Caring for Your Teens (14 – 18)

Developmental characteristics:

• Concerned about body and appearance
• Highly developed motor skills
• Worry about clumsiness, illness and diet
• Think abstractly
• Learn by doing
• Less influenced by parents, more influenced by peers
• Need and demand more freedom and privacy
• Mask true feelings
• Need praise and adult recognition
• Admire heroes that demonstrate characteristics of friendship and romance
• Recognize diversity of idea

Supporting actions and activities:

• Presentations that involve appearance and projects that involve physical heroes
• Opportunities to discuss and address physical risk, including physical heroism, smoking, drugs, drinking, and sexual activity
• Opportunities to tutor younger children
• Opportunities to show competence in a public setting
• Teamwork on projects in small and large groups as well as individually
• Substantial choice with clear limits
• Opportunities to express feelings through projects and activities
• One-on-one opportunities to talk with adults
• Loud and quiet areas and activities
• Discussions of diverse ideas and opinions with adults and peers
• Specific help with skill areas that are causing problems
• Opportunities to catch up or move ahead with academic interests
• Opportunities to work on school day projects an papers with library and Internet support
• Problem-solving and reasoning skills practice