PEPSI Screening Project 1

PEPSI Screening Project

Mary San Pedro

College of Southern Nevada

PEPSI Screening Project 2

Abstract

This paper is created to study the Physical, Emotional, Philosophical, Social, and Intellectual

Development of Zachary compared to an average normal 6-year-old. Data will be gathered

through numerous observations, looking at the child as a whole. This paper is solely dedicated to

understanding Zacharry as a whole and provide suggestions to encourage good behavior at the

same time prohibiting occurrence of unfavorable ones.

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Biography

Zacharry is a six year old boy. He is 3 feet and 10 inches tall and weighs 61 pounds. He

goes to school Mondays thru Fridays at a Catholic School. Zacharry is an intelligent kid. He gets

good grades in school, one of the reason why his mom spoils him a lot. His mom works all day

while his dad goes to school. Both of his parents are busy. Zacharry spends his day at school and

the rest of the day with his grandma. Zacharry is the oldest of two siblings. He has a three year

old brother. Zacharry at a very early age is fond of computer games. He spends most of his time

in front of the computer for six to eight hours a day. Zacharry barely goes out to play because he

likes to stay indoors and play video games.

Physical Development

Zacharry is a 6-year-old boy. He is 3 feet and 10 inches tall and weighs 61 pounds.

Compared to a normal 6-year-old he is obese. He is under the 99th percentile categorizing him as

obese. A normal healthy child has a BMI under the 5th to 85th percentile. He is beyond that

percentile range. According to the Center for Disease and Control Prevention’s BMI calculator

he ‘has a BMI that is very far from the healthy weight range’. Under the BMI calculated by the

CDC was an explanation of what having an obese child meant. Children who are obese at a

young age are more likely to become obese as they age. According to the Nationwide Children’s

website, children who are obese at 6 have a 50% chance of becoming obese at the age of 35.

Making these children at risk for health complications such as hypertension, high blood pressure,

and diabetes. Thus, it is important that necessary measures be taken and given out to maintain

good health.
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There are many articles linking childhood obesity and technology. Studies have shown

that children who live a sedentary lifestyle are most likely to become overweight and obese due

to their lack of physical activity. “The childhood obesity epidemic has been reported to be

influenced by children’s inactivity and their increased use of cell phones, TV, and video games”

(Jamruk, 2017, p. 175). Zacharry is a good example of this theory. He spends more than three to

four hours a day in front of the television or the computer. “The U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services recommends 60 minutes of activity for children and adolescents per day”

(Jamruk, 2017, p. 178). He is at school for half a day and when he gets home he immediately

turns the television on to watch or runs to the computer to play games. He has little physical

activity. For that reason, his parents decided to enroll him in a Taekwondo class. He has

Taekwondo classes on Mondays and Wednesdays for half an hour. He resents his Taekwondo

classes, claiming it a waste of time. As a result, he makes excuses so he can skip classes.

Another reason that could contribute to Zacharry's weight problem is the food he

consumes. He does not eat a variety of food. He barely and rarely eats fruit and vegetables. A

constant in his diet is pizza, chicken nuggets, cheeseburgers, mac and cheese, eggs, and milk. For

example, for breakfast, he eats rice with eggs and ketchup. Then for lunch, he eats at the school

cafeteria. He buys either chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, ice cream, cheeseburgers or pizza.

For snacks or dinner, he would only eat one of the items mentioned above. Despite constant

efforts of her parents, grandmother and aunts, he still continues to have the same diet patterns.

“The normal diet of children comprises of processed foods like biscuits, sandwiches, and noodles

[...] excess of refined foods and trans-fat in children’s diet harms their physical development at

an early age” (Sharma, 2017). Regardless, children should be encouraged to eat healthily.
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Zacharry, like any other six years old, can ride a bike with training wheels. He can also

maneuver a scooter. He has good balance and can even circle around the street. He enjoys

playing and running around with other children. He has good large motor skills and has poor fine

motor skills. He cannot tie a shoelace hence the velcro and slip on shoes. Zacharry has recently

lost two of his baby teeth. He actually ate both of them. He was eating pizza while he lost the

first one and the second one was just gone when he woke up. At this age, ‘baby teeth [...] start to

fall out in replacement of permanent teeth’ (Brennan, 2017). These are some of the few

milestones he currently has.

