CASE STUDY OF A CHILD AGE 8

Taylor Shirley
EDU 220-1003
 ABSTRACT

Physical Development
• Gender specific in play Psychosocial/Social Development
• Highly Active • Develops strong relationships
• Accident Prone • Same Sex friendships
• Peer Driven
• Jealousy
Emotional Development
Moral/Character/Philosophical Development
• Sensitive
• Guilt and shame
• Realistic Fears
• Judges others bases on their actions
• Loses energy quick
• Secrets • Knows wrong from right

Cognitive/Intellectual Development
• Curious
• Fascinated with nature
• Wants to learn
 TYPICAL PHYSICAL BEHAVIORS AT
AGE 8

• “Physical play may take on gender specific characteristics.”(Northern Arizona University

1999)
• The student is busy and active and has common accidents. (University of Washington, 1993)
• “The child is typically expansive and may have more accidental injuries - broken bones,
etc.” (Northern Arizona University 1999)
• Their peer group may become a safe haven. This allows the adolescent to test new ideas.
(MedlinePlus 2021)
• “Makes faces, wiggles, clowns.” (University of Washington, 1993)

T YP I C A L P H Y S I C A L
D E V E L O P ME N TAL
L E V E L A C C OR D I N G TO
S NO W MA N ( A G E 8 )
• Primary grade children are very active which results
in energy being released in forms of nervous habits.
• Children become fatigued easy due to physical and
mental exertion.
• “Large-muscle control is still superior to fine
coordination. Many children, especially boys, have
difficulty manipulating a pencil.” (Snowman, J. &
McCown, R., 2015, pg. 84)
• Accident rate goes up due to children becoming
extreme in their physical activities. Children gain
control of their bodies and test their skills.
• “Bone growth is not yet complete. Therefore, bones
and ligaments can’t stand heavy pressure.”
(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg. 85)
(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015)
 Developmental Milestones Met:
• The eight-year-old girl I observed loves pink
and often won't participate in activities that
PHYSICAL are specific to the opposite gender.
D E V E LO P M EN T • She loves to be around her friends.
O B S ERVAT I O N O F A
CH I L D A G E 8 • She is active and has accidents/injuries often.
Developmental Milestones Not Met:
• She doesn’t get tired very easily even after
physical and mental exertion.
 • Use appropriate discipline without harshness.
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
2021)
P H Y SI CA L D EV ELO PM E N T
• Don't take silliness seriously. (University of
RE CO MME N D ATI O N S
Washington, 1993)
• Sympathize and comfort accidents and injuries.
(University of Washington, 1993)
 TYPICAL EMOTIONAL BEHAVIORS AT
AGE 8

• “May be excessive in self-criticism; tends to dramatize everything; is very sensitive.”

(University of Washington, 1993)
• The child will start fear less about fantasy and start developing more realistic fears. (University
of Washington, 1993)
• A child will start something with high energy but will tend to lose steam before they finish.
(Northern Arizona University 1999)
• “Kids may encounter intense feelings of self-doubt when they are overwhelmed.” (PBS, 2021)
• A child will start keeping more secrets. (University of Washington, 1993)

T Y P IC A L E MO T I O N A L
D E V E L O P ME N TA L
L E V E L A C C O R D I N G TO
S N O W M A N (A G E 8 )
• Students this age are likely to help their teacher and
want to do well in school. (Snowman, J. & McCown,
R., 2015, pg. 86)
• Students are very sensitive and fragile when it comes
to criticism and failure. (Snowman, J. & McCown, R.,
2015, pg. 86)
• “Children are becoming sensitive to the feelings of
others.” (Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg. 87)
 Developmental Milestones Met:
• She will often get upset if her siblings or her
friends make fun of a picture she drew.
E MO TI O N A L
• She easily gets tired mentally when doing
D E V E LO P M EN T
homework and will tend to doubt her abilities
O B S ERVAT I O N O F A
to complete her work.
CH I L D A G E 8
Developmental Milestones Not Met:
• She is still afraid of fantasy and really
dislikes clowns and aliens.
 • “Provide positive reinforcement as frequently as
possible and reserve your negative reactions for
nonacademic misbehavior.” (Snowman, J. &
McCown, R., 2015, pg. 86)

