My Child in Middle Years
Dear Parents/Guardians
As *, you are important leaders and partners in the life and learning of your young adolescent children as they progress through the Middle Years in school.
Adolescence is the time of life between childhood and adulthood. Middle Years students are young adolescents, typically aged 10 to 14 and in Grades 5 to 8. While young adolescents are sometimes called junior high students, the term Middle Years is used more widely for this age group in schools around the world, so Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning uses this term in all its teacher/parent resources.
By recognizing the changes and challenges your adolescent children experience during their Middle Years, you can help them be successful at school, at home and in the community.
This website offers parents of Middle Years students:
- information about the changes young adolescents experience
- suggestions and resources to assist parents in helping their children be successful in the Middle Years
- a list of community supports available to assist families (social agencies, 24-hour phone lines)
- insightful comments from Middle Years students and their parents (direct quotes)
Background
Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning created this website to meet an expressed need for provincial resources for parents of children in their Middle Years (Grades 5 through 8) in school.
The Middle Years signal children’s entrance into adolescence. This period can be an exciting and happy, yet sometimes challenging, confusing and stressful, time for both young adolescents and their parents. This website offers information and resources to help parents and caregivers understand the developmental changes and situations their adolescent children may experience at school, at home and in the community. It also addresses questions and concerns parents of Middle Years students may have, and provides explanations on how to handle a variety of challenging situations.
This website may also be useful to teachers who are new to Middle Years education, as it will help them gain a better understanding of students in this age group.
