Pre-teen ages and stages refresher.

“I can do it on my own!” Anyone with pre-teens ages 12-14 will tell you they’ve heard that plenty of times. At this age, a young person is learning how to set and achieve their own goals and adults should be poised to support them.

Important milestones for pre-teens:

• They can take responsibility in planning and evaluating their own work.
• They want to make decisions but still depend on adult guidelines.
• They can set long-term goals and plan strategies to reach goals.
• They are implementing simple plans.

Pre-teens may express the desire to “do it by themselves,” but we should be there to catch them just in case they need a little help.​

Check out this ages and stages refresher guide [PDF] for more insight into pre-teens! This is a great resource, but it’s important to remember that children are individuals and advance at their own unique pace.