Emotional Development

Zacharry loves playing games. He constantly asks to play board games with either his

parents, uncle, aunt or grandmother. Before every game, he would always say, ‘I’m going to
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win’. He is very competitive and constantly wants to win. “​Winning is very important for

children because doing well often helps them to feel important in their group” (Women and

Children’s Health Network, 2018). When I asked Zacharry’s parents about his behavior, they

told me that he has been this way ever since the parents could remember. They could not tell me

why and when it started it just did. One parent told me that they have been telling him that it is

okay if he does not win every game, but the child still insists that he has to win. Based on my

observation, Zacharry has associated winning to being loved and adored, hence the constant need

to win. Along with winning, he wants to be constantly first. According to Parent Further, most

children at this age want to be first along with all the attention.

According to Snowman and McCown, [children] are sensitive to criticism and ridicule

and may have difficulty adjusting to failure. Zacharry, like any other 6-year-old, is sensitive to

criticisms. He does not take criticisms lightly. For example, he was drawing a skeleton and

someone told him it did not look anything like a skeleton. He stopped drawing, crumpled the

paper and walked out. He was upset because he thought his drawing was not good enough.

Young children constantly seek approval and praise, they like to be noticed. More so, praised by

peers, parents, or teachers. They constantly seek recognition because it makes them feel good

about themselves.

When Zacharry is upset you would often hear him scream or hit himself. His parents

alongside his aunt and uncle have told him not to hit himself or scream, instead use his words

and tell them what upsets him. He has not yet learned how to express himself thus the screaming

and hitting. One of the few reasons that make him upset is when they ask him to stop playing and

or watching with either his iPad or computer. They give him warnings when he has reached his
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limit. More often they give him five to ten-minute extensions. Yet despite all these, he still

throws a fit. His grandmother does not like him playing in front of the computer. She often asks

him to do something else if she sees him play. According to his grandmother, long hours in front

of the computer is bad for your eyes and health. It strains your eyes and also it inhibits you to

move because you’re on a chair.

Zacharry’s mom considers him a chatterbox. He has a tendency to talk for a couple of

hours when he is interested in a topic or more often when he is bored. He creates stories out of

nowhere. Also, he is one curious little kid who has a lot of questions about everything. He

constantly wants to know. Also, he gets bored easily. He has to be constantly doing something,

may it be watching on the TV or playing on the computer. If not, he will start fidgeting by

moving his feet or hands.

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Philosophical Development

Zacharry, like any other 6-year-old, has the constant ideal to win in every game. Each

game he does not win, he cries and throws a fit. More often than not he knows when he’s about

to lose, thus resulting him to change the rules and turn it to his favor. He is a clever boy because

he bends and twists it making sure he outsmarts his opponent and he ends up winning. More

often he would cheat just to win. He would point and direct you to which item you should move

or do. According to the Snowman and McCown, [young children] are sensitive to criticism and

ridicule and may have difficulty adjusting to failure. Hence, the need to always win at games or

be ‘first’ on absolutely everything. As a result, the children’s self-esteem and self-confidence

greatly increase. They think of themselves highly as opposed to feeling inferior.

Lying is likely common at this stage. Children frequently lie to get attention. According

to Lee, school-aged children are likely to lie [...] whether they are trying to present themselves in

a better light, [...] or lying to avoid getting in trouble. Zacharry, on another hand, barely lies. He

would lie occasionally for one thing, that would be doing his homework. He hates doing

homework. As much as he can, he tries to get away with it. More often he would say he did his

homework just so he can play. According to his mom, he lied a couple of times and because of

that they made a rule that he cannot play if he did not finish his homework and to ensure that he

actually did his homework, he needs a grown-up to check his work.

