicts before they erupt.”
(University of Washington, 1993)
Moral/Character/Philosophical Behaviors at Age 7
● “May experience guilt and shame.”
(University of Washington, 1993)
● Believes in listening to the rules.
(Ellsworth, 1998)
● Will be more vulnerable to peer pressure.
(Child Development Institute, 2015)
Moral/Character/Philosophical according to Kohlberg at Age
7
Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Reasoning Level 1 Preconventional Morality:
● Stage 1 Punishment-obedience orientation: The consequences from an action
determining what the child did is good or bad.
(Snowman & McCown, 2015, pg. 61)
● Stage 2 Instrumental relativist orientation: “An action is judged to be right if it
is instrumental in satisfying one’s own needs or involves an even exchange.”
(Snowman & McCown, 2015, pg. 61)
Typical Moral/Character/Philosophical Development at Age 7
Developments Met:
● The child I observed accidentally broke a cup and went to tell his parents, and
he felt bad about breaking it.
● He listens to many of the rules that his parents give him, like doing his
homework before playing video games and going to bed before 9.
● One day he got home from school, and he was in trouble because he threw
something at another student because one of the other kids told him to do it.
Moral/Character/Philosophical Development Recommendations
● “Encourage your child to be self-forgiving.”
(University of Washington, 1993)
● Make the rules you create clear, such as how long your child can watch TV,
when they have to do their chores, or when they have to go to bed.
(Child Development Institute, 2015)
● Help your child build confidence and self-image.
(Child Development Institute, 2015)
References
Child Development Institute (2015). The ages and stages of child development.
[Link]
Ellsworth, J. (1998). Online lesson: PEPSI as a screening tool.
[Link]
Snowman, J. & McCown, R. (2015). Psychology applied to teaching, 14th ed. Stamford, CT:
Cengage Learning.
University of Washington. (1993). Child development: Using the child development guide.
[Link]