Differences in Children

1
Differences in Children

• Kathryn Reeves
• Youth Development/4-H
• Cooperative Extension Service
• South Dakota State University
• Brookings, SD
• 2002

2
Individual Differences Among Children

• Personality
• Ways of Processing Information
• Maturity Level

3
Personalities

• Personalities can be described along a continuum
  in several areas
• Introverted vs. Extroverted
• Intuitive vs. Sensing
• Thinking vs. Feeling
• Judging vs. Perceiving

4
Introverted Personalities

• Become tired by too much social interaction
• Prefer communicating one-to-one

Extroverted Personalities

• Energized by social interaction
• Enjoy large groups of people

5
Intuitive vs. Sensing

• Intuitive Individuals
• Communicate abstractly
• Think in terms of possibility
• Sensing Individuals
• Communicate concretely
• Think in terms of the here and now

6
Thinking vs. FeelingIndividuals

• Thinking Individuals
• Objective by nature
• Facts and research make more impact
• Feeling Individuals
• Subjective by nature
• Mode of delivery makes more impact than
  information itself

7
Judging vs. PerceivingIndividuals

• Judging Individuals
• Make quick decisions
• Become stressed if the process takes too much
  time
• Perceiving Individuals
• Take time to weigh their options
• Become stressed if pushed to make a decision too
  quickly

8
Processing Information

• Sees the Big Picture
• Looks at the concept first
• Asks for details as needed
• Detail Person
• Wants to know as much as possible about the
  subject at the beginning
• Puts information into an orderly framework

9
Maturity Levels of Children/Youth 6-9 Years Old

• View things as black and white, right or wrong
• Seek a sense of security in groups
• Enjoy an organized day
• Enjoy caring for and playing with younger
  children
• Become upset when their behavior or activities
  are ignored

10
Maturity Levels of Children/Youth 9-11 Years Old

• See that adults can make mistakes, are fallible
• Enjoy rituals, secret codes, and having rules
• Enjoy being a member of a club
• May defy adult authority
• Capable of understanding ideas without direct
  experience

11
Maturity Levels of Children/Youth 11-13 Years Old

• Rapid and uneven physical growth
• Try to meet expectations of both parents and
  friends
• Can think in terms of possibilities
• Understand opinions of others and can formulate
  their own
• Extremely emotional

12
Maturity Levels of Children/Youth in their Teens

• Becoming less emotional
• Focus more on the future
• Need practice at making adult-like decisions
• Want and need a voice in decisions affecting the
  family

13
Establishing Communication A Positive
RelationshipWith Your Child

• Identify your childs characteristics based on
  his/her personality and maturity level
• Select your words and responses based on your
  childs unique individuality

14
Differences in Children

• Kathryn Reeves
• Youth Development/4-H Specialist
• South Dakota State University
• Brookings, SD
• 2002