Unlike adults, young adolescents are still in a stage where their personality and core values are being formed. These kids are still discovering the things that motivate them, what makes them strong, and what weakens them at the same time. These strengths and weaknesses are usually determined and formed within the four walls of a school. As such, educators should be careful in handling young adolescents and be more invested in their development. Here are some key development areas that need to be guided and improved.
Social Interaction
As a child turns into a young adolescent, he or she gets to talk and be with other people. These people may be of the same age, or adults that are constantly monitoring him or her. Now, a young adolescent is not yet familiarized with how adults should talk and act. It is the role of an educator to ensure a young adolescent’s social interaction skills grows better each day. As they say, no man is an island and these young people must learn how to be with others in a proper manner.
Artistic Expression
Every child needs a way to express him or herself. In our world today, expressing our thoughts can just result to trouble if we do it the wrong way. Fortunately, young adolescents can turn to the arts when it comes to their expression of thoughts. There are several artistic fields young adolescents can turn to, such as painting, acting, photography, and music, among others. Educators must determine at an early age a child’s artistic strengths and preferences in order to hone their talent. This is important to develop one’s self-expression and confidence during a formative stage in life.
Physical Development
Along with the mind, an adolescent should also invest time in developing his or her physical condition. These days, there are a lot of diseases ravaging the world and one of the best ways to combat them is to develop a healthy body early in life. Physical improvement also increases a body’s resistance against fatigue and stress. As a result, productivity in all key aspects is also improved. This area of development must be honed through the help of sports and healthy competition.
Community
A child should always know that being a part of the whole is more important that it seems. Therefore, young adolescents should strive to grow as a member of a community by helping out in any way possible. This will instill a sense of purpose in a child, one that will teach him or her a lot of valuable lessons in leadership and humility.
Academics
Last, but not the least, is the area of academics. There is a wide array of studies in society and mastering basic academic subjects paves the way toward personal and professional success. The pursuit of academic studies also sharpens a child’s mind and helps develop useful research and problem-solving skills that are needed for adulthood. As such, parents should entrust the academic development of their children to professional, compassionate, and motivational educators should devote an ample amount of time in guiding these young adolescents in their academic subjects.