Compared to when they were younger, tweens show a great deal of cognitive development. In particular, you will notice that your tween will think more quickly, recall more information and pay attention more efficiently than she could before. As a result, you will see her beginning to thrive academically, socially and emotionally.
Memory Improves
One of the signs of cognitive development during the tween years is an improvement in long-term memory, or the ability to store factual and personal information for longer than a few minutes.
Your tween’s long-term memory will improve due to expertise and strategies. Expertise can be anything from being enthusiastic about a particular TV show, computer game or book. This expertise will increase his ability to learn and store more information on this particular topic. Tweens also use memory strategies better than younger children do. For example, tweens will begin to use visual imagery to help them remember and will link new information to their personal experiences.
Logic Increases
A major cognitive development of the tween years is an increase in logic. From around the age of six, children enter the concrete operational stage of cognitive development, which means that they begin to question things in a scientific way. They will learn to try different scenarios in a systematic way, and use their senses to guide them towards reliable information. You will notice that your tween reaches fewer irrational conclusions than she did when she was younger.
Although tweens will demonstrate an increase in logical thinking, they still lack the ability to think abstractly. They only have the ability to reason about things that are in front of them.
Realistic Thinking Develops
Your tween is now more grounded in reality then she was when she was a young child. This grounding will help her academically, particularly when it comes to maths and science.
Attention Becomes More Focused
Tweens are also capable of better selective attention than younger children. This will help your child to decipher what information is important in a particular situation and pay close attention to it. This is a necessary skill for succeeding in school. This focus will also allow tweens to perform repetitive skills such as kicking a ball while running without paying too much attention to the task.
Thinking Happens Faster
Your tween is now capable of thinking much faster than a younger child. This is partly due to changes in attention. This will help her to multi-task. In other words, they probably are listening to you while they are watching TV. However, your child’s brain is still developing, so bear in mind this process won’t happen overnight.
