A lot of changes occur during a person’s adolescent years, and while some parents dread the time that their young kids will grow up and start making decisions on their own, a parent’s role is never done. Adolescents need the guidance of parents and good role models to develop into healthy adults. Teen adolescence is a time for rapid and immense cognitive development.
Piaget and Teen Studies
Piaget did extensive studies on infants, young children, and adolescents. He observed that the early teen years is a time when individuals think more abstractedly and less egocentrically. Teens begin to strengthen their reasoning skills and gain a wider perspective on life and the world around them. Deemed by Piaget as the formal operational stage, individuals in this period begin to sharpen their deductive reasoning and ability to solve problems using logic. Piaget described that thinking abilities grow in specific areas.
Attention
Teens begin to fine tune their attention, able to pay greater attention to particular things while tuning others out. Such an improvement on attention can make a teen a better reader, builder, musician, etc. Such a time invites parents to encourage teens to explore hobbies and interests, especially those that require a graduation of skills, such as martial arts.
Memory
Teens improve their working, or short-term memory, as well as their long-term memory. Encourage teens to develop study skills that help further develop both kinds of memory. For example, you can suggest they create study cards to help remember what they just studied and to later use the cards to review for a unit test or final exam at the end of the year. Developing good study skills can help them do well on the PARCC tests, which assess a teen’s readiness for college and a future career.
Processing Speed
Adolescents can think quicker as compared to their younger years, which makes it easier to solve a variety of problems in and out of school. Teens are able to gather information at a quicker pace to solve issues and to come to conclusions about puzzles, friends, family, sports, etc. Have teens play timed trivia games, such as Jeopardy, or games that require a combination of logic and speed such as chess.
Metacognition
Teens begin to grow aware of the evolution of thinking itself, and can trace their evolution of thought from their younger years. Such a self awareness can help them recognize their strengths and weaknesses in school. Talk to your teens about classes they like and dislike in addition to types of work that is challenging and other varieties that they find to be easier to complete. Doing so can help them become more aware of how to master particular skills and strengthen others.
Wisdom
A self aware person never stops accumulating wisdom throughout life. In the teen years, people begin to recognize ‘patterns’ or scenarios, and use prior experiences or the advice of others in order to make good choices. Encourage your teen to write in a journal or diary and record events taking place in their life. They may use it to reflect and gain greater perspective. It may also help them evolve and never make the same mistake twice, which are marks of wisdom.
Bio: Sam Lewis is an educator who truly takes an interest in getting the best out of his teen students, even if that means taking a unique approach to a situation. He writes articles on education topics for parent and teachers.
I have often said teens need more attention than most babies. I think sometimes it comes down to hormonal changes. Their brains just for awhile arent as mature as their bodies. Nowdays kids are hitting puberty sooner die to nutrition or whatever and it is a tough time for them and their parents. They have a tough time understanding.
As parents we do our best to raise our children the correct way and to give guidance. We cannot force them to follow our advice. If we perceive a problem and our child won’t listen to use we can try to seek outside help.
This is good information we are starting to learn more, and that will help people know better how to handle teens. I do feel for the parents whose teens are more than a handful.
My daughter has left the teen years behind. Unfortunately, she had no wisdom then, and she has none now. Not a good situation. I’m not sure if I failed as a mom…..or of that’s her. : (
Sandy ~ As parents we can do everything RIGHT and our teens & adult kids can do everything wrong! I’m sure you didn’t fail your daughter at all. My aunt & uncle have 3 children and raised all three of them the same way. Their one child (a son) is now 32 years old and has been in/out of jail/prison since he was 17 years old. He had great parents and a good family support system but he chose his friends, drugs, booze and a life of crime over them. It’s a shame! Hugs to you Sandy!
((((((((((((((SHELLY)))))))))))) Thank you so much for your encouragment. She is my only child, (36 years old) and has cut me out of her life. I have 3 granddaughters I will never meet. I guess you can only raise them to a certain point….but they are their own people and make their own choices. Thanks again. <3
Sandy, When your grandchildren become adults…I bet you they will want to meet their grandmother and will most likely contact you. That happens all of the time with children & grandchildren who are adopted, so I bet in your situation it will probably happen like that too. Just take comfort in knowing that you did what you could.
Oh, boy, my niece is approaching the teen years & I don’t know what to expect, lol. She smart as all get out, as the saying goes, but I don’t know how all that teen angst is going to hit! Oh well, it happens to all of us!