Pepsi Project

Rosalimsky Steven
Professor Richardson
04/02/2023
 Introduction

The individual that I chose for my PEPSI project is a 7 year old boy, he lives in Las

Vegas, Nevada with his mother and father, and sometimes sleeps over at his grandma’s house.

He is in the first grade and is excellent in his studies. His favorite subject is geography, he

enjoys it so much that he can name the smallest and largest countries in the world. Dinosaurs are

another one of his favorite things, his favorite dinosaur being a pterodactyl. This means that

Jurassic Park is one his all time favorite movies and shows.

As for his personality he is a very bubbly kid who loves to interact and play with anyone

he meets. He enjoys basketball, soccer, YouTube videos, and after school breakdancing. He also

sings really well! He is performing in his school talent show for the fourth time this year, he is

going to be singing Watch Me from Ferdinand. He has performed in multiple shows, his favorite

being Willy Wonka. He enjoys being social and introducing himself to everyone. My individual

also enjoys going to the park and catching Pokemon. He is an amazing kid who wants the best

for everyone, especially animals.

As far as what he wants to be when he grows up, it has changed several times. He started

out wanting to be a police officer. His reasoning behind this was so he could handcuff his sister

because they always fight, and never get along. As he got older this changed because now he and

his sister are inseparable. Now at 7 years old he wants to become an entertainer, to share his
passion for music and dance to the world. His favorite song to dance and sing to is Shivers by Ed

Sheeran.

Physical Development

The average body weight of a seven year old boy is around 60 pounds. As for the height,

that is around 45 inches. Most kids gain stamina and coordination in the first grade. At first the

child may be uncoordinated, because the bigger muscles in their arms and legs are more

developed than the smaller muscles. At 7 years old a child should be starting to develop and

increase their motor skills. These motor skills include running, skipping, jumping, throwing and

catching a ball, and learning how to write neatly.

According to a post made by growinghands a child at 7 years old should be able to

compete in sports or activities actively. As well as move in time to the beat and rhythm of music.

My individual excels in both of these objectives. He is on a community basketball team and

knows how to show the other players that he’s boss, by showing his excellent communication

skills with his team. As far as beat and rhythm goes, he does after school breakdancing, he can

wow the crowd within the first couple seconds of the song, by staying on beat and showing his

sick moves.

My individual is above average on the physical standards for a seven year old boy. He is

four feet tall, and just about 70 pounds. His motor skills are something that is increasing each

day. The other night at Passover dinner the motor skill I noticed was catching a ball, he straight

up taught me how to throw and catch a football. He loves to run and skip around the backyard
with his sister, whomst is 3 years old. The more I observed him the more I saw his physical

motor skills increase.

Emotional Development

The emotional expectations of a child is something not many people understand. Emotion

is one of those standards that is sometimes hard to express. Emotional development is a critical

aspect of an individual’s social and psychological well-being.(Erikson, 1950) It will help the

child develop empathy and self awareness.

“Your child understands that people can have different emotional responses to the same

situations.” ((7–8 Years Old: Emotional Development, n.d.)). In my opinion this is highly

important because if your child doesn’t have a fair understanding of how certain people handle

different emotions they won’t understand what's happening in certain situations. Social cognition

is also a very important aspect of emotion. Early social cognitive development creates a new

look on these achievements as children begin to understand how human behavior is linked to

mental goals, feelings, intentions, feelings and beliefs. (Thompson, 2007, p. 26)

Expressing emotion for children is extremely difficult. However my individual expresses

emotion incredibly well, in multiple different ways. Ever since he was a toddler he always knew

how to express how he felt. He also has excellent social cognitive development. My individual

can read the room, and understand how everyone around him is feeling. So he always knows and

understands when to help, and when someone is not okay.

As far as emotional health goes, he exceeds the standards. His emotional health is

excellent, he gets along with all of his peers, as well as knowing how to follow the rules of the

class. He is also good at expressing his feelings and is able to work with his peers, teachers, and
parents. At 7 years old children should start learning what emotions are, and how to express them

in different ways. They should also be learning how to talk about their emotions and explain to

parents, friends, etc why they're upset, and why they feel the way that they do.

Philosophical Development

Philosophical development in children involves their understanding of the world,

including their beliefs, values, and moral reasons. Moral and philosophical development is

considered a constructivist process.((Piaget, 1952). Moral behavior is a highly complex

phenomenon and no single variable (empathy, stages of moral reasoning etc.) is sufficiently

comprehensive to represent the subject of morality.((Rest, 1986)). Individuals progress through

different stages of morality as they grow.(Kohlberg, 1969). During the observation of my

individual I observed his beliefs, values, and different situations of moral reasoning.

My child has developed a significant amount of reflection and analytical skills. He will

not refrain from asking deep questions, and work to solve difficult or complex issues. My

individual can display a developing sense of morality, as well as a strong sense of fairness.

Through actions and words he can express his values and beliefs. He is known amongst his

peers to stand up to bullying and wanting everyone to feel included. He also endorses kindness,

and wants everyone to be treated the way they want to be treated.