EMOTIONAL • It is helpful for adults to engage children toward the

end of their activities, so the excitement is still
DEVELOPMENT present. (Northern Arizona University 1999)
RECOMMENDATIONS • “Do not criticize. Encourage efforts. Teach that others
also make mistakes.” (University of Washington,
1993)
• Give children small rewards for their
accomplishments. (University of Washington, 1993)
• It is important for parents to remain calm and
collected in high stress situations.(PBS 2021)
 TYPICAL COGNITIVE/INTELLECTUAL
BEHAVIORS AT AGE 8

• Children become more curious to the reason's things happen. (University of Washington,
1993)
• “The child is often fascinated with real world animals, stars, science in general.” (Northern
Arizona University 1999)
• Children tend to want to learn more about pregnancy and the birthing process. Children will
often wonder what the father's role is in pregnancy. (University of Washington, 1993)
• “Children who are behind seem to be ready to consolidate and relearn tasks missed. Review as
exercises in assimilation and accommodation will usually be appreciated.” (Northern Arizona
University 1999)
 Paiget
Concrete Operations: Ages 7-11 The child's ability to have different
types of conversations.
• “Children in the concrete operational stage are often more capable
of learning advanced concepts than most people realize.”
(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg. 43)
• “…elementary students (K–4) are expected to acquire include
asking questions about objects, conducting simple observations,
TYPICAL using simple equipment to gather data and extend the senses, and
COGNITIVE/INTELLECTUAL constructing and communicating explanations.” (Snowman, J. &
LEVEL ACCORDING TO McCown, R., 2015, pg. 43)
PIAGET & VYGOTSKY (AGE
8) Vygotsky
Zone of Proximal Development: the difference from what a child can
accomplish on their own versus with some help from others.
• “students with wider zones are likely to experience greater
cognitive development when instruction is pitched just above the
lower limit of their ZPD than will students with narrower zones
because the former are in a better position to capitalize on the
instruction.” (Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg. 53)
(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg. 53)
 Developmental Milestones Met:
• She is very curious about the world and how
things work. For example, when she saw
snow for the first time, she asked why it
CO G N I TI V E / wasn’t was soft as she thought it would be.
I N TE L LEC TU A L • Since she goes to virtual school, she seems
D E V E LO P M EN T very excited to go back to school again and
O B S ERVAT I O N O F A get back to regular instruction.
CH I LD A G E 8
Developmental Milestones Not Met:
• She likes real animals but is still more
interested in unicorns and other fictional
creatures.
 • “Encourage kids to read books, play games that
require attention to detail, build complex block
structures or jigsaw puzzles or practice a piece
of music over and over again” (PBS, 2021)
• It is important to be patient and answer
COGNITIVE/
questions. (University of Washington, 1993)
INTELLECTUAL
• “Direct child toward attempting what can be
DEVELOPMENT
accomplished, but still provide challenges.
RECOMMENDATIONS Stress what the child has learned and not the end
product.” (University of Washington, 1993)
• Children should be held responsible for their
actions to learn that there are consequences to
their behavior. (Parenting Today 1999-2019)
 TYPICAL PSYCHOSOCIAL/SOCIAL
BEHAVIORS AT AGE 8

