Adults who want to help the child of primary school age overcome the crisis of 7-11 years with the least loss for the psyche should be well versed in the signs and characteristics of its course. To do this, we need to engage in self-education and get answers to the questions: what is a crisis, how does it manifest itself, how to behave with a child in crisis situations, what individual characteristics should be taken into account, who can help the student and his parents in this difficult period.
What is an age crisis?
The word "crisis" comes from the Greek krisis - the outcome, decision, turning point. The age crisis of primary school age of 7-11 years is not the first: before it, the child experiences a crisis of the newborn, the first year and crises of 3-4.5 years.
In the age crisis period, a person experiences a transition to the next stage of development. His consciousness, perception of the environment changes, the psyche, activity, relations with others become more complex. Previous methods of contacting the world are becoming ineffective; a need arises to change the nature of one’s own behavior.
The duration and degree of manifestation of the crisis of personal development in primary school age depends both on the individual characteristics of the baby, and on the conditions of his life and education. On average, crisis processes last from six months to a year, can occur in a worn-out form, or violently, dramatically.
The crisis of primary school age requires a detailed description: human psychology, as is known, is closely connected with all aspects of its development.
Physical development of the child
The crisis of personal development of a younger student occurs against the background of serious changes in his body. At 7-8 years old:
- Active formation of the skeletal system — the skull, limbs, and pelvic bones — continues. Overloading the skeleton is fraught with negative consequences for the health of the child, therefore, prolonged physical activity, uniform and incorrect postures, for example, when writing, needlework, should be avoided.
- Muscle mass is significantly increased. Large muscles develop more intensively than small ones, so children are not yet able to sit in one position for a long time and engage in work that requires small and precise movements.
- With an increase in physical strength, children quickly get tired, although they are very mobile and tend to games and activities that require agility, mobility (playing with the ball, jumping, running) - after 20-30 minutes of such classes, they need rest.
- The work of the cardiovascular system becomes more stable, the blood supply to all organs and tissues of the body improves.
- There is a noticeable increase in the mass of the brain, especially the frontal lobes. This is the key to the development of its higher mental functions.
Individual indicators of physical development differ significantly even in children of the same school class. They depend on living conditions, on genetic heredity. The younger school age, the crisis of 7 years, is a kind of stepping stone to the subsequent physical improvement of the child.
From the age of 8, motor coordination is significantly improved, and the general endurance of the body increases.
At 10-11 years, some girls begin puberty, its first signs appear. They can be significantly ahead of boys in physical and mental development.
From 7 to 11 years, boys and girls increase in growth by an average of 20-25 cm, and their weight increases by 10-15 kg.
Features of physical development affect the development of the personality of the child as a whole. They must be taken into account when organizing his life at school and at home.
Psychological restructuring
A child entering first grade expects a lot from school, it beckons him with novelty, symbolizes a step into adulthood. He perceives school rules as a prerequisite for student status and obeys them.
The crisis of 7 years of primary school children is associated with changes in the content of his life. Gradually changing its main activity: the game is replaced by teaching. Memory, attention, perception are becoming more arbitrary. The cognitive space and interest in public life is expanding.
In relations with peers and adults, the ability to objectively evaluate their own and others' behavior, to take into account the opinions of others, to subordinate their own interests to the interests of the team is developing.
A child of 10-11 years old can already foresee the consequences of his actions and manage his “want” and “need”. That is, volitional qualities increase, replacing moodiness and impulsivity, the ability to worry about current and future events appears.
Crises of children of primary school age can lead to the formation of high or low self-esteem, if from the outside, from significant individuals, a biased assessment of their abilities, behavior, and appearance comes.
The characteristic instability of the mental processes of a primary school student can lead to serious violations of his psychological state (fatigue, apathy, irritability, neurosis) requiring medical intervention. This happens if ambitious parents make excessive demands on learning and behavior, waiting for results that are unbearable for a child in sports or in artistic activities.
Intellectual development
Younger school age is very favorable for the mental development of the child. High motivation for learning is combined with natural curiosity and the desire to meet the requirements of an authoritative teacher and parents.
