What should you teach to a twelve year old child?

• Teach your child to talk candidly about his needs and problems.
• Teach him how to make request to others and how to convince them.
• If your child studies in English medium school, teach him to speak simple English and to explain things to others in English.
• Assure him that he can frankly talk about his problems with his parents.
• Teach him that things have their own prices and quality, and that he should check it before buying things.
• Teach him how to coordinate with other students of his class and represent his thoughts before his class teacher.
• Teach your class-7 studying child to read and write in his mother-tongue in a proper manner. He should develop an interest in good handwriting and good reading. This way, he will be able to express his ideas in a much better way.
• Teach your child how he can access the telephone numbers of the bank, post office, railway station, police station and fire brigade. Besides, he should know the basics of computers and internet. He must know how to get such information and how to take help of these resources when needed.
• A class-7 child should be able to dial 108 for calling an ambulance, if needed. He should know how to be safe at home when he is alone, and to contact a nearby relative when needed.
• He should know how to take care of his younger siblings, besides, being helpful to elders in their work, perhaps he may like to help his parents when they return home from job.
• A class-7 child should be able to stitch button on his cloths, make use of needle-thread, cut vegetables and prepare tea/coffee. Teach him the use of the appliances like refrigerator, oven, gas, dishwasher etc. and maintain cleanliness in home.
• Teach him about the electrical points in house and about the electric appliances. Teach him about computer maintenance, using the TV, charging the electronic gadgets such as mobile.
• Teach him about the genital differences, physical changes that take place with the increased age and about the importance of keeping the body parts clean. Giving them sex education is necessary. If you hesitates to do it, or yourself unclear about it, you can find books in the market which explain this subject as per the age of your child. Keep such books at your home, child will read it.
• If there is complaint about the child’s irregularity, behaviour and studies, parents should discuss it with the teachers and must try to improve the situation.
• A class-7 student should be able to take care of his shoes, cloths, tools, schoolbag He should be taught to clean and dry his cloths.
• After class-7, the parents should give opportunities to the child to go on long tours, vacations and adventure camps, so that he can learn to stay away from his parents for few days.
• Parents should ensure that their child see important places and meet great people. They should encourage him to excel in the subjects of his liking and develop a broad view-point. Make good arrangements to enable him to cultivate interest in music, painting and reading.
• As the child enters the teen-age at the age of 12-13 he is passing through bodily changes and may become aggressive, depressed and too conscious about his looks and personality. Children get tensed due to the pressure of competition. This is the phase when parents should give much attention to their child.
• A book of Dr. Arati Kaswekar – ‘Tarunya Sikhshan and Prajanan Swasthya’ (Adolescent education and procreation fitness) – has been read exceedingly near the girls’ rest room at our school. Teenagers usually develop a kind of stubbornness and resistance and a feeling that they are right in their thinking. When you want to teach them something, teach them with patience and in a way that it does not hurt their self-respect.
• Don’t scold your teenager child in front of his younger siblings, friends and other relatives. Mostly don’t give him advices in front of others.
• You get better results if you appreciate their good works and talk to them in a frank manner.

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