LATE CHILDHOOD

Characteristics of late childhood:
Late childhood extends from 6 years to 12 years. By 12, the child becomes sexually mature. For most young children, there is a major change in the pattern of their lives. While adjusting to the new demands and expectations, most children are in a state of disequilibrium. They are emotionally disturbed. Many changes take place in attitudes, values and behavior. During the last year or two, marked physical changes take place. The physical changes at the end of this stage create a disequilibrium resulting in the disturbance of accustomed life style..
It is a troublesome age by which the children are no longer willing to do what they are told to do. Older children, especially boys, are careless about their clothes and other material possessions. Such an age is called as the sloppy age. Again it is regarded as a quarrelsome age because we can see the boy child and girl child often indulged in mini quarrels.
It is at this stage that the children acquire the rudiments of knowledge that are considered as essential for successful adjustment to adult life.
Again there is a gang spirit in which the major concern is the acceptance by the age-mates in a gang. There is a team spirit in play activities and creative works.
Physical growth gives a predictable future in body structure with reference to weight and height. Physical growth in sex matters, become more pronounced. Puberty growth spurt a little later for boys than girls.

Skills developed are as follows:
i) Play skills
ii) School skills
iii) Self help skills
iv) Social help skills
v) Hand skills
vi) Speech skills
vii) Pronunciation skills
viii) Vocabulary skills
ix) Health maintenance skills

Other notable behaviors are as follows:
i) Unpleasant emotions are socially unacceptable
ii) Expression of anger in moodiness
iii) Heightened emotional expressions
iv) Learning to curb external emotional expressions
v) Boys have more extensive peer groups than girls
vi) Not satisfied with associates
vii) Aim for socio-metric status in age-mates
viii) Desire for leadership in peers
ix) Constructive play activities
x) Exploring and collecting things