CASE STUDY ON

MISTIE, A CHILD
AGE 6
Xochilt Hernandez
EDU 220
Abstract
◦ During the age of six children are usually skinny and long.
◦ They are easily offended or hurt when feedback on their
behavior is given.
◦ Six-year-olds still lack logical thinking skills.
◦ Socially children of this age group tend to have more verbal
arguments.
◦ They also respect rules and hold them to what they are. They are
unable to understand when and why and exception should be
made.
Physical Behaviors
◦ Children at this age have not fully developed their coordination skills (Child
Development Institute,1999).

◦ Some children’s fine motor skills have fully developed by the age of six, but
others have not causing sloppy writing.

◦ Kids need approximately 11 hours of sleep every night (Child Development

Institute,1999).
 Typical
Physical
Development
◦ Depending on the child's
eating habits, at this age
they will either be skinny and
long or become obese
(Snowman & McCowan,
2013, p.55)

◦ At the age of six kids have a

lot of energy and are less
likely to stay sitting for a long
period of time. They also
have better control of their
bodies, this causes more
confidence and therefore
risky activities (ei. Monkey
bars) (Snowman &
McCowan, 2013).
Observed Physical
Behavior
◦ Mistie is an outstanding soccer
player showing her coordination
skills with the soccer ball
◦ Physical appearance is tall and
skinny
◦ Mistie was observed having
accidents wetting her pants. When
asked by her parents she stated
that she was busy playing and
didn’t want to leave what she was
doing.
Recommendations
◦ Parents should continue to
encourage sports for Mistie.
◦ Continue to provide healthy food,
and help child stay away from junk
food such as chips and candy.
◦ Be understanding when the child
wets herself and avoid
embarrassing her in front of other
people. Children at age 6 are
sensitive to criticism (Snowman &
McCowan, 2013,p.54)
Emotional Behaviors
Characteristics
◦ Children are more empathetic
at this age (Child Development
Institute,1999)
◦ Highly likely to fall under peer
pressure
◦ More likely to have friendship
with other girls (Child
Development Institute,1999)
◦ Blames others for not winning
(University of Washington, 1993).
Development
◦ Children at 6 years old begin to
identify the difference between
mad and frustrated or annoyed.
◦ Student this age are more
emotionally sensitive and are
not receptive to feedback or
criticism
(Snowman & McCowan, 2013,
p.54)
 Observed
Emotional
Behaviors

◦ Mistie begins to cry every time

parents explain how she can
do things differently. She is not
open to receiving criticism.
◦ Mistie was observed hugging
her sitter and comforting her
after sister began crying.
◦ Mistie is extremely
competitive, and races to be
the first to complete
everything. She also blames
others or begins crying when
she is not the first one.
Emotional Recommendations
◦ Utilizing positive reinforcement to help with Mistie’s inability to
accept feedback.

◦ “Parents can help kids get in the habit of noticing and

empathizing with people outside of this circle.” (PBS,2003). Doing
this will help Mistie not only be empathetic with her sister but also
with friends at school.

◦ When reading out loud, ask the child how the character felt and
what actions he/she took to help him feel better (PBS,2003).
Cognitive/Intellectual Behaviors
◦ According to the University of Washington children, “want all of
everything and finds it difficult to make choices.” (University of
Washington,1993).

◦ Children of this age group begin exploring their curiosity by asking

more questions and requesting detailed answers (Child
Development Institute, 1999).