During my observation, Zacharry’s mom asked him to get off the computer, go

downstairs and eat. He refused, saying that he cannot because he is playing and a game and it

cannot be paused. His mom asked him three times to go down and eat, still, Zacharry responded

no. Her mom stopped asking him after the third time. She just let it go. Then his dad called him,
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he immediately got up and went down. From this scenario, I firmly believe that Zacharry knows

that he has power over his mom, or favors him at least. He would not throw a fit or reason to his

dad but he would towards his mom. I asked his grandma about this, and she said that Zacharry

has always been afraid of his dad. He knows he cannot reason to him but he can towards his

mom. According to his grandma, whenever Zacharry wants something he turns to his mom

because he knows he is going to get it.

Rules and consequences keep parents, caregivers, and the like sane. They help keep a

harmonious environment favorable for both child and adult. Children at the age of six are

becoming aware of the rules around their homes and school. They have developed an

understanding that rules are meant to be followed. They might not agree with all these rules,

resulting to a deal or compromise. In Zacharry’s case, his parents create rules as they go along.

Some of the rules they have are: he has to look out for his brother, he cannot go running when

they are outside or else he would get lost, he has to do homework before playing. These rules are

always frowned upon. He does not listen. According to Zacharry’s mom, he has developed

selective hearing. Mainly for one reason, he only listens to what he wants to hear. As a result, he

and his mom always create deals favorable to both. According to Crouch, strike a deal to

encourage the behavior you want and give them a little pleasure of their own. Children are

clever, they will outsmart you most of the time. For that reason, you should always be one step

ahead of your game if you want to encourage a behavior.

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Social Development

Zacharry, unlike an average 6-year-old, does not have a problem being social. He likes

hanging out with peers or people in general. Zacharry knows how to express himself, an

important tool in being social. He also enjoys hanging out and playing with children his age.

According to Chant, children at age six like to hangout with peers and prefer children of the

same gender. The first part of the statement is applicable to Zacharry but not the second. He does

not have preferences. He hangs out with whoever is available or whoever is there. Based on my

observation he is a people person, for one reason: he likes to entertain. When people come over

to their house, Zacharry would always give them a tour. He would even take them upstairs inside

each room’s closet. Afterwards, he would ask them to play with him while showing his toys.
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Zacharry being the oldest of two has been given the responsibility to share and take care

of his younger brother. According to his parents, he has been a good older brother. He shares his

food and at times shares his toys. Sharing his toys was not always easy. He constantly asks, “why

do I have to share?” and his mother would respond, “it’s because your older and you do not want

him crying, don’t you?”. He makes a face and his mom responds, “you can have this toy instead,

I will give the toy to you after your brother is done playing with it or if he puts it down”.

‘Sharing is common at this age [...] ​Conflicts can develop, but they can also negotiate to find

happiness (Vollmer, 2018). He has also started to make friends and even has a best friend. He

plays mostly with boys of his age. Although Zacharry is a little soft and gentle, he gets pushed

around more often than not.

Everyone has a friend and at the age of six, children are starting to identify who they

want to be friends with. They have chosen which classmate or neighbor to hang out with. “[They

identify close friends on the basis of proximity and frequency of interaction” (PBS Parents). As a

result, whoever they see often and whoever they have in common with is their best friend.

Zacharry at this point knows which classmate he wants to hang with and which relative he likes

around. Last school year he had Chase as his best friend. This year, Chase was transferred to

another class. Now, he has a new best friend, Robert. Children become somewhat more selective

in their choice of friends and are likely to have a more or less permanent best friend (Snowman

and McCown, 2012, p. 85). Hence, Zacharry’s switch from having Chase to Robert as his best

friend. At this age, children have a broad knowledge of friendship. All they know is if they like

the same thing and see each other almost every day automatically makes them the best of friends.
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According to his mom, Zacharry is slowly understanding that he needs to respect the

feelings and personal space of the people around him. They had this small talk a couple of weeks

back when he unintentionally hurt her aunt. He was throwing a fit and threw the toy which

accidentally hit his aunt. His mom was furious, mainly because he was not listening and trying to

make things his way. The tension grew which resulted in a timeout and a mini talk. Moving

forward, whenever he threw a fit and did not listen, they tell him that they are sad because he no

longer listens; which results to a guilty Zacharry and leads him to stop whatever he’s doing and

pay attention. After which he then approaches the adult, and later on apologizes for not listening.

