The activities in Compasito are developed for children between the ages of 6 and 13, although many can be easily adapted to younger and older children as well as adults.
Childhood is the ideal time to introduce human rights education, for although young children already hold strong values and attitudes, they are also receptive to new perspectives and experiences. Developing values such as respect for others and tolerance of difference or skills, such as empathy and critical thinking, requires years. It is never too early to begin!
At the same time children are still very dependent on the guidance and support of adults, especially their families, care-givers and teachers, as well as their peers. Some of the human rights values and attitudes that Compasito endorses may clash with those children encounter in other parts of their lives. Explaining the goals and methods of Compasito to parents, teachers or community leaders can help prevent potential conflict. Facilitators need to be sensitive to such potential conflicts both within the child and with the child’s home, school or community environment. In every case, a child at any level of development should not be made the focal point of such conflict.
While each child is unique, the lists below summarise the main characteristics of these age groups. A skilled facilitator needs to understand the developmental level of the group and select and/or adapt activities to match their physical, cognitive, emotional and social development.
Children from 6 to 7-years-olds
Physical development
enjoy outdoor activities with brief but energetic spurts of activity
prefer simple manual tasks, especially combined with developing a particular physical skill
Cognitive and emotional development
like to talk but have a short attention span and have difficulties listening to others
are very curious
learn best through physical experiences
have difficulty making decisions
can read and write, but these skills are still in the emergent stages
are highly imaginative and easily become involved in role-play games and fantasy play
like stories about friendship and superheroes
enjoy cartoon figures
Social development
are very competitive
sometimes find co-operation difficult
Children from 8 to 10-years-olds
Physical development
seem to have endless physical energy
Cognitive and emotional development
like to learn new things, but not necessarily in-depth
become more aware of differences and inequalities among others
enjoy problem solving
enjoy question-answer games
can feel very frustrated if their work does not meet their expectations
Social development
enjoy more independence but still need support
like to talk and discuss things with peers
can be very critical of both self and others
are better able to co-operate
like to belong to a group
start to idolise real heroes, TV stars and sports figures instead of cartoon figures.
Children from 11 to 13-years-olds
Physical development
mature a lot physically although these changes vary greatly among children and may cause self-consciousness and uncomfortable feelings
Cognitive and emotional development
mature greatly in their ability to think in a more abstract way
enjoy arguing and discussing
find some games predictable and boring; prefer complex activities that involve creating unique strategies and products
tend toward perfectionism in what they do
begin to perceive that a story or event can be seen from more than one perspective
show an increasing interest in social and current events
Social development
have a growing interest in a wider social and physical environment
enjoy testing the limits of self and others
can combine playfulness and seriousness at the same time
become more concerned about how they appear to others
like to learn from role models
start developing more advanced play in groups and teams
like to co-operate for common goals
are strongly influenced by attitudes and behaviour of peers.
