COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF ELEVEN YEAR OLDS

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Ø     Moody, self-absorbed

Ø     Easily embarrassed; need to “save face” in front of peers

Ø     Sensitive about their changing bodies

Ø     Need lots of time to talk with peers

Ø     Common age for girls to form cliques

Ø     Worry about who’s “in” and who’s “out”

Ø     Like to challenge rules, argue, and test limits

Ø     Need adult empathy, humor, and light attitude to help them take things less seriously

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Ø     Can think abstractly-for example, more able to understand ideas such as “justice”

Ø     Beginning to challenge adult explanations and their own assumptions

Ø     Would rather learn new skills than review or improve previous work

Ø     Enjoy using their developing thinking skills to do brain teasers and puzzles

Ø     Like “adult” tasks (researching, interviewing, footnoting, etc.) and “adult” studies (history, biography), though may outwardly fuss while secretly enjoying the work

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Ø     Restless and very energetic

Ø     Need lots of food, physical activity, and sleep

Ø     Growth spurt for many girls; some begin menstruating

Ø     “Growing pains” (bone outgrowing muscle) may cause nightly aches and daily complaints

Ø     More colds, ear infections, flu, etc.