Child Development Stages at Age 7

Early childhood development is generally regarded as the growth period from birth to eight years, with an emphasis on skill development. By the time children are five years old they've acquired basic motor skills such as jumping and skipping, and as they reach the age of seven specific characteristics begin to emerge in their social, emotional, intellectual and physical development.

  1. Social Development

    • At seven years of age, social development in children can manifest as an increased concern for themselves and for how others react to them. Children at this age may also begin demanding more independence and responsibility to prove that they're growing up and they may start making comparisons between themselves and other children their age. Children also begin to understand social concepts such as justice and fairness, and may start to sympathize with people they believe are being picked on.

    Emotional Development

    • Emotionally, seven year-old children may start to develop a "siege" mentality that turns criticism or observation by others into a personal attack. This sense of victimization may also result in feelings of inadequacy in the child that she may express with feelings that the whole world dislikes her or that she can't do anything right. At this age, children are often self-centered and believe they are smarter, stronger and better than their peers.

    Intellectual and Creative Development

    • Intellectually, seven year-old children may begin to exhibit logic in their thinking and start becoming eager to learn new things. Their ability to solve complex problems increases, and they may enjoy being challenged by more difficult tasks. While they may not always get the right answers, the process of trying to achieve a solution is a sign of intellectual maturation. Creatively, children at this age will become more interested in playing video games, board games and puzzles. Most children have learned to read at the age of seven, so books may begin to stimulate their imagination and lead to them creating their own stories.

    Physical Development

    • Physically, seven year-old children possess an excess of energy that they will often use to the point of exhaustion. A child's hand-eye coordination will improve to the point where artistic activities like painting and drawing become more common. Children have a greater sense of their physical capabilities, and may begin to express more serious interests in playing team sports at a competitive level. A child's motor skills are refined at this age, enabling them to begin learning how to write in cursive.

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