|
Developmental Milestones
- Increase vocabulary to 40,000 words (nearly double from ages
8-9)
- Choose friends based on common interests, rather than parent
selection
- Begin the process of sexual maturation, both physically and
emotionally
- Become more interested in community goals — service to
others
What's on Their Minds
- Classify or categorize each other, such as "smart,"
"sporty," "nerdy," etc.
- Consider dating, particularly in groups
- Become conscious and deliberate in their choice of fashion
— try to develop a style
- Want to "fit in"
- Feel misunderstood by adults, especially parents
- Believe achievement (in athletics, academics, arts) becomes
increasingly important
- Increase their awareness of popular culture and its clashes
with parental values
Building Parent-Child Relationships
- Set boundaries that respect the strengths of adolescents
- Acknowledge and talk honestly about sexual feelings, pressures,
and misconceptions. Talk openly about the value of sexual abstinence
and other healthy choices
- Balance the peer pressure by continuing to express pride in
your adolescent, spending time with your adolescent and his or
her friends
- Reserve time for special activities with your adolescent
- Acknowledge and talk honestly about alcohol and other drug
use
- Encourage healthy risk-taking, especially in athletic, artistic,
and academic domains
Maximize the Camp Experience
- Include your adolescent in all important decisions about camp
- Allow child to assume responsibility for camp preparation (e.g.,
help to shop for necessities, help to pack, help to complete registration
forms)
- Select a camp that builds on your adolescent's individual strengths
- Consider a camp that concentrates on this age group
- Arrange some practice time away from home in the months before
camp starts
Read More
Top of page |
Early
Adolescence — Ages 11 to 13
