EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES HELPING THEM COPE WITH THE CHALLENGES.

Transitional time: leaving childhood behind. Their bodies and lives are changing. EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES

Mostly interested in the present: they live in an immediate, self-involved place. Their behavior can be confusing. It vacillates from being ‘mature’ to being ‘babyish’. EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES

They are searching for meaning in their lives. It is a very exploratory time of life. The child has a lot of interests. They are searching for meaning in their lives. School assignments are boring. EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES

May start engaging in risky behaviour such as experimenting with smoking, drinking and drugs and often brag about these things. EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES

Desire for independence. Need for peer rather than adult approval. Face challenges in organization. Lack motivation. EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES

COMMON CHALLENGES THAT TEENAGERS FACE Self-Esteem and Body Image  Bullying  Depression  Addiction to Social Media Drinking and Smoking  Peer-Pressure and Competition   EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES

AREAS IN WHICH THEY NEED HELP 1. Managing Face value among friends Spending time with friends Social media Hanging out/sleepovers Physical appearance; hair, clothes, accessories, shoes, etc. EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES

Playing musical instruments 3. Relationships 4. Friendships 2. Areas of interest Sports Singing/dancing Playing musical instruments 3. Relationships 4. Friendships EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES

HELPING THEM COPE

NEED FOR A PERSONAL TIMETABLE  Help the boy make and then facilitate a fairly regular timetable. Weekday timetable Weekend timetable Holiday timetable *Should be written and agreed upon EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES

THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN MAKING THE TIMETABLE Time to leave school. What to do when one gets home What activities are they engaged in We are a day school; Saturday is a crucial work day. EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES

Home/school timetable and activities Harmonize where possible. Mid-CAT and CAT weekends should not coincide with family activities e.g. outings, visits, father-son club, parties etc. EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES

SAMPLE WEEKDAY TIMETABLE MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY ??? TEA & FRESHEN UP 6:00 – 7:00 H/W 7:00 – 8:00 DINNER & FAMILY TIME 8:00 – 8:45 SST MATH 8:50 – 9:35 ENG SWA 9:40 – 10:25 CRE SCI 10:30pm SLEEP EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES

SAMPLE WEEKEND TIMETABLE SATURDAY SUNDAY 6:00am - 7:00am WAKE UP. BREAKFAST 7:05am – 8:45am MATH MASS & FAMILY TIME 8:55am – 9:35am SCI 9:45am – 10:25am SWA 10:35am – 11:15am SST 11:25am – 12:05pm ENG 12:05pm – 6:15pm WEEKEND ACTIVITIES/CHORES 6:15pm – 6:45pm CRE 7:00pm - 8:00pm DINNER & FAMILY TIME EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES

SAMPLE STUDY PLAN TOPIC SUB-TOPIC 1ST READING 2ND READING 3RD READING HUMAN BODY Teeth 4/1/17 Breathing Sys 6/1/17 Digestive Sys 8/1/17 Reproductive Sys 10/1/17 Physical changes at adolescence 12/1/17 Circulatory sys 14/1/17 HEALTH EDUCATION Meaning and cause of HIV and AIDS 20/1/17 EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES

SOCIAL LIFE A. Friends: Cultivate a genuine interest in their friends How much time is spent with friends? Age of friends - advise them to avoid having older friends EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES

Discourage ‘hanging out’ Policy on visits, sleepovers, etc Get to know the parents of their friends EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES

Facebook. Snapchat. Instagram. Amount of credit B. Mobile phone Phone policy Type of phone Days of use Internet access Facebook. Snapchat. Instagram. Amount of credit EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES

MONEY Typical sources Allowance Relatives Business -------------------------------------------------- How much has he got? How does he spend his money? EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES What is he doing in school and out of school? How much time is going into them? Agree on what marks he should maintain in order to continue with the activity/activities. EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES

ACADEMICS Track performance in the year so far in each subject and identify: Strong subjects (above 80%) Average subjects (60-79%) Weak subjects (below 60) EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES

WHAT IS HOLDING HIM BACK Does not study Does not do homework Does not write homework in the diary Takes long to learn concepts Does not copy notes Has gaps from earlier years Is distracted in class EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES

Decide with the teacher/tutor/your son: What needs to be done By whom it should be done How you are going to evaluate success Set targets for each subject with the boy The mark the boy should work towards What he needs to do to get the mark: small tasks every day/week EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES

What help he needs to achieve the targets What he needs to give up to achieve his targets Balance between sports, leisure, rest and academics EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES

Don’t go for a “quick fix”. Correct with facts not opinions As we help the boy: Don’t go for a “quick fix”. Correct with facts not opinions Opinion: “You are very lazy these days….” Fact: “You woke up at 10:00 o’clock this morning and only studied for 20 minutes.” EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES

Present a united fronted Spend quality time with them Don’t dwell too much on the future: he may never see it. Deal with the “now” Be consistent Present a united fronted Spend quality time with them Remember to have the ‘Man Talk’ EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES

Remember the developmental stage that your son is in. This project requires patience, tact and time! EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES

EARLY TEENS AND ITS CHALLENGES