Good question! As parents and carers we’d love to know. Well, there has been much research in this area and we now know more about how our children’s personalities are developing.
There are 3 major personality development phases for children.
The first is from birth to around 7 years old. This is the known as the imprinting phase. During these early years our children’s brains lay down the neural pathways which will serve them throughout their lives. This development is shaped by their early years experiences, which in turn form the basic building blocks of their core values, behaviours and personality.
They are learning all of the time, watching, hearing and copying all of the interactions and behaviours going on around them, especially with those people most special to them. That is why you’ll often see your little ones mirroring back what you do or say (whether you like it or not!!).
The next phase, from 7-14 years, is called the modelling phase. Our children’s focus begins to move away from the few closest people in their lives, to a wider group including their friends, teachers, superheros characters, celebrities seen on the TV, ipad, football pitch etc…..They copy and learn from a wider group as they experiment with and develop their personalities. This may explain why your darling child starts to develop the characteristics of Darth Vader, a hard core Rapper or a One Direction groupie!
The final phase of personality development in children is from 14-21 years, the socialisation phase. The focus now increasingly switches to ensuring that they fit into their chosen social groups, expressing themselves and their personality through these choices. Children spend a lot of time comparing themselves (and competing with) friends to ensure they measure up, fearing rejection from the group if they don’t. Combined with hormone changes, this phase can be a challenge for everyone. As parents and carers, we watch from a distance hoping we’ve done our job well enough that our children will transform into happy and well balanced adults…..
At Rock & Rain we recognise the key development personality phases in childhood and want to provide you with products which help to give early years children opportunities to learn and develop flexibly and with confidence, through creative adventurous play, inside or outside.