Well that’s that, you have a tween on your hands with an 11 year old.
We’re not going to go into all the ins and outs of this age group. One thing we all agree on here is that it’s possibly the best and the worst all rolled into one. On one hand you have the young developing mind that can present some interesting conversations as they understand more and more about their world. And on the other hand, that 11 year old might not feel like talking to you today. And of course, the possibility of drama is high. Yay!
At age 11 you might notice that your tween is becoming a little bit contemplative as they start to understand concepts around the future and how their choices affect that. You know things like: if I study for the test, it will be easier to pass. That sort of thing.
It’s a lot for a young mind to deal with.
But it’s not all heavy going. Friends are going to become more and more important to an eleven year old but there are still fun family times to be had with an eleven year old as they haven’t completely dismissed the idea of family time. They might be trying that soon, but for now it should still be an acceptable option.
11 is a great age to spend stime on group activities. We find that most ages will enjoy games night, or afternoon, or hour – whatever your family can achieve. This is a great time to make the most of this. Some of our family board games like Rummikub and Confident fit into this category perfectly and we try to keep a large selection of family games available at all times.
You’ll also see an 11 year old becoming engulfed in an activity or task as they will be seeking some alone time away from both friends and family. Hobbies will become increasingly important during these times. We find it can help to have different arts and crafts available that are both age and skill set appropriate.
