DEVELOPMENTAL PROFILE
FOR 2ND GRADE STUDENTS
AGE 7

Physical Development

• Small muscle control (using muscles of the wrists, hands, and fingers) advances and draws the child's energy and enthusiasm.
• Touching, exploring, and feeling, as well as other kinesthetic activities become exciting as seen in the love for coloring, drawing, playing marbles, jacks, doing puzzles, and making models.
• General health improves with fewer illnesses surfacing with many children of this age.
• Interest in the body and in the sexual nature of a person appears to wane somewhat though interest in pregnancy may surface.
• Physical sphincter control (muscle that controls bowel movements) is generally complete-- in fact this is an age of deepening control for self, body, and emotions.
• Tires easily and may need rest.

Emotional Development

• Inferiority is a great concern for this age child and small setbacks may create a sense of work paralysis.
• "Bad days" are accompanied by not hearing directions, having to be brought back to reality, to tasks at hand, and forgotten and lost work or getting off track.
• Life seems to be sung in a minor key.
• Fear is often pervasive with increases in night terrors, sleep walking and talking.  Child may express a fear of monsters.
• Many exhibit almost a neurotic (emotionally unstable) set of behaviors-- increases in sucking fingers, chewing nails, hair, clothes, self-stimulation, and nervous tics and habits.

Philosophical/Moral Development

• Internal sense of right or wrong is developing.
• Holds single absolute idea of appropriate behavior.
• Believes rules must remain unchanged.
• Determines guilt by amount of damage done.
• Feeling of moral wrongness comes from doing the forbidden.
• Believes in obedience to rules as a requirement to those in authority-- not questionable, but avoidable through not getting caught.
• Feels peer aggression and transgression is an especially bad thing and will tattle to assure that they are right and because of the belief that rules are "sacred".
• Intention is unimportant, while getting caught or not getting caught becomes paramount.
• Self-justification (explaining why they did something) is common.

Social Development

• Referents (individuals child wants to “please”):
• Fathers may be more highly valued and quoted as authorities.
• Teachers continue to be valued if the child is able to succeed at school.
• Best friends become vital for many children.
• Withdrawing is common in this age span.
• Moodiness and melancholy are common.
• Extra time is often filled with solitary pursuits such as reading, TV, and daydreaming.
• Frequently complains and tattling about others treatment of them and unfairness.
• Request for assistance is usually honored, taken seriously, and done willingly.
• Bickering and teasing may increase if child feels insecure or senses a crisis.
• When upset, the child often ask others to help fight the battle or correct problem situations.

Intellectual/Cognitive Development

• Concrete operational thinking emerges (the ability to use logical reasoning rather than relying on perceptions). The child begins to understand cause and effect relationships and continuity in time objects, numbers, etc.
• Begins to understand that inanimate objects are not alive (e.g., the sun does not move itself, that clouds do not make the decision to rain, etc.).
• Child may truly wish to do good work for an internal sense of value and responsibility.
• There may be an emergent understanding of reversibility in conversation of matter, liquid, etc. (e.g., ice melts to water, water freezes to ice).
• The intellect’s ability to understand a notion or concept improves. Personal explanations for concepts may be developed.