6–7 years old: Emotional development

Emotional development allows children to understand, express, and manage their emotions as they grow. Children also develop the ability to recognize and interpret the emotions of others, which helps them build relationships with those around them.

Emotional development: 6–7years old

At this age:

• Your child is able to use their words to express dissatisfaction, anger, or sadness. They can also describe situations affecting their emotions.
• They understand and find it easier to express complex emotions such as pride, guilt, and shame.
• They are learning about ambivalence. That means they understand that we can sometimes feel a range of emotions about a single situation, such as excitement and fear at the idea of going down a big slide.
• They can tolerate waiting for longer periods before their requests are answered.

• Your child is becoming more aware of social norms. Accordingly, they’ll show or hide certain emotions depending on what is accepted by their friends or others in their immediate environment.
• They see themself as a unique individual and are becoming more aware of their place in the world. They know what they like and what they don’t like and aren’t afraid to let you know about it.
• They compare themself to other children their age. Since their self-esteem is still fragile, they may be self-critical or get discouraged if they feel they’re not as good as other children at performing a particular task or activity.
• They know and understand the rules but like to test certain boundaries and may present careful arguments when faced with a refusal.
• Your child is becoming more competitive. They may react strongly to successes as much as failures.
• The notions of right and wrong are becoming clearer to them, and they understand the consequences of their actions, whether positive or negative. They also understand what lying means and how their actions impact others.
• It can still be difficult for them to make choices that will impact their future because they’re not always able to evaluate the repercussions of their actions.

Little by little, your child is beginning to do the following:

• Use more complex strategies to cope with emotional situations.
• Become aware that events from the past can trigger an emotional reaction. For example, they can understand that their friend might be crying is because their father left for a one-week business trip.
• Adjust their emotional reactions to outside expectations to ensure they’ll be accepted by a group of friends.
• Be more self-critical; they can see what they did right or wrong in a situation, with the help of an adult.
• Be less self-centred and enjoy making others happy with kind words and acts of kindness.
• See the positive effects their actions have on others.

How can you help your child progress?

Your child is unique and will develop at their own pace. They have strengths and weaknesses and are becoming increasingly self-aware. You can support your child’s emotional development with these simple everyday actions:

Scientific review: Chloé Gaumont, M.Sc., psychoeducator Research and copywriting: The Naître et grandir team Updated: January 2022

Photo: GettyImages/Ridofranz