Adults who want to help a child of primary school age overcome the crisis of 7-11 years with the least loss to the psyche should be well versed in the signs and features of its course. To do this, you need to engage in self-education and get answers to the questions: what is a crisis, how it manifests itself, how to behave with a child in crisis situations, what individual characteristics should be taken into account, who can help a student and his parents during this difficult period.
What is the age crisis
The word "crisis" comes from the Greek krisis - outcome, decision, turning point. The age crisis of primary school age 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 is going through a transition to the next stage of development. His consciousness, perception of the environment changes, the psyche, activity, relationships with others become more complex. The old ways of contacting the world are becomingineffective, there is a need to change the nature of their own behavior.
The duration and degree of manifestation of the crisis of personal development in primary school age depend both on the individual characteristics of the baby and on the conditions of his life and upbringing. On average, crisis processes last from six months to a year, they can proceed in an erased form or violently, dramatically.
Requires a detailed description of the crisis of primary school age: human psychology, as you know, is closely related to all aspects of its development.
Physical development of the child
The crisis in the personal development of a younger student occurs against the backdrop of serious changes in his body. At 7-8 years old:
- The active formation of the skeletal system continues - the skull, limbs, pelvic bones. Overloading the skeleton is fraught with negative consequences for the he alth of the child, so you should avoid prolonged physical activity, monotonous and incorrect postures, for example, when writing, needlework.
- Significantly increases muscle mass. Large muscles develop more intensively than small ones, so children are not yet able to sit in one position for a long time and do work that requires small and precise movements.
- With the growth of physical strength, children quickly get tired, although they are very mobile and strive for games and activities that require dexterity, mobility (ball games, jumping, running) - after 20-30 minutes of such activities they need rest.
- The work of the cardiovascular system becomes more stable, blood supply to all improvesorgans and tissues of the body.
- There is a noticeable increase in the mass of the brain, especially the frontal lobes. This is the key to the development of his higher mental functions.
Individual indicators of physical development differ significantly even among children of the same school class. They depend on living conditions, on genetic heredity. Junior 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 improves significantly, the overall endurance of the body increases.
At the age of 10-11, some girls begin puberty, the first signs of it appear. They can significantly outpace boys in physical and mental development.
From 7 to 11 years old, boys and girls gain an average of 20-25 cm in height, and their weight increases by 10-15 kg.
Features of physical development affect the development of the child's personality as a whole. They must certainly be taken into account when organizing his life at school and at home.
Psychological adjustment
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 the status of a student and obeys them.
The crisis of 7 years of primary school children is associated with changes in the content of his life. Gradually, his main activity changes: the game is replaced by learning. Memory, attention, perception become more and more arbitrary. Expandingcognitive space and interest in social life.
In relationships with peers and adults, the ability to objectively evaluate one's own and others' behavior, take into account the opinions of others, and subordinate one's own interests to the interests of the team develops.
A child of 10-11 years old can already foresee the consequences of his actions and manage his “I want” and “need”. That is, volitional qualities increase, replacing capriciousness and impulsiveness, the ability to worry about current and future events appears.
Crisis of children of primary school age can lead to the formation of overestimated or underestimated self-esteem, if outside, from significant persons, comes a biased assessment of their abilities, behavior, appearance.
The characteristic instability of the mental processes of a younger 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, expect unbearable results for the child in sports or in artistic activities.
Intellectual development
Primary school age is very favorable for the mental development of the child. High motivation for learning is combined with a natural curiosity and desire to meet the requirements of an authoritative teacher and parents.
Primary school age, the crisis of 7 years and subsequent ones, are characterized bywhat at this age:
- An understanding of the need for successful study in order to master a profession in the future is being formed. 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 the search for interesting facts, scientific data. Gradually, independence in studies increases, skills of mental work improve.
- With the development of imagination, memory, perception, thinking is abstracted, the ability to generalize, theorize appears.
- Consciously assimilated moral concepts, norms of behavior in a team.
Knowing the age characteristics of the physical, intellectual and mental development of a younger student allows adults to notice the first crisis manifestations in him in time. Let's characterize the crisis of early age briefly.
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 also wants to be like an adult, but does not yet know how to do it, and tries to copy his external signs: to speak and move solidly, to use mom's makeup and dad's accessories, to participate in serious conversations on an equal basis with everyone.
At 7-8 years old, a child actively uses "adult" vocabulary in communication, trying to impress an older one.
Wants to be independent in actions, not being able to foresee their negativeconsequences, which can put you in a stupid or dangerous position.
There are signs that he wants to command, to lead everyone at home and at school. Easily irritated, encountering resistance to his actions, may be aggressive and cruel towards other people or animals.
He is embarrassed to play with his favorite toys “like a little one”, so he plays with them secretly.
It seems to a child that whims and stubbornness make him more mature in the eyes of others, who actually see such behavior as elementary disobedience that deserves punishment.
Thus, a 7-year-old child has an internal crisis - between mental capabilities and increased claims to recognize others as adults already, 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 the loss of childish spontaneity. The crisis of primary school age 7-11 years old according to Elkonin D. B. is the loss of situational reactions.
Of course, these symptoms of a crisis of 7 years can be pronounced or subtle - it all depends on the temperament of the child, and on the style of his upbringing. In any case, this is a signal for adults that it is necessary to change the nature of the relationship with him.
