Nurturing

Understand the stages of youth development. Learn how adults can help young people gain confidence through positive reinforcement. Understand how setting goals can help young people grow. Objectives

In a poll entitled “What Matters Most,” Newsweek asked 506 parents with children ages 0-3 what their most important goal was as a parent. Forty-eight percent of the parents who responded said they wanted their children to grow up with high moral values. (McDaniel, 1998)

Children learn good morals early in life. As society becomes more complex, it becomes harder to teach good character traits to young people. 4-H and FFA focus on character education. The Six Pillars of Character are fundamentals of character development. – Trustworthiness– Fairness – Respect– Caring – Responsibility– Citizenship Why is character education important?

Erik Erikson’s eight stages of youth development describe how individuals develop their personalities in different stages of life. Success is determined by how well one progresses through the stages of development. Physical, emotional and intellectual growth vary at different stages of development. The more adults understand about youth development the better character education they can provide. The Stages of Youth Development

Oral – Sensory Muscular Locomotor Latency Adolescence Young Adulthood Middle Adulthood Maturity Erikson’s Stages of Development

Age – 1 to 1 ½ years Adult roles –Gain trust from individual –Provide a loving and safe environment –Mother is typically the most important in a child’s life –Help the child feel safe in his/her environment Oral - Sensory

Age – 1 ½ to 4 years Adult roles –Provide a balance of freedom and protectiveness –Support children as they experience trial and error in activities –Be firm but tolerant so the child will develop self-control and self-esteem Muscular

Age – 4 to 6 years Adult roles –Support initiative and exploration –Allow children to use imagination and avoid an excess of formal education –Help children learn they are no longer babies, but are growing up Locomotor

Age – 6 to 12 years Adult roles –Keep a balance between letting kids be kids and providing formal education –Help children begin to “tame the imagination” –Encourage children to keep trying regardless of their success –Social sphere becomes much broader –All people in a child’s life have an influence –4-H can begin at this age Latency

Age – 12 to 18 years Adult roles –Be a good role model –Gain young person’s respect –Provide information about career options –Society plays a big role in a child’s life –Teach good character traits Adolescence

Age – 20s Adult roles –Encourage teamwork –Support cultural and gender differences –Encourage involvement with friends and the community –Help young adults weigh decisions based on the effect on society Young Adulthood

Age – 20 to 50 years Adult roles –Role reversal begins as young adults start their own families –Help others at each stage of development –Be a mentor and role model Middle Adulthood

Age – 50 + years Adult roles –Share wisdom with young adults and children –Be a mentor –Grandparents can give excellent support to grandchildren Maturity

Never Stop Learning We sometimes forget about the why’s and just concentrate on the how’s! Teaching young people why they should do something a certain way gives them a better understanding of how to do it.

Positive reinforcement encourages continued behavior by offering attractive consequences (rewards) for desirable performance. It is very effective in helping young people progress through the stages of development. Successful character education does not depend solely on giving rewards to promote good behavior. Building Confidence Through Positive Reinforcement

Emphasize the positive first, then talk about things that can be improved. Examples: –Chris, you set up the back legs of your steer very well, but the front legs could be a little more square. –Jenny, you swept up the aisles in the barn well, but the pens could use some more cleaning. –Christy, your showmanship skills have improved greatly, but there are still a few things we can work on to make them better. Proper Use of Positive Reinforcement

Goal - the result or achievement toward which effort is directed Goal statements are written by individuals, 4-H clubs and FFA organizations. Goals should be –Specific –Challenging –Attainable –Committed to by the individual Goals must be written down! Goal Setting

Adults should: give feedback to help young people write goal statements help young people develop a vision for what they wish to accomplish help young people identify their strengths and weaknesses have the following traits –Respect (Let young people set their own goals.) –Patience (Give them time to make decisions.) –Encouragement (Support their decisions and recognize their initiative.) Goal Setting (continued)

Setting goals –increases attention to the immediate task –increases the effort expended on activities –increases persistence because there is less temptation to quit once a goal has been clearly established –increases motivation and performance by encouraging the development of specific task strategies Goal Setting (continued)

Understand Erikson’s Stages of Development. Be able to identify the stages people are in. Never stop learning. Use positive reinforcement to teach young people. Writing goal statements is an important part of youth development. Goals statements should be: –Specific –Challenging –Attainable –Committed to by the individual –Written down Summary