The conventional stage of Kohlberg’s theory on moral development describes my

individual extremely well. In this stage individuals focus on maintaining social order and

following rules to avoid punishment, and get to the level of approval that they want.(Kohlberg,

1969) My individual places a high value on following rules and fitting into the social normative

categories. He seeks guidance and assistance from his peers, family members, and most
important of all his teachers when he is faced with moral dilemmas, or a moral

misunderstanding.

Social Development

Social development involves an individual's ability to maintain and develop

relationships. Social interaction plays an important role in a child's cognitive development.

(Vygotsky 1978) “The process of social development moves adolescents from limited roles of

childhood to the broader roles of adulthood.” (Social Development, n.d.) During my observation

I noticed that my individual had excellent social skills amongst his peers, family members, and

other children/ adults.

He demonstrates excellent and strong social skills, and loves to interact with his family

members and friends. He is a pleasure to hang out with according to all of his friends. There is

also a lot of diversity between him and his friends which I found really interesting. He engages in

cooperative play, understands how to take turns, as well as sharing with his friends and

classmates.

My individual displays excellent communication skills in various social situations. He

can express his feelings, thoughts, and opinions clearly and respectfully. He listens and is very

attentive to others and engages with them the best he can. He is able to adapt the communication

style depending on who he is interacting with, which contributes to his positive social

interactions.

We were at the park when I was doing my observation, and my individual went up to a 9

year old girl and started striking conversation. He asked her if she wanted to play with him and

they spent the whole time playing tag. He then approached me and asked if I wanted to join. This
shows how excellent his social and communication skills are. He is never afraid to ask anyone

anything and he is never afraid to make a new friend.

Intellectual Development

Intellectual development starts off with cognitive abilities, my individual developed age

appropriate cognitive abilities. These include memory, attention, and information processing. He

can follow directions, remember and recall information learned in class, and effectively process

new information.

Thinking abilities are another aspect of intellectual development. This includes logical

reasoning, thinking abstractly, and hypothetical reasoning. The individual can engage in complex

problem solving assignments, and analyze and evaluate information correctly. There are also

language and communication skills that fall into intellectual development. This includes

grammar, vocabulary, and expressive language. Examples include expressing thoughts and ideas

clearly and coherently, as well as engaging in meaningful conversations.

In Piaget’s theory of cognitive development (Piaget, 1972) children that are between the

ages of 6-18 are in their formal operational stage, characterized by advanced cognitive abilities

that include abstract thinking, and logical reasoning. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory (Vygotsky,

1978) elaborates on the social and cultural context in intellectual development. According to

Vygotsky, language and communication skills play a crucial role in cognitive development, as it

enables children to express their thoughts and engage in conversation. Sternberg’s study

(Sternberg, 1985) found that during middle childhood, individuals develop higher-order thinking

skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making.

My individual exceeds the standards of intellectual development. He is in the first grade

and is reading and writing at a 3rd grade level. He is amazing at expressing his thoughts and
ideas as well as helping others. He is also highly fascinated with Geography, he will name a state

capital and have his friends and family guess the state. If it is incorrect he will say the correct

state. He follows the rules extremely well in his class, and remembers them effectively.

Recommendations for Each Development

Physical: Encourage regular physical activity, Physical activity is crucial for the development

of gross motor skills, coordination, strength, and overall physical fitness. Promote healthy

lifestyle habits as well. Encourage the individual in adopting healthy lifestyle habits, such as a

healthy diet, getting an appropriate amount of sleep, and staying hydrated.

Emotional: Teach emotional regulation strategies, help the individual learn and practice

effective strategies for managing their emotions, such as deep breathing, counting to 10, taking a

small break, or talking to a trusted adult. It is also helpful to promote empathy and social skills.

Philosophical: Encourage critical thinking, by helping the child to question and think critically

about the world around them. Curiosity and exploration is another objective a child needs to

understand. Provide a variety of books, articles, videos, and websites for children to use to

increase their creativity, and expose them to different viewpoints.

Social: Encourage your child to develop positive relationships with their family, teachers, and

peers. Provide social interaction opportunities, such as playdates, group activities, and team

sports. Teach the child social skills such as active listening, empathy, respect, and

communication skills.

Intellectual: Encourage critical thinking and problem - solving opportunities such as engaging in

challenges, puzzles, games, and activities that require the individual to use their cognitive

abilities to analyze, evaluate, and solve problems. Providing a rich language and communication
by engaging in conversations help improve children's vocabulary, development, grammar, and

expressive language skills.

Graph

10: Below standards

20: Almost meeting standards

30: Meets Standards

40: Above STandards

Work Cited
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Growing Hands-On Kids. https://www.growinghandsonkids.com/fine-motor-

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Morin, A. (2021). Physical Developmental Milestones by Age | Understood. Understood.

https://www.understood.org/en/articles/coordination-and-motor-skills-what-to-expect-at-

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%201

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Significance Of Childhood. National Geographic Books.

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Rest, J. R. (1986). Moral Development: Advances in Research and Theory. Praeger

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https://opa.hhs.gov/adolescent-health/adolescent-development-explained/social-

development

Piaget, J. (1972). The Psychology of Intelligence. London: Routledge.

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