Younger school age, a crisis of 7 years and subsequent ones, are characterized by the fact that at this age:
- An understanding is formed of the need for successful studies in order to master the profession in the future. In this regard, there is a conscious interest in knowledge in general and in individual subjects.
- With the expansion of cognitive interests, the child takes the initiative in finding facts of interest to him, scientific data. Independence in study is gradually increasing, and mental work skills are being improved.
- With the development of imagination, memory, perception, thinking abstracts, the ability to generalize, theorize.
- The moral concepts, norms of behavior in the team are consciously assimilated.
Knowing the age-related characteristics of the physical, intellectual and mental development of a younger student allows adults to notice the first crisis manifestations in time. Let us briefly describe the crisis of young age.
Signs of a crisis in a 7-year-old child
The beginning of school life for a child is an event that means that he becomes an adult. Accordingly, he wants to look like an adult, but still does not know how to do it, and is trying to copy his outward signs: to speak and move solidly, to use mother’s makeup and father’s accessories, to participate in serious conversations on an equal basis with everyone.
At the age of 7-8, the child actively uses the “adult” vocabulary in communication, trying to impress the older one.
He wants to be independent in his actions, not being able to foresee their negative consequences, because of which he can fall into a stupid or dangerous position.
There are signs that he wants to command, to supervise everything at home and at school. It is easily irritated, meeting resistance to its actions, can be aggressive and cruel towards other people or animals.
He becomes ashamed to play with his favorite toys "like a little one", therefore he plays secretly with them.
It seems to the child that whims and stubbornness make him more adult in the eyes of those around him who actually see in this behavior an elementary disobedience that deserves punishment.
Thus, a 7-year-old child has an internal crisis - between mental abilities and increased claims to the recognition of others as an adult, and an external crisis - between the need for new social relations and the inability to build them. Vygotsky L.S. considered this a sign of loss of childish immediacy. The crisis of primary school age 7-11 years old according to Elkonin DB - This is a loss of situational response.
Of course, these symptoms of a 7-year crisis can be pronounced or subtle - it all depends on the temperament of the child, and on the style of his upbringing. In any case, it is a signal for adults that it is necessary to change the nature of relations with him.
Symptoms of the crisis of 9-10 years
Emotional and psychological changes at this age occur against the background of hormonal changes: the child is on the verge of transitional age, enters the prepubertal period. It is characterized by emotional instability, when the mood can change dramatically even for no apparent reason, from excited to depressed. At the same time, he himself cannot plainly explain that this was so influenced.
Moral attachment to the family persists, but the formation of his own “I” psychologically alienates him from his parents, he becomes more independent and strives for even greater independence. He wants to be noticeable, "fashionable" in appearance. Trying to assert himself, the child consciously resists the will of the parents in everyday matters, criticizes their behavior, appearance, compares it with the parents of other children, in his opinion more wealthy and successful. The lack of life experience and excessive self-esteem push him to test a different opinion empirically, which is not always harmless to him and others. On this basis, conflicts often arise.
A child with weak volitional qualities, in the company of peers, in order to be “like everyone else”, can participate in unseemly matters: petty hooliganism, treading weaker children. At the same time, internally condemning himself and others for this.
Demonstrative self-superiority over peers and adults can be combined with overt or self-concealing self-doubt, in one’s abilities. This can lead to isolation, low self-esteem, distrust of the opinions of others about its strengths and weaknesses, that is, to a personal crisis.
Manifestations of the crisis of 11 years
Intensive physiological and external changes at this age inevitably lead to nervous tension in the child, to some hysteria.
Vagaries and scandals with peers and parents are frequent. The desire to be independent translates into disobedience, ignoring requirements from adults. School performance and discipline may worsen. Behavior takes on the features of demonstrativeness.
The family world seems to the child cramped and uninteresting; he is increasingly attracted to the street where he wants to be a recognized leader or on equal terms with other children.
Interest is forming in the opposite sex, especially in girls. There are frequent cases when platonic relationships develop into sexual ones “due to” education from the media and more experienced teenagers.
“I don't want to be an adult!”
There is another version of the characteristic of crises of primary school age - the opposite of the described. The child refuses to grow up! It is convenient and comfortable for him to stay in childhood, when everything is decided for him, there is no need to answer for his actions (“Because I'm still small”). Interests and occupations do not change for a long time, correspond to an earlier age level, the person seems to be delayed in his development. This is infantilism.
