Why dive?

Why Dive? 

Understanding the stages of development of a child helps to open a two way door between our world as adults and the child’s world. We often say that communication is important and yet it is only when communication has to be thought about and considered carefully that we realise the opportunities and challenges presented to us, especially when communicating and working with constantly morphing children as they grow.

Understanding the developmental stages through which children pass facilitates better communication, whether expressed through words, art, music, poetry or any medium.  In this article, I will highlight some of the key changes that are happening for the children that artists in residence, and other artists, often are working with on projects. By providing this small level of insight, I will hopefully encourage you to explore further in this area so that you and the children with whom you work and play in the future will have experiences that will be forever imprinted on your hearts and minds. The age group covered is mainly primary school age, however each child’s development will vary considerably, so we usually refer to stages of development and keep the age ranges quite broad.

An example of the type of experience that I mean is the use of the poem quoted above, ‘On the Ning Nang Nong’ by Spike Milligan. Reading this with a group of four to five year olds for the first time is fantastic; when I have done this in the past, I often can hardly help laughing just from the rhythm of the words, while a child who is mastering their language development and beginning to play with words is often fascinated by the sounds, the made-up words, the whole lilting fun and the sight of the adult obviously enjoying it too. Language is one important aspect of a child’s development. Typically, the main areas of development are broken down into SPICE: this is

•  Social
•  Physical
• Intellectual / Cognitive
• Emotional

with some of these naturally grouping together in practice. No one area can be totally separated from the others, however a rough guide can be given, along with the typical ways in which activities can be linked to these areas.

Physical Development

Physical Development

Some of the physical changes that children experience at this stage are growth spurts; motor skill development; self sufficiency in personal care; puberty.

Growth spurts happen periodically, the obvious one for example is in infancy. However, as a child moves to the middle years of childhood they often experience more of these, with arms and legs shooting out of clothes at an alarming rate often in a short space of time. For example, a ten year old boy may go on summer holidays one shape, and return afterwards with a new shape. The impact of this can be first and foremost clumsiness as the boy adjusts to the new demands of this body. Self consciousness also will affect him, perhaps he now towers above his mates and wants to shrink down and be more like them.

Adults working with children going through such a phase can support them, for example  by unobtrusively being aware and making it easier if they are temporarily clumsy, making sure there is enough space between tables, that jars of water or paint are not likely to be knocked over thus adding to the child’s self-consciousness.

Motor skill development is still proceeding in these middle years, with gross motor skills still developing up to and including adolescence. Motor skills are the control over their bodily movements, broken down into fine and gross – fine being the detailed movements of fingers, hands and gross being the large body movements used in walking, jumping, running and games such as tennis. Often a child will have developed a good sense of their body, and be displaying early proficiency with their large movements only to have a temporary setback when a growth spurt occurs.

Self sufficiency, especially in personal care is a core part of these middle years with children able and crucially keen to now bathe, shower, dress and otherwise look after their bodily needs. This helps to foster a sense of independence and children are generally keen to move along this path.

Puberty also happens in these years, and as with growth spurts can render children self conscious. For example, some young girls who mature early, perhaps as young as eight, this can be a time that not only brings the obvious physical changes but it also impacts on their emotions. Adults will be mindful of these possibilities, Respect for the growing need for privacy and the provision of facilities as for self-sufficiency will make life easier for children.

Experimenting with art that engages a lot  of or the whole body will give children the opportunity to become used to their changing shapes, and can help them to practice control over their movements.

Image above from Helene Hugel of Helium

Cognitive Development

Cognitive Development

• Development is ongoing – in and out of school
• Cognitive development is rapid particularly in the middle school years
• Logic and understanding improving
• Reading, writing and calculating skills emerging
• Reasoning skills take their time

Sometimes people will box in cognitive development as something that happens during school time, an academic exercise, whereas in reality children are rapidly joining the dots up as they begin to make sense of the wider world, and connect all aspects of their learning. Often at this stage children will begin to pay attention to the news for example, and start to reason about cause and effect of things going on around them, although the speed of this process varies considerably from child to child, and with the style of teaching and learning presented to them – active participatory learning is of enormous benefit.

Children’s needs at this stage are for realistic expectations of what they can and cannot do; often a listening ear; stimulation and variety with many opportunities for learning; space to try out ideas and thoughts; encouragement, especially specific encouragement such as ‘I notice you’ve really mastered that metalwork shape you’ve been working on’; an adult to answer questions or help with finding answers; freedom to explore, become an independent learner with a safe place to try out new ideas.

Image "Stepping-Stones" by Anna Rosenfelder

Social and Emotional Developments

Social

In the earlier years, children focus on their close family group. Older children begin to look outwards, and start to recognise shared interests with some other children; this begins to lead to friendships based on interests rather than just living near each other for example. Some features of this stage are:

• Rules are accepted and developed in play, often being very important to the child.
• Sense of Right and Wrong develops
• Empathy gets stronger
• Moral Reasoning emerges
• Problem solving ability developing (linked with their cognitive development)
• Sense of individuality becoming stronger

Emotional

Emotional Development encompasses and is affected by all the other areas. For middle years children, their self awareness is developing rapidly, and an increasing consciousness of their own strengths and weaknesses. For example, this is often the stage at which a child will say ‘I can’t do art’ and at which a sensitive supportive adult will encourage the child by explaining that is a natural feeling and that now is the time for technique to begin to be worked on.  Children will have a desire to become more independent, but often value the fact that they can call on an adult when needed. Their self-esteem will be enhanced by the gradual building of confidence with support and encouragement, and they are gaining increasing emotional self-control.

Adults can help them to feel loved, valued; they can provide security and offer respect  and above all can accept the child for who they are as an individual. When the child may regress for whatever reason, the adult can be patient and help the child to express their feeling sin words, and learn to manage their emotions appropriately. 

In conclusion

I trust that this small glimpse into a child’s developing world will help to open that two-way door, and will stimulate interest among artists working with children to find out more and be encouraged that their work is itself such a valuable medium for affording children opportunities for true self expression and development.

Image by Julie Forrester