The 6 Stages Of Childhood (physical And Mental Development)
Childhood is the stage of life that goes from birth to youth. Now, within this phase there are also different moments that mark the rhythms of the boy or girl’s development, both physically and psychologically.
That is why it is possible distinguish between different stages of childhood This is a classification that both psychologists and health professionals in general take into account to understand how human beings think, feel and act when they go through their first years of life.
Below we will give a brief review of these stages of childhood and the physical and mental changes that occur in the transition from one to another.
However, it must be kept in mind that the boundaries between these phases are diffuse and do not always occur in the same way; Each boy and girl is a world. In any case, in all these stages of childhood development is seen that goes from the processing of information related to the senses and the present, to the understanding of abstract concepts that transcend the here and now. Unless a genetic or medical condition is present, this development will occur naturally if the rearing environment is conducive.
On the other hand, this classification assumes that children go through a formal education process in schools; Although this is not always the case, the evolution of the nervous system of boys and girls occurs in a similar way in all societies and cultures.
1. Intrauterine period
Although childhood is considered to begin at birth, it is sometimes assumed that it can begin earlier, especially in cases of premature birth This phase includes the early and late fetal period, and involves processes of rapid formation and refinement of the senses.
It must be kept in mind that, although at this stage we are totally dependent on others, the main learning is already taking place, especially through hearing. However, These are subject to a very simple and basic type of memorization For example, at this stage the areas of the brain that are responsible for providing the basis for autobiographical memory have not yet developed.
This stage of life is characterized by the fact that neither the biological structures of the organism have matured, nor has the boy or girl had the opportunity to learn from immersion in a socially and sensorially stimulating environment.
2. Neonatal period
This phase of childhood begins at birth and ends approximately at the end of the first month. In the neonatal period, babies learn the main regularities of the world around them and more direct communication is established with other human beings, although one is not yet in a position to understand the concept of “I” and “you” since one has not yet mastered the language
Furthermore, from the first days babies show an amazing ease in distinguishing phonemes and, in fact, they are able to discriminate different languages by how they sound. This is a skill that is lost in the first months of life.
Regarding physical changes, at this stage of childhood the growth of the entire body begins to occur except for the head. Besides, In this phase you are very vulnerable and sudden death is much more frequent in this period of time.
3. Postneonatal or lactating period
This is still one of the earliest stages of childhood, but in this case, unlike the previous stage, the physical and psychological changes are easier to notice, since there are more qualitative changes in behavior.
In the lactating stage sufficient muscle begins to develop to maintain an upright posture and, in addition, around 6 months they begin to utter babbling and false words. In addition, you learn to coordinate parts of the body so that it is easy to move them at the same time with precision (fine motor development).
Of course, breastfeeding is a very important element in this phase of growth, since it provides both food and a channel of communication with the mother that allows emotional ties to be strengthened.
4. Early childhood period
Early childhood runs from the first to the third year of age, and approximately coincides with the stage in which boys and girls attend kindergarten Here you begin to control the use of the language itself, although at first it is a telegraphic language with single words and later you gain the ability to formulate simple sentences with errors such as generalization (calling a dog “cat”, for example). ).
On the other hand, in this phase you begin to gain control of your sphincters and show a strong desire to explore and discover things; According to Jean Piaget, this curiosity was precisely the driving force of learning.
Furthermore, at this stage thinking is fundamentally egocentric in the sense that It is very difficult to imagine what others think or believe This does not mean that boys and girls want to harm others, but rather that their attention is focused on concepts that refer to oneself, since they are the easiest to understand and relate to sensory experiences.
Regarding physical changes, the size of the head and limbs continues to grow, and the difference in size between the head and the rest of the body is reduced, although this development is slower than in previous stages.
5. Preschool period
The preschool period goes from 3 to 6 years old. This is the stage of childhood in which the capacity for Theory of Mind is gained, that is, the ability to attribute unique intentions, beliefs and motivations (that are different from one’s own) to others. This new capacity greatly enriches social relationships, although it also allows lying to be more useful and effective as a resource.
Furthermore, here your ability to think in abstract terms develops more partly because of the myelination of their brain and partly because they begin to regularly deal with large communities that are not just the father and mother.
On the one hand, myelination causes more parts of the brain to be connected to each other, which allows more abstract concepts to be created from the combination of ideas of many types, and on the other hand, it enriches the type of interactions to which The boy or girl undergoes it so that his or her cognitive abilities learn to perform in more complex tasks.
In this phase we begin to reach agreements, negotiate and seek to give a concrete image. At the end of this, many times we begin to try to adjust one’s behavior to gender roles and cases of gender dysphoria frequently appear throughout this stage.
6. School period
The school period is the last stage of childhood and the one that gives way to adolescence. It goes from 6 to 12 years old and in this phase the ability to think in abstract and mathematical terms develops greatly, although it does not reach its maximum. This is due to brain myelination continues (and it won’t slow down until the third decade of life). The frontal lobes begin to be better connected with other parts of the brain, and this facilitates better mastery of executive functions such as attention management and decision making following consistent strategies.
Furthermore, in the school stage the image that is given begins to have even more importance and it is about gaining the friendship of those considered important.
The social circle outside the family begins to be one of the factors that shape the identity of boys and girls, and this makes them family rules begin to be broken frequently and being aware of it. This is partly what makes this stage of childhood vulnerable to addictions, which can leave significant alterations in the brain, as in the case of alcohol consumption, which in many cases begins with puberty. at the beginning of adolescence.
Impulsivity is also usually a characteristic of this stage, as is the propensity to prefer short-term goals over those that are far in the future. At the end of the school term the body begins to show the signs of puberty marked by voice changes in men and breast growth in young women, among other things.
