Personal, Social & Emotional Stages of Child Development

There is a long standing interest in the development of children and how childhood experiences mold individuals into the adults they eventually become. Though childhood is a time when young people have few responsibilities outside themselves, it is also a time when growth occurs in many different areas. Childhood development covers a broad field, but the social, emotional, and personal developments in particular receive much attention.

  1. Erikson's Eight Stages of Development

    • One of the popular theories regarding children's social development is psychologist Erik Erikson's eight stages of development that create a chronological explanation from infancy to late adulthood. The first five stages relate directly to the development of the child and give an outcome regarding the good or bad experiences relating to each stage. For instance, Erikson's eight stages of development, which are also referred to as the "eight stages of man," begins with learning basic trust versus basic mistrust that establishes the quality of hope in well-nurtured infants through two-year-olds. Children who are not well loved become mistrustful and insecure. The other attributes developed through these eight stages include will, purpose, competence and fidelity, which are fostered between the ages of 13 to 20.

    Intellectual Development of Toddlers through Kindergarten

    • At age two, intellectual development includes using simple sentences and having a vocabulary of approximately 272 words. However, by the time children are in their third year, they are generally able to speak in short sentences and there is a leap in the ability to communicate as the vocabulary grows to nearly 900 words. Four-year-olds use complete sentences as their vocabulary has grown to 1,540 words, and they are learning to generalize. This is also the intellectual stage when children begin to ask endless questions. Finally, by age five, children have a vocabulary of about 2,072, nearly ten times the amount at age two. Five-year-olds are also able to follow directions well. Five years is the age when many children start kindergarten.

    Social, Emotional, and Personal Development of Six to Eight Year Olds

    • During the ages between six and eight years old, children undergo specific changes socially, emotionally, physically and intellectually. Socially, being with friends becomes an important aspect of this developmental age group with each gender preferring to spend more time with like gender. Girls play more with girls and boys play more with boys. They may even have an enemy or best friend at this point. Physically, permanent teeth develop, there is a good sense of balance, and children are skilled at using scissors and small tools. Intellectually, there is an increased ability in problem solving, as their attention span is longer.

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