Zacharry has always had trouble apologizing. If an adult does not make him apologize, he

would not. He is full of pride. His mom was telling me a story. One time Zacharry accidentally

hit his mom with his toy. The mom told him about it and he just said oops and walked away. He

did not feel a slightest guilt. He just rubbed it off and went on his day. I suppose this is typical to

most 6-year-olds.
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Intellectual Development

At this age “primary grade children begin to understand that learning and recall are

caused by particular cognitive processes that they can control” (Snowman and McCown, 2012, p.

87). Their learning and memories are triggered when prompted by someone or something. For

example, last week Zacharry learned about the Mesopotamia era. His teacher read them a story,

showed them pictures and had them write their names in hieroglyphics. After a few days, his

mom asked him about school. She asked if he learned something new. He mentioned the

Mesopotamia era and how there are no woman pharaoh except for one. His mom then asked,

why. He said he cannot remember but he knew another pharaoh named King Tut who was 19

when he died. Also, he mentioned how their bodies were wrapped in tissue paper, like cloth. He
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was giving out information one after the other with few prompts by his mom. I can safely say

that he knew more than he thought he would.

Zacharry is a smart kid. I could safely this because he got all A’s in his report card. He is

also a scholarship awardee also known as first honor. When Zach is asked if he likes school, he

would say no. One reason is because when the teacher asks an answer from the class, he would

raise his hand but the teacher would not call him. He is frustrated because he does not

understand. His mom asked about it, and he simply said, “the teacher did not want to call me. I

was the only one raising my hand”. His mom asked why he was not called. He said “I do not

know. Nobody knew the answer but me”. His mom replied, “maybe she wants to give your

classmates a chance to answer and figure things out”. He just gave his mom a look and walked

away. According to his mom, this happens most of the time in school. He is very advanced for

his age. Most children at this age is just starting to “understand the concept of 10” (Motts

Children Hospital). Zacharry’s class is more advanced. They are now adding and subtracting one

digit numbers. He on the other hand, is already adding and subtracting two digit numbers.

Zacharry is a smart and intelligent kid. His grades are enough proof of that. He constantly

does well in class knowing that he will get a reward from his mom. Nonetheless, he is eager to

learn and try new things. He is particularly interested in planets and creating experiments. As a

result, he plays and mixes ingredients hoping to achieve a new substance. Recently, he took a

bunch of raisins placed it a cup full of water in hopes of creating grapes. I have learned that ‘​kids

[at this stage] are getting more and more independent from their parents’ (Brennan, 2017).

Zacharry’s parents let him do things for himself. Now he knows how to feed himself, dress, grab

water from the dispenser and whole lot more. More importantly, he is given the power to choose.
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Zacharry is fond of watching videos online. These videos that are both fun and

educational. Currently, he has been interested in watching experimental videos. The people from

the videos are mixing items particularly chemicals to produce a reaction. Because of this,

Zacharry has been mixing all sorts of liquid trying to mimic the videos. One time, he took raisins

from the pantry, placed it on a cup and put water. He was hoping to turn the raisins into grapes.

He says that if you submerge raisins in water over time it will turn into grapes because he saw a

video wherein they submerged an item in water it formed a new product. His grandma laughed

when she heard this. Children at this age “develop both abstract and reasoning skills”

(GreatSchools Staff). They start to think logically and makes sense of it all.
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Conclusion

Physical, Zacharry has to exercise because based on his BMI he is overweight. Being

overweight can lead to a lot of diseases as he grows. Therefore, he has to exert more of his time

either outside or inside playing. He should spend less of his time playing with the computer. His

parents should set a time limit on the number of hours Zacharry can play with the computer and

watch television. This will create boundaries and instill discipline. Also, his parents and

guardians should model and encourage him to eat healthily.

Emotional, Zacharry like any young child keep their feelings and emotions towards

themselves. This is quite alarming because this can eventually lead to depression and anxiety.

His parents and guardians should constantly communicate with him. However, he would only do

so if he feels safe. His parents and guardians should be able to create such environment. Also,

when he plays the computer, his parents should be firm when the time is up. It is because giving

him extensions will just reinforce the bad behavior.

