The student is ready to be an active contributor to her own life. This youth is ready to discover more. Making Choices About Their World Offering choices will open new opportunities for your child. Parents should be cautioned, however, that children are not an extension of themselves and should not be expected to participate in areas where parents could not. A parent who had wanted to be a national baseball star may well have a child more interested in music than baseball.
Children grow and change as adults do.
A youngster who loved ball as a preschooler may get his fill of little league early in his school years and decide to pursue something else. It is important to guide youth to explore a number of interests during these preadolescent years. This is the time a child can try many things to determine what he enjoys. Since peer identity is becoming more important, this may be a great time to choose a club or group to join. Children this age have a need to belong to a group.