“Transformative growth takes linear growth into account but goes a step further. It indicates that at certain critical points in an individual’s development, a transformation takes place, analogous to the caterpillar spinning a cocoon and emerging as a quite new creature…. There are points in life when we enter a cocoon- like womb, go through many changes, and emerge with a new form… One of these transformative stages of growth takes place around age seven.” Joan Almon
The natural development of the human being follows a pattern of consecutive and interconnected phases of developmental steps that happen in a specific order, and each one provides the foundation for the next developmental step. Some of the transitions between these phases stand out more than others, requiring additional understanding and support. During the first seven years of life, foundations are laid for later learning and development, including life-long physical, socio-emotional, intellectual, and spiritual growth.
The transition that manifests at the end of this period, before the ‘house’ begins to be built on the ‘foundations’, is one of the more significant. Early childhood – the “Golden Age” – can be seen as a time of dreaming. Perception of the world is taken in through the senses, and these perceptions are then expressed by means of imitation and developing imagination in play. Learning is thus implicit and will-based. An astonishing amount of physical development and coordination takes place during these years, and, of course, the beginnings of language, memory, and cognition. “Every year, when you are a child, you become a different person.” Alice Munro.
The child entering this transition awakens, as it were, to a whole new way of being in the world. Information about the environment is taken in not only through sense perception but also through abstract thought and reasoning. “The six year-old is in the process of bridging two worlds, leaving early childhood behind and beginning to take steps towards the world of the grade school, ready to learn about the world with a new and awakened awareness that it is a being flooded with picture imaginations.” Laurie Clark.
Cognitive development allows for (and even demands) explicit learning. While imagination remains a bridge between the inner and outer worlds, play is no longer imitative and active; it is more structured, even involving rules. The world is experienced in a new way. A six-year-old described it thus: “Mom, everything is different. You and Daddy are different. The trees look different. Even the cat is different now. And Mom, it’s just like I don’t even know how to play anymore.”
Ahead lie the possibilities offered by a new and exciting world, but at the same time, there is a sense of the loss of magic and wonder of the previous world. This, and all that it encompasses, is what we understand by the developmental transition of the six- to seven-year-old. The way this period of transition is experienced, as well as its timing and duration, will be influenced by the uniqueness of each child. The child may lose a sense of self and experience a period of insecurity until inner balance is re-established. Feelings of vulnerability or uncertainty are often expressed through various challenging behaviours such as emotional outbursts, increased dependency, and boredom. One six-year-old described her experience: “I know exactly what I am doing. Sort of. Mostly.”
To support the child through this transformation, we need to recognize and appreciate what is occurring. Then, with the warmth of acceptance and clear guidance, we can offer a safe haven from which the child can explore the boundaries and potentials of a new phase of development. Surrounding the child with patience and the love that comes from a deep understanding of child development gives the child the time they need to mature and consolidate the newly acquired physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive faculties, allowing each child to orient to the world in their own manner and at their own pace. “Whenever we force a developmental stage (such as a too early a start of academic learning) there is a danger that we interrupt the comprehensive, differential maturation process of the physical organism and thus potentially weaken the foundation of the child’s health.” Wolfgang Sassmannshausen.
Depending on their circumstances, children may go through this transition while in kindergarten (early childhood programs), in primary school, when moving from one class to another, or when moving into the next primary class. Whatever the case, the environment should remain as stable as possible, since consistency of both care and environment supports the child during vulnerable transition periods. “It is important to remember that while the environment and the toys have not changed, the child’s relationship to them has.” Freya Jaffke.
It is also important to ensure the basics of health are in place, such as adequate sleep, healthy, simple nutrition, and as much screen-free time as possible. Indeed, building a strong foundation for health on all levels of the child’s educational environment is essential. This includes:
- A consistent daily rhythm, to build security and confidence
- Healthy and appropriate sense impressions
- Nature experiences
- The opportunity for ongoing healthy social interactions
- Activities that support the burgeoning imagination
- Differentiated and free movement experience
- Ample time for self-initiated free play
“One of Rudolf Steiner’s most profound discoveries was the concept that the forces needed by the young child in his first phase of development [from birth to age 7] for building and sustaining his physical organization are the same forces that help him in the second phase [ages 7 -14] in building the forces for the powers of imagination and memory.” Rainier Patzlaff and Wolfgang Sassmannshausen.
It is our conviction that every child should be given the time to complete, in a healthy way, the essential developmental transition emerging from the first seven years. To this end, we have shared these thoughts on the six-to-seven-year-old transition in the hope that they will serve as a resource for contemplation, research, and practice. Further observation and study, given their due process and time, will enable the adult to find creative solutions that allow the child time to mature and consolidate within the particular school setting. When all of us entrusted with the care of the child share a deeper understanding of this transitional period, we will be able to stand together, like a protective embrace, reaching out to the six- and seven-year-olds everywhere.
The Council of IASWECE, October 2025