Child Development - The 11 Year Old

11 year-olds*

Physical ►

restless and very energetic
needs lots of food, physical activity, and sleep
experiences more colds, flu, ear infections, etc.
many girls experience an early adolescent growth spurt and sexual maturation; some boys begin rapidly growing taller
may complain of headaches (as a result, will read only for short periods of time)

Social- Emotional ►

moody, self-absorbed, and sensitive
likes to challenge rules, argue, and test limits; may be cruel; sometimes physically aggressive
worries more about who's "in" and who's "out" than when they were younger
needs lots of time to talk with peers; heavy users of the phone, cell phone, instant messaging and email
impulsive - often talk before thinking
often behaves best when away from home
has trouble making decisions
needs adult empathy, humor, and sensitivity to help them cope with their rapidly changing minds and bodies
loves the challenge of competition
"saving face" is important

Language ►

Cognitive ►

would rather learn new skills than review or improve previous work
becoming more adept at abstract thinking - for example, they can understand ideas such as "justice"
with improving reasoning skill, they can establish and modify rules and develop hypotheses
increasingly able to see the world from various perspectives
needs help with time-management and homework skills

*Yardsticks, by Chip Wood, 3rd Edition

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