There are several medical reasons for this phenomenon, but infantility is especially evident in their combination with increased parental care for the well-being of the child: every “desire” is prevented by “soft” power or despotic methods, and initiative and attempts to independently make decisions and behavior are suppressed.
The result of such upbringing is an uninitiated, passive person, incapable of any kind of tension. Parent motto “Everything for the child, everything in the name of the child!” leads to the formation in his character of such qualities as pronounced egocentrism, indifference to the feelings and needs of other, even close, people.
Parents, take care of yourself
For all the frightening signs of a crisis of primary school age described in child psychology, the science and practice of raising children of 7-11 years of age claim that a crisis may not occur if the child is brought up reasonably and carefully.
Parents can and should foresee many possible problems of the development and growing up of a child in order to timely and correctly respond to their manifestations. As they say, the enemy must be known in person, and therefore it is necessary:
- read in advance special psychological and pedagogical literature on the upbringing and development of children of primary school age;
- be interested in publications in special pedagogical publications;
- get advice from specialists on how to recognize a child’s crisis state, how to react, how to smooth out its severity;
- liaise with a school psychologist and teachers;
- Do not be shy to communicate on this topic with parents whose children have already passed this difficult life stage, to adopt their positive experience so as not to repeat the mistakes made.
The acquired knowledge will help parents avoid many of the pitfalls on the way of growing up their child.
Patience, only patience ...
Conflicts in families where primary schoolchildren grow up are so diverse that it is impossible to give specific advice about each. If parents can’t cope with some situation, then you need to get advice from a child psychologist who will help find the means to cope with it.
But you can give general recommendations:
- Do not be afraid of crisis changes in the child and his behavior - they are regular and controllable.
- Armed with patience, no matter how the child tormented him. This is a demonstration by parents of unconditional love and willingness to understand and forgive his unreasonable antics. Learn to negotiate with a child, find compromise solutions in case of insurmountable contradictions.
- Do not shrug off children's whims, tantrums, and critics: the child loves his parents, and therefore expects real help and understanding, warmth from them. At the same time, to teach not to cross the permissible limits: insults to parents, aggressive behavior are punishable.
- Punishment must be adequate to misconduct, and their cause is extremely clear to the child. The adoption of such measures should be postponed until everyone calms down and calm down emotions.
- Assessment of his behavior should not turn into an insulting assessment of his personality: “You behave this way because you ...” (a series of unpleasant epithets follows).
- Show the child a sincere interest in his affairs, social circle, hobbies, even if adults do not like them. To take part in them: joint games, visits to cinema, concerts, exhibitions, social and sports events and their discussion bring together and inspire confidence in each other.
- To notice and encourage success, correct behavior, specious actions, not skimp on praise and approval, but here, as in punishments, observe a reasonable measure.
- Give his successes and failures a tactful and objective characterization, forming the correct self-esteem.
- It is good to know the child’s social circle: with whom he is friends, with whom and for what reasons he conflicts, how he reacts to a negative attitude towards him, his reasons. It is tactful to help get out of critical situations when, for example, there is a threat to become an outcast in a childish environment.
- Involve the child in the discussion of family problems and respectfully listen to his point of view, discuss with him the possible consequences of certain solutions.
- To teach you how to express your emotions in accordance with the ethical standards of communication. Demonstrate culture and a benevolent attitude towards others with your own behavior.
- Put aside the most urgent matters if the child asks for help and support. Otherwise, the parent, the closest person, shows a neglect of his problems. A trifling, according to an adult, a childhood problem can be serious for the child himself.
- Observe the unity of requirements for all family members - adults and children: fulfilling household duties, maintaining order, participating in family holidays, in family councils, respecting each other. This provides the child with a much-desired sense of equality with everyone.
Parents should work out a single line in the upbringing of the child. Conflicting demands disorganize the well-being and behavior of the child, develop in him such traits as hypocrisy, distrust, fear, aggression.
Family harmony is a model of relationships, actions, feelings and their expressions for a child, a reliable berth in a stormy sea of problems caused by the crisis of primary school age.