Philosophical, Zacharry’s parents should let him know that he does not get his way all the

time. There are rules he needs to follow. Also, they should model good listening behavior. Along

with this, if they impose rules they should be able to follow through. They cannot bend these

rules, more so allow Zacharry to bend them. They should be firm in their decision.

Social, Zacharry is friendly, he gets along with others most of the time. His parents just

needs to explain and tell him about the dangers of talking to people he does not know. Also, talk

to him and explain why he needs to be considerate of others. This will help him slowly

understand another person’s feelings and perspective.

PEPSI Screening Project 17

Intellectual, Zacharry is a very smart and intelligent young boy. His parents should

supplement these with appropriate tools such as books and the likes to further enhance his

knowledge and skills. They should encourage the behavior of learning new things this will help

enhance his interest. Although, parents should be careful in pushing their child to learn and do

more; too much encouragement can create a negative feeling towards the child. He might feel

pressure instead of self-fulfilment or enjoyment.

All the recommendations have been discussed with the parents. They have been in denial

with soem of Zacharry’s bad habits. They still feel that watching videos and playing video games

is normal for a young boy, although his grandma thinks otherwise.

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Works Cited

Physical Development

Centers for Disease and Control Prevention, 22 Oct. 2018,

https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/bmi/result.html?&method=english&gender=m&age_

y=6&age_m=4&hinches=3.10&twp=61. Accessed 31 Oct. 2018.

Jamruk, Kate. “The Weight Game: Fighting Childhood Obesity with Childhood Video

Technology.” ​Journal of Legal Medicine​, vol. 37, no. 1/2, Jan. 2017, pp. 175–194.

EBSCOhost​, doi:10.1080/01947648.2017.1303409.

Sharma, Kalpana. “Entertainment Times”, Times of India, 15 Nov. 2017,

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/diet/diet-plan-here-is-what-yo

ur-kid-should-eat/articleshow/51559475.cms. Accessed 31 Oct. 2018.

Emotional Development

“Ages 6 - 9: Developmental Overview”, Parent Further,

https://www.parentfurther.com/content/ages-6-9-developmental-overview. Accessed 14

Nov. 2018.

“Winning, losing and cheating - children”, Women’s and Children’s Health Network, 1 Feb.

2018,

http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=114&np=122&id=1852.

Accessed 31 Oct. 2018.

Snowman, Jack and McCown, Rick. Psychology Applied to Teaching. Cengage Learning, 2012.
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Philosophical

Crouch, Michelle. “That’s Enough! Four Ways to Discipline Ungrateful Children.” Parents.

https://www.parents.com/kids/development/behavioral/acting-out-when-company-comes/

. Accessed 14 Nov. 2018.

Lee, Katherine. “School-Aged Kids Discipline: Strategies and Challenges.” Very Well Family, 8

Nov. 2018.

https://www.verywellfamily.com/discipline-strategies-for-school-age-kids-620099.

Accessed 14 Nov. 2018.

Snowman, Jack and McCown, Rick. Psychology Applied to Teaching. Cengage Learning, 2012.

Social

Chant, Ruthie. “Developmental Milestones 6 -7-year-olds.” Starskills.

https://starskills.com.au/developmental-milestones-6-7-year-olds/. Accessed 15 Nov.

2018.

“Child Development Tracker.” PBS Parents.

http://www.pbs.org/parents/childdevelopmenttracker/six/socialandemotionalgrowth.html.

Accessed 15 Nov. 2018.

Vollmer, Shirah. “The Rule Loving Six Year Old.” Psychology Today. 2018.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/learning-play/200912/the-rule-loving-six-year

-old.

Snowman, Jack and McCown, Rick. Psychology Applied to Teaching. Cengage Learning, 2012.
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Intellectual

Brennan, Dan. “Your Child at 6: Milestones”, WebMD, 16 Apr. 2017,

https://www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/child-at-6-milestones#1. Accessed by 31 Oct

2018.

“Milestones for 6-year-olds.” CS Mott Children’s Hospital, 28 Mar. 2018,

https://www.mottchildren.org/health-library/ue5723. Accessed 15 Nov. 2018.

Snowman, Jack and McCown, Rick. Psychology Applied to Teaching. Cengage Learning, 2012.