Out of School Time: Where Need Meets Opportunity

Out of School Time: Where Need Meets Opportunity

Developmentally

/

Transition Years

(5-7 years) / Middle Years
(8-10 years) / Pre-& Early Adolescence
(11-14 years)
Physically / ·  Still developing gross and fine motor skills (e.g. developing eye-hand coordination)
·  Enjoy high energy games, but may still need naps
·  Like free-play activities (e.g. climbing, chasing each other) / §  less rapid physical growth
§  gross and fine motor skills have improved
§  like to attempt to master physical activities through practice and variations on movement
§  lots of energy, at times, can become reckless
§  like structured games that have rules, but may need help in learning and interpreting the rules. / §  grow more rapidly than at any time since infancy
§  may feel awkward and experience a lack of coordination
§  Puberty begins
§  Appetites tend to be big
§  Hormonal changes can cause moodiness.
Cognitively / ·  Usually very literal and concrete
·  Like to ask questions
·  Still learning how to read and write
·  Learning to share their thoughts and feelings in words rather than in behavior.
·  May have difficulty understanding written and spoken directions
·  They have shorter attention spans than older children / ·  have longer attention spans
·  like increasingly complex intellectual challenges
·  now reading to learn rather than learning to read
·  interested in discovering things for themselves. / §  Developing abstract thinking skills
§  Beginning to think about future life roles and are better able to postpone gratification
§  Can plan ahead and organize tasks with little or no assistance from adults
§  Beginning to develop opinions about social issues
Emotionally & Socially / ·  Still learning how to cooperate with others in groups
·  Friendships tend to be based on common interests, often short-lived
·  Easily frightened by new events / ·  forming close friendships, mostly with same-sex peers, and are more long lasting.
·  often guided by the behavior and beliefs of the peer group.
·  still enjoy adult encouragement
·  like to be acknowledged for their accomplishments
·  self-conscious about their abilities / ·  very self-conscious about their bodies and how they look (increased psychological vulnerability, particularly for girls who are at risk for developing distorted body images, eating disorders, and depression).
·  feel a strong desire to conform to their peer group and often assert their emerging individuality by being critical of others
·  tend to be competitive and daring
·  form close one-to-one friendships
Program Implications /

Transition Years

(5-7 years) / Middle Years
(8-10years) / Pre-& Early Adolescence
(11-14 years)
Human Relationship / ·  Look to adults for guidance, encouragement, and direction
·  Need a warm and nurturing environment where they can have a lot of interactions with adults
·  Prefer spending time with one or two adults rather than changing teachers
·  Need close supervision that is both firm and loving but not intrusive
·  May need adult guidance in how to get along with others / ·  Need to be with friends
·  Like feeling part of a group and enjoy opportunities to form clubs
·  More self-directed
·  Like to have input into planning and carrying out group activities
·  Like meeting new people who can share skills such as photography, skiing, or creating a newspaper
·  Staff needs to focus on providing activity choices and resources. They are facilitators, rather than directors of children's activities
·  Tend to see things in black and white, so may need assistance in appreciating other people's viewpoints / ·  friendships are very important. Many have a best friend at this age, and develop a small and very tight friendship circle
·  work hard to conform to the norms of this peer group
·  want time to hang out with their friends and enjoy time for discussions
·  Need for loving, supportive adults is often camouflaged by their intense loyalty to a peer group
·  may look to adults for help with problems with friendships, difficult discoveries about how the world operates, or in defining who they are
Indoor & Outdoor Environment / ·  Need quiet places to rest, relax, and even nap
·  Need materials they can manipulate such as puzzles, scissors
·  Need books and materials to help them learn to read
·  May need places where they can be away from older children
·  Benefit from interest areas that are well organized and accessible. / ·  Physical environment should reflect children's need for a wide range of choices where they can pursue their interests
·  The program space should be divided up into different interest areas that rotate activities.
·  need time and space to meet together in large and small groups
·  They like large indoor and outdoor areas for organized group games such as baseball and volleyball. / ·  like to have a space that is away from younger children and enjoy having the chance to design and maintain it
·  respect their need to have more privacy. Check to see if you can change licensing regulations to accommodate the needs of these children
·  Make sure the space is flexible and can change as their interests change
·  Expand the "classroom" out into the community
Activities / ·  Like activities that allow them to express themselves and make sense of the world about them e.g. block building, dramatic play, and creative arts)
·  more interested in doing than creating a finished product
·  may want to do the same thing over and over again to develop a sense of mastery
·  They like exploring through hands-on activities that involve all their senses
·  like to be read to
·  like to run and climb and jump
·  prefer loosely structured play over competitive games with strict rules / ·  Choice is very important
·  like activities that require lots of energy and skill
·  like competitive as well as cooperative games, team as well as individual sports
·  like role-playing games.
·  enjoy collecting things and problem-solving games like treasure hunts.
·  They like to daydream.
·  They appreciate opportunities to refine skills they have (e.g. jump-roping techniques, computer games). / ·  need to focus on their blossoming self-awareness
·  need time for reflection and discussion
·  want to spend time on how they look and on activities that are "in" with their peers
·  sense of self will come from developing lots of real life skills
·  want to become great at something--such as dance, music, writing, or sports. They are ready to create elaborate theatrical productions or run a snack bar. Clubs can be a way for them to develop these skills with others who share their interests
·  like to earn money, and decide how to spend it
·  very interested in having more connection to the community. They often enjoy new experiences through community service

Adapted from the "Resource Notebook: School Age Care: Out of School Time,” Child Care Bureau, Department of Health and Human Services