How Growing Affects Your Body, Mind, and Thinking
Have you ever wondered how you grow and change as you get older? It's all part of a process called maturation, which happens throughout your life, but especially during your pre-teens there’s a lot of change. Let’s learn how growing up, changing, and developing are connected, and what changes you might notice as you get older.
What is Maturation?
Maturation is the process of growing and developing, and it’s different for each person. We first must know that we all grow and develop at different rates. It involves changes in your body, brain, and behavior, and these changes are all connected.
Changes in the Brain
As you mature, your brain also changes. Here are some key changes:
More brain power: Your brain starts to work better and faster.
Connections increase between different parts of your brain: Different parts of your brain start to communicate more effectively with one another.
Changes in the thinking parts of your brain: The thinking part of your brain is called the frontal cortex. This is the area that as it grows, you become better at planning, making better decisions, and you having better control of your behaviors and emotions.
Physical Changes
During your pre-teens years, your body goes through a lot of physical changes:
Uneven bone and muscle development: Sometimes your bones grow faster than your muscles, which can make you feel a bit uncoordinated.
Growth spurts: You might grow taller very quickly.
Changes in coordination: As your body grows, you might need to practice skills and activities to keep your coordination up.
Behavioural Changes
As you mature, you behave and think differently:
Setting personal goals: You might start thinking more about what you want to achieve.
Seeking independence: You may want to do more things on your own.
Considering others: You’ll become more aware of other people’s feelings and needs.
Taking on more responsibility: You’ll be able to handle more responsibilities at home and school.
Cognitive (Thinking) Changes
Your thinking skills will also develop:
Remembering, processing, and understanding information: You’ll get better at remembering and understanding information.
Critical thinking and decision-making: You’ll improve in making decisions and thinking through problems.
Self-image: You might start thinking more about how you see yourself and how others see you.
Understanding Maturation
Significant changes during adolescence: We mature throughout life, but it’s especially noticeable during our pre-teen years.
Brain changes: Your brain develops in ways that help you think and act more like an adult.
Interconnected changes: Your physical changes, how you think, and behavioral changes are all connected and influence each other.
Unique self-description: How you think about and describe yourself is unique and should be respected.
Skills & Procedures
Here’s what you can do to understand and manage these changes:
Describe brain changes: Notice how your thinking and decision-making skills improve.
Identify physical changes: Pay attention to how your body grows and how your coordination might change.
Notice behavioral changes: Think about how your goals, independence, and responsibilities are evolving.
Conclusion
Maturation, growth, and development are all interconnected. As you grow older, you’ll experience many changes in your brain, body, and behavior. Understanding these changes can help you navigate adolescence with confidence and respect for yourself and others.
Let’s Reflect!
Think about a change you’ve noticed in yourself recently. How do you think it’s connected to your maturation? Share your thoughts with your friends in your group. What changes did they notice?
Keep Growing!
Remember:
Everyone matures at their own pace.
Embrace the changes you see in yourself and keep active.
Keep observing, exploring, and learning about yourself and the world around you.