A child is a young human being who is below they age of puberty and behaves in a way that suggests that the human being is a child. However, it can be argued that a child is a son or daughter of any age because they are children of a person. This implies that a child is a person who was born and bred by another person. Finally, a child may be defined as an immature and irresponsible person because of their age and physical factors. There are a number of characteristics that well describe a child.
Children love stories and have rich imaginations. Kids are characterized by their love for narratives, whether true of fictitious. They also have rich imaginations and tend to think a lot. In most cases, children would prefer good to prevail over evil. They dislike evil deeds and would not like anything evil to take place. They also have the abilities to learn and control their bodies at a tender age. Although it depends that age of the child, but most children above the age of six have the abilities to walk and have balance. Those below the age of two years do not have enough control of their bodies and they are susceptible to falling most of the times. Most children have a lot of energy within themselves and they use the energy to play and conduct other activities. It is very difficult to find a child relaxing or taking a break from playing. When they get tired, they normally sleep immediately. Children find it hard to handle objects or to perform fine motor tasks (Manheimer 492). They cannot control or operate things like radios, televisions, or microwaves, among others. But children above the age of six can operate these objects better.
Children, have emotional characteristics that vary according to their ages. For instance, children having six years learn things by doing them. They prefer practicing of the deeds so that they may understand them better. In order to teach children, one needs to have few and simple instructions. Their minds cannot load many instructions because it has not developed fully. Children have a limited attention span and are easily distracted by the environment in which they are in. they also have an emotional attachment to the people around them, especially family members. At the ages of nine or ten, children have a high curiosity level and enjoy learning new things. For instance, when they see a car, they would like to know what is inside, what the wheels are made from, they even press the hoot, among others. They possess emotions and feelings which result from their expectations. For instance, if everything goes according to their plans and expectations, the joy in them will show (Manheimer 492). They will be delighted and share the success story more often. When they are happy, they expect other people around them to be happy as well. They get sad when other people refuse to share the joy they have. When plans of kids do not go as expected, they end up being sad and distressed. Sometimes they cry or feel depressed because of the failed expectation. Children learn to develop close attachments with their parents and other care-givers. They use the relationships as the secure base to explore things. They also know their names and use ‘my’ and ‘me’ more often. This is a sign of self-consciousness in the part of the children. For instance, when they break a glass they tend to hide behind a chair because of shame. Finally, children are keen observants of a person’s emotional reactions. For instance, they check their mother’s facial expression to determine whether they are sad or happy (Pierce 70).
Children also have mental characteristics that are evident in the way they act and behave. For instance, children are aware of other kids. They know how to differentiate between adults and other children. They also like exploring new objects with adults as the basis of instituting a good relationship. They at times make simple overtures to familiar children. For instance, when they spot another child at a store, they smile at them; they also may offer a toy, or even offer to hug the other child. When people around them are unhappy, they also show signs of distress such as crying when they see another child cry. When a conflict arises with an adult or another child, the child normally uses physical and emotional skills to defend themselves (Pierce 72). For instance, when one grabs their lollipop, they will scream at the same time try to take their lollipop back. However, when another adult comes in and resolve the issue, they always tend to calm down.
Children should be brought up in a certain way and manner. On order to educate them in a positive way, one should be aware of the uniqueness of every particular child. This uniqueness is a combination of temperament, strengths, upbringing, and weaknesses, of every child. When educating a group of children, it is important to understand the abilities and limitations of a certain age-group among the children. Understanding this helps to structure the content of a class in order to get maximum effectiveness and concentration. The ability of a child to respond is depended on the presentation style and technique. Educating them on the methods and media should be geared up to suit a certain type of age-group (Manheimer 494).
Parents play a significant role in the growth and development of a child. They determine whether a child will have a positive or a negative growth pattern. Therefore, the parents and the care-givers should give children a good environment which they can well transform from one age group to another.
Works Cited
Manheimer, Dean I., and Glen D. Mellinger. "Personality characteristics of the child accident repeater." Child Development (1967): 491-513.
Pierce, Mary Clyde, et al. "Bruising characteristics discriminating physical child abuse from accidental trauma." Pediatrics 125.1 (2010): 67-74.
