The
amazing and ever-changing brain:
How kids grow mentally during the middle years
The sometimes incomprehensible actions of
middle schoolers can be a mystery to parents. Take the child who,
though you’ve just asked him to complete a few simple tasks
around the house, has "mysteriously" forgotten your
request and is instead pouring himself a glass of milk as he
begins to call a friend.
Believe it or not, this unpredictable behavior is often due to
the changing nature of children’s brain. At the beginning of the
decade, scientists at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
announced new research showing that there is a significant surge
in growth in the pre-adolescent brain. Prior to this study, it was
believed that all brain growth happened during the first three
years of life.
Here is what researchers learned:
- Though brain size may stabilize by age five, brain growth
and change continues through the teen years.
- The surge of hormones at puberty seems to stimulate brain
growth in pre-adolescents. The brain’s frontal lobes (the
areas that aid self-control, judgment, emotional maturity,
organizing and planning) begin to grow again, starting at
about age 10 for girls and age 12 for boys.
- Nerve cells that aid intelligence, consciousness and
self-awareness keep growing even into a person’s 20s.
- Brain growth is basically a "use-it-or-lose-it"
process. The brain’s ability to acquire and retain new
information will expand if stimulated or shrink if neglected.
Those skills that are regularly exercised or those experiences
that are traumatic or particularly positive become part of the
brain’s long-term memory. Those that are not tend to be lost
after a short time.
- During the pre-teen and teenage years, other parts of the
brain that control sight, sound, speech, language, emotions
like fear and anger and the area that creates memories are
also under construction.
Using brain research to support learning
Here are some ways families can help their pre-teens through
this period of life:
- Keep it cool.
When emotions are high, lots of things,
including memory, shut down and energies focus on survival. For
pre-teens, survival often means avoiding peer embarrassment.
Emotional situations can be difficult for pre-teens – getting
a pimple or being called on in class can seem like high-threat
situations. Though you can’t shepherd them through their
school days, you can help your children learn to handle the
upsets they will inevitably meet. Try to role-play "what is
the worst thing that could happen" scenarios. Teach your
children simple relaxation and deep-breathing techniques to use
when they are upset. At-home, try to maintain a positive
environment, as free as possible from strife. The efforts you
make to work through your disagreements and find common ground
can also make a difference in how well your children will learn.
- Create a positive learning environment
.
Schedule a regular time and place at home where kids can
complete their homework each day. Though a work first/play later
approach is best, use flexibility if this approach means they
would miss out on family activities.
- For brains to grow, they need proper stimulation.
Kids
who spend much of their time on nonverbal, sedentary activities
like watching television or surfing the Internet risk losing
their brain’s capacity to process and strengthen other more
challenging and useful skills. Encourage mind-enriching
activities such as exercise (a daily requirement), reading,
writing, music and other hobbies.
- Insist on some needed R & R.
Kids with jam-packed
schedules may have too little time to let their minds
rejuvenate. Middle schoolers need a range of experiences, both
active and passive, for their brains to stay healthy. They also
need your help to find the right balance. Sleep is a powerful
memory aid because during dream time, learning from the previous
day is processed. Meaningless information is discarded and the
rest is strengthened. Pre-teens need 9 to 9 1/2 hours of sleep
each night to avoid sleep deprivation—behaviors such as
falling asleep in class, difficulty waking in morning, inability
to concentrate, even depression. Studies have shown that
students with little sleep earned lower grades (Cs and Ds) than
those with adequate sleep (As and Bs).
During
adolescence, the areas of their brains that influence
organization are still developing (which is the reason for the
frequent forgetfulness). Encourage your children to write lists
and use assignment notebooks to keep track of homework and
projects. Keep a calendar at home where they can post assignment
due dates and other important events. Help them plan for
projects as far in advance as possible. Encourage them to work
on small manageable chunks of a project each day rather than
doing it all at the last minute.
Know your children and what types of situations are
likely to trigger emotional responses. Keep the lines of
communication open. If your child is doing poorly in a class,
consider all the angles—is there something physical or
emotional getting in the way of learning? Enlist the help of
your child’s guidance counselor or teacher to get to the root
of the difficulty.
Other resources:
Too Old for This, Too Young for That: Your Survival Guide
for the Middle-School Years by Harriet Mosatche PhD and Middle
School: The Real Deal: From Cafeteria Food to Combination Locks
by Juliana Farrell are two books to share with your middle
schoolers to ease some of the anxiety that can get in the way of
learning.
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