Developmentally Appropriate Activities for 11-Year-Olds

Not yet a teenager and no longer a child, an 11-year-old falls into the age group referred to as preteens or ̶0;tweens." While some 11-year-olds are in middle or junior high school, others, depending on the school district and state, still attend elementary school. Developmentally appropriate activities for preteens include arts and crafts, team sports, games that involve reasoning skills, such as word puzzles, and video games that encourage reasoning skills and further fine motor skills and coordination.

  1. Development

    • Preteens may resemble teenagers, but emotionally and mentally tweens still have a lot of growing up to do. The typical tween has begun to associate more with friends of the same gender than with family members. Because of this pull toward friends, team sports and group activities are high on a tween̵7;s priority list. Physically, 11-year-olds have finely tuned fine motor skills that enable them to master crafts and art projects. Their attention spans are lengthening, and critical problem-solving skills are being utilized. It̵7;s important for adults to provide guidelines and instruction; while 11-year-olds may think they can handle their own problems, such as social interaction issues with peers or difficulties on a tough assignment, most likely they can't. Letting your tween know that you are available to help allows the 11-year-old to feel supported.

    Crafty Kids

    • If a tween has a preferred art or craft, enroll him in a local pottery or painting class. Sewing, embroidery, cross-stitch, knitting and crocheting are arts for patient 11-year-olds. Cooking and baking are also good activities. Parents can sit in the next room -- close enough to lend a hand and ̶0;check in̶1; on operations involving the oven, but far enough away to foster the sense of independence that 11-year-olds crave. Woodworking can be taught to 11-year-olds, provided there is close adult supervision with power tools. Model kits require varied steps that keep tweens engaged, such as painting, gluing parts together, and applying decals to designated areas. These kits further develop a tween's fine motor skills. Jewelry-making with bead kits, models from popular movies, and robotic kits are all worthwhile activities that can be accomplished individually or with a friend.

    Sporty Ventures

    • Individual sports allow tweens to demonstrate self-reliance and independence. Team sports, both in organized leagues and in pick-up games with friends, require 11-year-olds to work together to accomplish a goal. Budding leadership skills are encouraged in team environments as well. The University of Wisconsin Extension maintains that tweens are honing their decision-making and negotiating skills and team sports encourage the use of cooperative participation. Follow the advice of your pediatrician as to which sports are best if your 11-year-old is small in stature or weight. The Children's Hospital Boston reports that the highest number of sporting injuries (in order of injury rate) for children ages five to 14 occur in bicycling, basketball, football, baseball and softball.

    Gamers

    • No longer little children, 11-year-olds are looking for challenges. According to MedicineNet.com, tweens experience attention spans up to 45 minutes and use reasoning skills to solve problems or puzzles. Word search and crossword puzzles allow the 11-year-old to use these new-found abilities. Complicated jigsaw puzzles strengthen an 11-year-old̵7;s visual and spatial skills. Video games, often dismissed by adults as contributing to a child's isolation or obesity, actually do have benefits. Coordination is enhanced and players must solve sometimes complicated situations to advance to the next "level" of a game. Parents should review all computer game materials. The Entertainment Software Rating Board rates the content of every game. These ratings are marked clearly on game packaging and parents should review what the ratings mean. E10+ (everyone 10 years and older) and E (everyone) are suitable for 11-year-olds, but some T-rated games (for teens age 13 and older) may not be appropriate. Strategy games such as chess and checkers also encourage decision-making skills in this age group.

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