The stage of preschool childhood has come to an end, leaving behind several difficult periods of personality development. However, you are standing on the path of a difficult and at the same time interesting time. The six-year-old is on the verge of major changes. He already has a personal opinion, can defend his point of view, has learned some social norms, controls his behavior, and helps his friends. In our article we will talk about what psychological changes await your child and how to help him follow a new path.
Psychology at 6-7 years old - another transitional period
How are your relationships with your peers?
The age of 6-7 years is characterized by a significant turn in friendships. If previously children did not require the company of peers, then at this stage the process of socialization is in full swing. The guys can already talk about where they have been, what they have seen, make plans for the near future and share them with pleasure. They develop full-fledged communication that is not at all related to toys.
At 6-7 the first real friends appear
This age allows children to gather in groups of 2-3 people, thereby showing their preference. Moreover, this is typical for both girls and boys. In their team, there are often arguments, during which the terrible “I will never be friends with you again” may sound. Adults understand perfectly well that childhood grievances are easily forgotten, but for children 6-7 years old this is a real psychological drama.
The main task of parents is to support the child, the ability to find important words, and help him live through his first experiences. Under no circumstances should one ridicule a child’s experiences or express negativity towards his friends.
The child’s trust is the main thing at this age
. Important!
Find time to just sit with your child, listen to him silently, hug him, sometimes this is enough.
Errors. Why is a bully growing up?
1) Don't rely entirely on the recommendations of your mothers and fathers
After all, in their times life was completely different compared to modern times. It is better to follow the advice of psychologists on raising children.
2) Don’t try to decide for your child which friends to choose.
All parents want to protect their son from bad company. But prohibitions will only harm him. Because everything forbidden attracts even more.
3) Do not threaten the boy with violence.
By doing this you make it clear that this is the only way you can communicate with him.
4) Don't pretend or lie
Children feel well on a subconscious level when they are told a lie.
5) Don’t decide for your son what he should be like and what he should do.
After all, every child is already a person, and not a piece of plasticine or your doll. And don't forget about it. The right to choose should always remain with the child.
There are mothers and fathers who want to make their unfulfilled dreams come true with the help of their children. For example, a father dreamed of becoming a lawyer and from the cradle begins to impose a legal education on his son. Then, like the son himself, he wants to become a chef.
How are your relationships with the opposite sex?
This age sometimes brings surprises to first love, which can be found anywhere. An attentive parent can notice the changes happening to the child: the sparkle of the eyes, a smile full of mystery, and a look of riddles. What to do in such a difficult situation?
At 6-7 years old, many children experience their first love
Child psychologists give quite effective recommendations:
- Be tactful, any careless statement like: “this boy is not a match for you,” “you still know how many of these Len you will have,” “don’t tell me, what kind of love is at your age” can have a negative impact on the child’s adult life. The main task of parents is to ensure that the child is not afraid to share his experiences, so that he feels supported.
- Be alert, talk to your baby, explain what is good and what is bad.
- The task of fathers is to teach their boy to act correctly from an early age, first of all by example. Otherwise, the boy does not understand how to behave, he is afraid of the ridicule of his friends, and as a result he pulls his “object of love” by the pigtails and says offensive words. It is necessary to intervene and explain to him that such behavior is slightly different from male behavior. The same applies to girls, they should understand that they need to accept advances with dignity, and not hit a boy over the head with a book.
- You need to use your sense of humor and tune in to the same wavelength as your child. You can tell a funny story on a similar topic from your childhood, about one funny boy, thereby adding confidence to him.
First love can manifest itself in endless conflicts
You need to be able to keep a secret, and not share incredible news with the whole family, since you have been entrusted with the most secret things. Children's innermost feelings should be preserved and, if necessary, comforted and supported.
Dry residue
Let's try to make a rough plan of what to do if the child does not obey.
First: you need to understand the motive underlying the child’s behavior
This will almost always be a desire to test the parents’ affection, caused by the need for attention, anxiety. Also, the cause may simply be fatigue, overstrain from too much impact on the nervous system.
Second: if the child’s actions threaten his health and life, it is necessary to interrupt them and, having established contact with the child, calmly explain why this should not be done.
In all other cases, the cause of his difficult behavior should be eliminated.
What difficulties might you encounter?
Child psychology claims that the age of 6-7 years goes through the stage of the next crisis. In some children, the fracture begins at 6 years old, and in others it shifts by 8 years. The child’s assessment of his place in society changes; he stands on the threshold of school, new relationships, social life, an unfamiliar position - a schoolchild, which is highly valued by adults. He doesn’t always want to change something in his
Disobedience at 6-7 years old is a manifestation of a crisis
her life, but his new role pushes him towards these changes.
During the turning point of 6-7 years, psychology focuses on experiencing inner life, which consists of the child’s level of aspirations, self-esteem, and expectations.
Crisis at 6-7 years - manifestations
These emotions influence his behavior in a given situation. This is where the antics appear, which child psychology calls spontaneity. With the help of mannerisms, children show that they are on the verge of a turning point; their inner world begins to differ from the outer world, although they are also open to the world. When a child comes out of a crisis, he copes with what his age requires of him, then negative emotional reactions, antics and mannerisms disappear.
Psychological crisis at 6-7 years old
Senior preschool age is a new crisis in the development of a child. He can no longer be called a “baby”, because he is growing up, learning to control his behavior, subordinate his impulses to his will, and set goals. Your child is mastering a challenging activity—learning. The crisis is due to the fact that two roles coexist at the same time: a child with a desire to play, run, openly show his emotions, do whatever his heart desires, and a schoolchild with the need to follow new rules, adhere to a regime, fulfill obligations, and overcome fatigue.
