Organized group experiences provide opportunities for children and preadolescents to meet their needs and pursue their emerging interests. Making friends, being with peers, and being part of an organized group are important at this stage of development. These youngsters are beginning to step beyond the home into the community. Entering preschool, then elementary school, are early steps into the wider world. Organized youth groups provide the next approved step.
Parents move their children into group experiences.
At this stage, children make few decisions themselves. Parents determine the experiences and activities their children will have. Whether these out of school activities are many or few, parents decide how many and which experiences their children will have. Adolescents, on the other hand, are becoming quite comfortable in the community away from home. They are mature enough to have a say in decisions about what they do and what they don't want to do.