◦ They begin enjoying books, since reading becomes more fluent

(Child Development Institute, 1999).
Cognitive/Intellectual
◦ Children of ages 2-7 years old are in the
“Preoperational” cognitive stage. Per
Piaget this means children’s logic is not
fully developed.
◦ Children at this age begin organizing
things into categories, and add
categories and they are being taught
◦ At this age, the students should be
curious when introduces something new

(Snowman, J., & McCown, R, 2013, p.26)

 Cognitive Behavior/Characterics
Observed
◦ Mistie is fluent reader, but still needs
help with spelling.
◦ When Piaget’s logic experiment was
done on Mistie the conclusion was the
same. She did not logically understand
why the amount of “milk” was the
same.
◦ Mistie was observed consistently
questioning all actions, requests, and
topics
Recommendations
◦ Play guessing games with Mistie and
encourage to spell the answer to the
game. This will help her with her
language but also her reasoning skills
(PBS, 2003).
◦ Using games like “Would you Rather”
and then ask her to explain why she
chose that answer. This will help with
her understanding and reasoning
(PBS,2003).
Psychosocial/Social Behaviors
◦ Typically blames mother for mistakes or issues (University of
Washington, 1993).

◦ At the age of 6, children have trouble paying attention in class

and usually distract others by talking or playing around
(University of Washington, 1993).

◦ Children begin attempting to solve conflict with friends and

family (PBS, 2003)
Psychosocial/ Social
Typical Development Observed Behavior
◦ “According to Piaget, children at this age ◦ Mistie view rules as black and white, observe
practice the morality of constraint: They find throwing a fit when the rule was bent for
it difficult to understand how and why rules another child.
should be adjusted to special
◦ Mistie completed homework fast and runs to
situations.”(Snowman, J., & McCown, R,
parents to show her work. This shows that she
2013, p.53).
is seeking for approval and recognition.
◦ In the “Industry Versus Inferiority” stage of
◦ When questioned about her actions, she
Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial
responded that her friends did it to. This
Development children learn to be
demonstrated that she was able to be easily
productive. They also need encouragement
influenced by them.
and positive reinforcement on efforts, to
help them succeed (Snowman, J., &
McCown, R, 2013, p.19).
Psychosocial/Social
Recommendations for Mistie
◦ Explain to Mistie why the exception of the rule was made. Allow her to ask
questions and encourage her to provide suggestions on how she feel the
situation should have been approached.

◦ Tell Mistie that she is doing a great job with her homework, recognize her
efforts. Doing this will help her enjoy intellectual work (Snowman, J., &
McCown, R, 2013, p.19)

◦ Give Mistie guidance on friendships that will help her be a leader but also
keep friendships (University of Washington, 1993).
 Moral/Character Development
Characteristics
o Per Kohlberg’s
preconventional
Blames other for their morality, children
own mistakes at this age decide
(University of whether to do
Washington, 1993). something base of
the punishment or
reward.
Children at age of 6
begin trying to lie, o Children attribute
steal, and cheat as the degree of
wrongness by how
they begin learning
they are punished.
right from wrong
(Kaneshiro, N. K., MD, Snowman, J., &
2016) McCown, R., 2013,
p.42)
Moral/Character
Observed
◦ Mistie was observed blaming sister,
cousin and friends for own behavior.
◦ She understands and reiterates rules
and reassures you that she is
following all the rules.
◦ Mistie was caught stealing a toy from
cousin’s house.
Recommendations
◦ Explain to Mistie that people make
mistakes, and we need to be
responsible for our own actions
(University of Washington,1993).
◦ Support and use positive
reinforcement when the child
explains that she is following the rules.
◦ “ Parents should show forgiveness and
punish in a way that is related to the
behavior.” (Kaneshiro, N. K., MD, 2016).
References
◦ University of Washington. (1993). Child Development Guide Six to Seven Years. (n.d.).
Retrieved from
http://depts.washington.edu/allcwe2/fosterparents/training/cdevguid/cdg08.htm#PH
YSICAL
◦ PBS.(2003).Raising Kids Who Thrive. (2003). Retrieved from
http://www.pbs.org/parents/child-development/
◦ Child Development Institute. (1999). Child Development Advice And Parenting Help For
Parents. (2011). Retrieved from https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/
◦ Kaneshiro, N. K., MD. (2016). School-age children development: MedlinePlus Medical
Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002017.htm
◦ Snowman, J., & McCown, R. (2013). Ed Psych. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage
Learning.