| Characteristics |
Implications for Volunteers |
Physical |
| Learn
best if physically active. |
Provide
experiences that encourage physical activity: running, playing games, painting, etc. |
| Have
better control of large muscles than small muscles. |
Use
projects that can be completed successfully by beginners. Craft projects could end up
messy. |
| Period
of slow, steady growth. |
Provide
opportunities to practice skills. |
Social |
| Learning
how to be friends. May have several "best friends." |
Small
group activities are effective for practicing social skills and allow for individual
attention. |
| Beginning
to experience empathy for others, but are still selfish. |
Make-believe
and role-play activities assist children in understanding how other people might think or
feel. |
| Boys
and girls may enjoy playing together, but prefer same gender groups by the end of this
developmental period. |
Engage
young children in mixed-gender activities. |
Intellectual |
| Easily
motivated and eager to try something new, but have short attention spans. |
Plan
a wide variety of activities that take a short time to complete. |
| More
interested in doing activities rather than completing them. |
Provide
activities that center on the process rather than producing a product. |
| Thinking
is concrete. Must have seen it, heard it, felt it, tasted it, or smelled it in order to
think about it. |
Demonstrate
activities. Use the senses to help youth experience things. |
| Naturally
curious and want to make sense of their world. |
Allow
for exploration and spontaneity in activities. Be flexible. |
Emotional |
| Sensitive
to criticism. Don’t accept failure well. |
Find
ways to give positive encouragement and assistance. Plan activities in which success can
be experienced. Facilitate situations that foster cooperation, not competition. |
| Becoming
less dependent upon parents, but still seek adult approval and affection. |
Offer
support and plan small group activities, with an adult supervising every 3-4 youths. |