• A child will start to develop stronger relationships with other children they may consider as
“best friends”. (PBS, 2021)
• “Makes new friends easily; works at establishing good two-way relationships; develops close
friend of own sex. Considers clubs and groups important; enjoys school, doesn't like to be
absent, and tends to talk more about it.” (University of Washington, 1993)
• Children might lose interest in family conversation and be quick to get back to other activities.
(University of Washington, 1993)
• “The new ability to see anther's viewpoint does not usually extend to sibs, so fighting, tattling
and jealousy continue.” (Northern Arizona University 1999)
 Industry Versus Inferiority: (6-11 years old):
• “He now learns to win recognition by producing
things...He develops a sense of industry.” (Snowman,
J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg. 29)
T Y P I CA L Sense of Industry:
PS Y C H O S O C I A L / • “If children at this stage are encouraged to make and
S O CI A L LE V E L
do things well, helped to persevere, allowed to finish
A C CO R D I N G TO
tasks, and praised for trying, industry results.”
E RI K SO N ( A G E 8 )
(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg. 29)
• If a child efforts fail, and parents treat them
negatively, and child will start to feel inferior and
believe they will never be good at anything.
(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg. 29-30)
 Developmental Milestones Met:
• She still tattles on her sibling and will get
upset if they get something and she doesn’t.
Her sister didn’t have a mask to go into the
grocery store, so we had to buy her one. The
P SY CH O SO CI A L/ girl became jealous because she didn’t get a
SO CI A L D EV EL O P M EN T brand-new mask.
O B S ERVAT I O N O F A
CH I L D A G E 8 • When her family is having dinner, she seems
eager to get back to her phone or laptop.
Developmental Milestones Not Met:
• She has struggled to make close friendships
with other girls.
 • Get the child out of the house and enroll them
into sports or other clubs with kids the same
age. (University of Washington, 1993)
PSYCHOSOCIAL/SOCIAL • “Remain understanding of child's needs and
DEVELOPMENT feelings.” (University of Washington, 1993)
RECOMMENDATIONS • Help children gain friendship skills by
acknowledging cooperative behaviors and
supportive connections. (PBS, 2021)
• “Schedule playdates” (PBS, 2021)
 TYPICAL MORAL/CHARACTER/PHILOSOPHICAL
BEHAVIORS AT AGE 8

• “May experience guilt and shame.” (University of Washington, 1993)

• A child will believe a person is bad or good based on their actions. (Northern Arizona University
1999)
• “Moral reasoning is very black and white, with the focus primarily on self...the reason to avoid
doing wrong is to avoid being punished or viewed as bad.” (Northern Arizona University 1999)
• Children who tell on their siblings believe that their actions aren’t “fair”. (Northern Arizona
University 1999)
• Children understand right from wrong. (Northern Arizona University 1999)
 • “Kohlberg believed that moral reasoning proceeds through
a fixed sequence of stages. In the early stages, children’s
understanding of moral issues is narrow, concrete, and self-
centered.” (Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg. 60)
• “…their judgments about what constitutes acceptable moral
T Y P I CA L behavior becomes broader, more abstract, and based on the
M O RA L/C H A RA C TER / welfare of others (Thoma, 2006).” (Snowman, J. &
McCown, R., 2015, pg. 60)
PH I L O S O P H I C A L
L EV E L A C CO R D I N G TO Preconventional Morality
K O H L BER G ( A G E 8 ) Stage 1(Punishment-obedience orientation): Right and wrong
I determined by physical consequences to an action. In order
to avoid being punished, a child must do the right thing.
Stage 2 (Instrumental relativist orientation): For a child to
obey rules they feel that they should benefit in some sort of
way. There is an even exchange in benefits for doing good.
(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg. 60)
 Developmental Milestones Met:
• She often does what she is told so she doesn’t
get her phone taken away from her.
MO RA L/
• When she and her sister were told to eat all
CH A RA CTE R/
their broccoli at dinner her sibling ate hers
P H I L O S O P H I CA L
quick and she said it was unfair that she had
D E V E LO P M EN T
to stay longer.
O B S ERVAT I O N O F A
CH I L D A G E 8 Developmental Milestones Not Met:
• Lacks the feelings of guilt or shame. She
tends to get over things easily when she does
something wrong.
 • “Acknowledge and support the child's
standards and discuss reasonableness of child's
expectations. Encourage the child to be self-
forgiving.” (University of Washington, 1993)
MORAL/CHARACTER/ • Teach you child how to be compassionate and
PHILOSOPHICAL kind to others. (PBS, 2021)
DEVELOPMENT
• “Focus on the worth of an individual rather
RECOMMENDATIONS than on behavior. Then work on changing the
behavior.” (University of Washington, 1993)
• Encourage children to complete household jobs
and responsibilities. (PBS, 2021)
 REFERENCES

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Child development.

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/facts.html
Medline (2017). Adolescent Development.
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002003.htm
Northern Arizona University. (1999). Eighth Year: Teaching Respect for Self and Others
https://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jde7/ese504/class/pepsi/PEPSIObserv/year8.html
PBS (2019) Learn & grow by age.
https://www.pbs.org/parents/learn-grow/age-8
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
http://depts.washington.edu/allcwe2/fosterparents/training/cdevguid/cdg10.htm#PHYSICAL