Making 4-H Appropriate for All Ages

1. Making 4-H Appropriate for All Ages Module 7 Volunteer Development: Making the Best Better Series

2. Start Where Members Are • Encourage physical, social, intellectual and emotional growth. • Every child is unique

3. Test Your KnowledgeQuestion 1 • Jody, a volunteer with 6-7 year-olds , is frustrated because the kids never finish anything they start. They just work on something for a while, then lose interest and move onto something else. Is she doing something wrong? • Yes? • No?

4. No • Jody is probably not doing anything wrong. It is common for 5- to 8-year-olds to be more interested in the process of doing things rather than an end product. Additionally, kids in this age group have short attention spans and do not stay interested in one activity for long periods of time. Therefore, they often move quickly from one task to the next. It would be beneficial for Jody to provide the kids a variety of activities that do not take long to complete.

5. Test Your KnowledgeQuestion 2 • Which of the following kids is most likely concerned with appearance, wants desperately to be liked by peers, and spends a lot of time grooming? • Jesse, age 7 • Jeff, age 13 • Jamie, age 17

6. Jeff, age 13 • It is common for early teens (age 12-14) to become concerned with personal appearance and impressing their peers. They often feel like everybody is watching them, and they engage in grooming behaviors that may seem excessive to adults. Be patient and extra careful not to criticize during this "sensitive" period; luckily, this time of heightened awareness of appearances and peer opinions will eventually pass.

7. Test Your KnowledgeQuestion 3 • Teenagers tend to be self-centered and unconcerned about the well-being of others. True or False?

8. No • It is typical for teens to develop community consciousness and a growing concern for the well-being of others. You can help further teens’ caring concern by encouraging projects and activities that provide a service to others.

9. Test Your KnowledgeQuestion 4 • Ben, a volunteer, has noticed that 10-year-old Angie seems to be more physically mature than her 11-year-old brother, Robbie. Is this something Ben should be concerned about? Yes or No?

10. No • The differences in Angie and Robbie's physical development are probably nothing to be concerned about. It is common for girls to mature earlier than boys and they often surpass boys in middle childhood. Keeping this in mind, avoid competitions between boys and girls during the middle school years (ages 9-12).

11. How Did You Do? • Expert • Novice

12. Development Stages • Early Childhood Ages 5 - 8 • Middle Childhood Ages 9 – 11 • Young Teens Ages 12 – 14 • Teens Ages 15 - 18

13. Characteristics • Physical • Social • Intellectual • Emotional

14. Early Childhood • Physical • Learn best if physically active • Period of slow, steady growth • Social • Learn how to be friends • Begin to experience empathy for others

15. Early Childhood(cont) • Intellectual • Easily motivated and eager to try something new • More interested in doing activities • Emotional • Sensitive to criticism • Less dependent upon parents.

16. Middle Childhood • Physical • Spirited, with boundless energy • Girls will be maturing faster than boys • Social • Enjoy group activities and cooperation • Need guidance from adults to stay on task

17. Middle Childhood(cont) • Intellectual • Interests often change rapidly • Easily motivated and eager to try new things • Emotional • Comparison with other youth is difficult

18. Young Teens • Physical • Experience rapid changers in physical appearance • Interested in sports and active games • Social • Moving away from dependency on parents • Becoming interested in activities that involve boys and girls

19. Young Teens(cont) • Intellectual • Beginning to think more abstractly and hypothetically • Can take responsibility for planning and evaluation of their own work • Emotional • Can be painfully self-conscious • Desire independence

20. Teens • Physical • Most have overcome the awkwardness of puberty • Social • Strong desire for status in their peer group. • Often want adult leadership roles

21. Teens(cont) • Intellectual • Developing community consciousness • Reaching high levels of abstract thinking and problem solving • Emotional • Feelings of inferiority and inadequacy are common • Gaining independence and developing firm individual identity

22. Review • General characteristics – each person is unique • Guide for how to think about the club program and the wide age range • Guide for specific suggestions for the volunteer

23. Guidelines • Five basic guidelines for developmentally appropriate practices: • Create a caring community • Work to enhance development and learning • Select appropriate materials/projects/activities • Be mindful of youth’s learning and development • Establish mutually beneficial relationships with families

24. Questions?

25. References Early Years are Learning Years, www.naeyc.org/resources/eyly/1998/05.htm Volunteers…the foundation of youth development, Missouri, Kansas and North Dakota 4-H Youth Development Programs, Fund for Rural America-Rural Information Infrastructure Program, 1998