Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education & Committee on Child Development Research and Public Policy 
Development During Middle Childhood [PDF ebook] 
The Years From Six to Twelve

For the first time, a report focuses specifically on middle childhooda discrete, pivotal period of development. In this review of research, experts examine the physical health and cognitive development of 6- to 12-year-old children as well as their surroundings: school and home environment, ecocultural setting, and family and peer relationships.