How to help a child?
The age of 6-7 years is associated with the rapid growth of a child, he grows literally by the hour, it is difficult for him to sit in one position, and at school he must remain motionless for a considerable time. Therefore, it is important to maintain a motor regime; psychology claims that this is the main need of his age, this is especially true for a boy. If you have an active boy, then after school you need to take him to the sports section, the swimming pool; choreography is good for girls.
School readiness – requirements
At this age, the child still wants to be good, he is already well aware of when he has done wrong, is embarrassed about this, gets upset if something didn’t turn out so well, and experiences sincere joy when he is given a useful assignment.
In order not to drown out such noble impulses in the future, it is necessary to talk with the baby more often, analyze actions, concepts of morality, for example, “a kind boy is one who protects girls and helps old people.”
The age of 6-7 years is characterized by increased self-esteem of the child, which gradually becomes adequate.
Quote from Sukhomlinsky about the beginning of the school period
Therefore, upbringing involves assessing the result of his actions, but it should be remembered that one cannot evaluate a person’s personality, so as not to lower the child’s self-esteem. It is necessary to criticize the actions of the baby, and not him himself; it is not he who is bad, but his behavior leaves much to be desired. This period is characterized by an increase in memory capacity and stability of attention, so education includes joint reading of encyclopedias, watching educational programs, and it is important to do this together.
Psychology of a boy and his upbringing
Psychologists advise parents to pull themselves together during this period, be patient and give as much of themselves as possible to the child. Be on an equal footing with him. Authoritarian education has long been rejected by all teachers; it bears no fruit.
Parent-friends, whom you can always turn to for advice, this is what you should now become for your son.
And from misunderstandings and “under-embracing” men grow up embittered towards the whole world and at the same time indecisive and withdrawn. This is not a threat to your son, because now you know how to behave in order to raise a worthy, loving, fair person, a real person. Continue in the same spirit! Well, I'll leave you for a while. I look forward to your comments and feedback, see you next time!
How to teach responsibility?
The time of carefree childhood is ending, so the moment of development of such concepts as responsibility and duty will be important for the child. Nurturing these qualities falls on the shoulders of parents.
Responsibility at 6-7 years old depends on the attitude of adults
This age means:
- Performing simple duties, for example, watering flowers, helping to put away dishes, tidying up the room, and the boy must also complete tasks around the house.
- Praise for the work done, but it must be done deservedly. It is better to pay attention to what the baby did, and not to what he did not succeed. It is necessary to patiently teach him to redo poor-quality work.
- Give children a choice, for example: “You quickly clean the room and let’s go for a walk, or I clean up alone and then we won’t have time for a walk.”
The age of 6-7 years is a new stage in a child’s life, and the task of parents is to help him go along this path.
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Prohibitions
When determining the level of freedom for a child, parents decide what prohibitions to set for him.
There are two common mistakes here:
- Their complete absence. On the one hand, the boy feels that he can do anything, feels important and independent. But on the other hand, there are many dangers in the world that children, due to their age, do not understand. Therefore, this position of parents endangers the health and even the life of the baby.
- A huge number of prohibitions. Literally everything is prohibited for the baby; to perform any action the boy has to ask permission (for example, can he take this or that toy). The result is that the child grows up insecure, modest, with a complete lack of leadership qualities and the desire to achieve something on his own.
That is why it is very important to decide what to prohibit and what to allow your child. Each “taboo” must be justified and understandable to the child - you need to explain why you can’t put your fingers in a socket, what this will lead to, why you need to cross the roadway only at a pedestrian crossing, after first looking around. Only in this case will the boy strive to consciously not break the rules, and not try to slowly “taste the forbidden fruit” while his parents are not looking.
A system of prohibitions should be formed from the age of 2; the boy should be gradually accustomed to the word “impossible”, explaining to him why it is prohibited.
Features of speech
Children of six years old are becoming more and more active interlocutors. Their vocabulary ranges from three to five thousand words. Of course, a child’s everyday speech is more modest, but many more words are stored in memory.
Children are a reflection of their parents, so the more literate and beautiful the adults’ speech, the more interesting the child speaks. He is already able to tell in detail some story from his life or retell a familiar fairy tale.
Six-year-olds can explain to each other the rules of the game and even tell each other what will happen or could happen in the near future. As a rule, by this age all sounds have been formed: the child speaks clearly and can arbitrarily lower or raise his voice.
Motor skills
Fine motor skills
The child's hand becomes more and more dexterous. The child is able to correctly grasp a pen and pencil and perform simple manipulations: draw continuous lines (straight, wavy, broken). Can trace a drawing along the contour without lifting the pen from the paper, complete half of a symmetrical drawing, and carefully shade the drawing according to the sample without going beyond the contour.
Gross motor skills
Children's movements become more conscious and clear. Children still prefer active games that require running and jumping. The muscles and attention are developed enough to perform a specific precise action, for example, kicking a ball into a goal.
"Transitional age"
Children of six years old are at the borderline of preschool and school education. They are preparing to become schoolchildren, and at this moment it is so important to help them reach the next level. Don’t rush them to grow up, let them finish playing games and run around to their heart’s content, then it will be much easier for them to sit at their desks and listen to the teacher. Pay attention to the health and psychological development of the child.
If it seems to you that your child is lagging behind his peers in some respects, do not scold him, but turn to specialists for help. Spend time together, visit events, museums, theaters - children are open to everything new, preserve this valuable gift and it will be much easier for him at school.
