Page 1 of 1

BANK STREET COLLECE OF MUCATION

Peggy Ruth Cole PhD

DEVELOPMENTAL CHARACTtrRISTICS OF CHILDRtrN

himarv Grades K-2d (5-7 years)

l. Curious about immediate observ"able world- 2. Leam primarily tbrougt direct contact with objects and peoplo.

3. Learn by exploring, touching, manipulating, experimenting.

4. Desire to know "facts."

5. Ridged about rules, uni-perspective.

6. Desire for mastery over rymbolic systems growing (reading math,

etc).

7. Pleasure from concrete self-made orodrrcts.

8. Mastery of small and large motor skills important.

9. Need to be competent is growing i.e. like adults.

l0.Assumes outside order and €xpects everything to fit into it.

I l.Age of extremes, black md whites, problens with subdaies of any

sort- in physical and social world.

l2.Growing identification with peer group.

l3.Need for adult zupport and direction acceptable.

l4,Peer group beginning to shengtherq still fluid.'

l5.Can begin to classifr and gengralize about concrete world.

l6.Reference point moving from egocenhic to socio-centric.

l7.Main leaming swle. identification- play.

l8.Works out intelleohral complexities by playing them out (i-e.

reorganizing the world symbolically through blocks to make sense of

ir.)

l9.Magical. oreloeical thinking characterizes much ofthis age span.