Symptoms of the crisis 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, whenmood can change dramatically even for no apparent reason, from excited to depressed. At the same time, he himself cannot really explain what influenced it so much.
The moral attachment to the family remains, but the formation of his own "I" psychologically alienates him from his parents, he becomes more independent and strives for even greater independence. Wants to be noticeable, "fashionable" outwardly. Trying to assert himself, the child consciously opposes the will of the parents in everyday matters, criticizes their behavior, appearance, compares with the parents of other children, in his opinion, more we althy and successful. Lack of life experience and inflated self-esteem push him to test another opinion empirically, not always harmless to him and those around him. 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 deeds: petty hooliganism, bullying of weaker children. At the same time, internally condemning yourself and others for it.
Demonstrative confidence in one's own superiority over peers and adults can be combined with obvious or carefully concealed self-doubt, in one's abilities. This can lead to isolation, low self-esteem, distrust of the opinions of others about his strengths and weaknesses, that is, to a personality crisis.
Manifestations of the crisis 11 years
Intensive physiological and external changes at this age inevitably lead tonervous tension in the child, to some hysteria.
Vagaries and scandals with peers and parents are not uncommon. The desire to be independent results in disobedience, ignoring the demands of adults. School performance and discipline may deteriorate. Behavior becomes demonstrative.
The family world seems cramped and uninteresting to the child, he is more and more attracted to the street, where he wants to be a recognized leader or on an equal footing with other children.
Interest in the opposite sex is forming, especially among girls. It's not uncommon for a platonic relationship to turn into a sexual one "thanks" to media education and more experienced teenagers.
I don't want to be an adult
There is another version of the characterization of crises of primary school age - the opposite of the one 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 be responsible for his actions (“Because I am still small”). Interests and activities do not change for a long time, they correspond to an earlier age level, the personality seems to be delayed in its development. This is infantilism.
There are several medical reasons for this phenomenon, but infantility is especially evident in their combination with increased parental concern for the well-being of the child: by "soft" power or despotic methods, every desire is prevented and initiative and attempts to make decisions and behave independently are suppressed.
The result of such upbringing is a non-initiative, passive person, incapable of any tension. Parental 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 others, even close people.
Parents, educate yourself
With all the frightening signs of the crisis of primary school age described in child psychology, the science and practice of raising children 7-11 years old say: the crisis may not occur if the child is brought up reasonably and carefully.
Many possible problems in the development and maturation of the child, parents can and must foresee in order to timely and correctly respond to their manifestations. As they say, you need to know the enemy in person, and therefore you need to:
- pre-read special psychological and pedagogical literature on the upbringing and development of children of primary school age;
- to be interested in publications in special pedagogical publications;
- get advice from experts on how to recognize a crisis state in a child, how to respond, how to mitigate its severity;
- keep in touch with the school psychologist and teachers;
- do not be shy to communicate on this topic with parents whose children have already gone through this difficult life stage, learn from their positive experience so as not to repeat the mistakes made.
The acquired knowledge will help parents avoid manypitfalls in their child's growing up.
Patience, just patience…
Conflicts in families where younger students grow up are so diverse that it is impossible to give specific advice about each. If the parents are not coping with a situation, then you need to get advice from a child psychologist who will help you find the means to cope with it.
But some general advice can be given:
- Don't be afraid of crisis changes in the child and his behavior - they are natural and manageable.
- Arm yourself with patience, no matter how the child torments him. This is a demonstration on the part of parents of unconditional love and readiness to understand and forgive his unreasonable antics. Learn to negotiate with the child, find compromise solutions in case of insurmountable contradictions.
- Do not dismiss children's whims, tantrums, criticism: the child loves his parents, and therefore expects real help and understanding, warmth from them. At the same time, teach not to cross the boundaries of the permissible: insults to parents, aggressive antics are punishable.
- Punishments should be adequate to the misconduct, and their reason is very clear to the child. Such measures should be postponed until everyone calms down and emotions subside.
- Evaluation of his behavior should not turn into an insulting assessment of his personality: “You behave this way because you …” (a number of hard-hitting epithets follow).
- Demonstrate to the child a sincere interest in his affairs, social circle,hobbies, even if adults do not like them. Take part in them: joint games, visits to the cinema, concerts, exhibitions, social and sports events and their discussion bring together and inspire trust in each other.
- Notice and encourage successes, correct behavior, plausible deeds, do not skimp on praise and approval, but here, as in punishments, observe a reasonable measure.
- To give his successes and failures a tactful and objective characterization, forming the right 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. Tactfully help out of critical situations when, for example, there is a threat of becoming an outcast in a children's 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 options for their solution.
- To learn how to express your emotions correctly, in accordance with the ethical standards of communication. Demonstrate culture and a friendly attitude towards others by your own behavior.
- Put aside the most urgent things if the child asks for help and support. Otherwise, the parent, the closest person, demonstrates a dismissive attitude towards his problems. A trifling, according to an adult, children's problem can be serious for the child himself.
- Observe the unity of requirements for all family members - adults and children: doing household chores, maintaining order, participating in familyholidays, in family councils, respect for each other. This provides the child with the much-desired sense of equality with everyone.
Parents should develop a single line in raising a child. Conflicting demands disorganize the child's well-being and behavior, develop in him such traits as hypocrisy, distrust, fears, and 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.
