 Praise the Lord. Welcome everyone to class this morning. Thank you, Jafina, John Paul, Lubega, Zelatoli in our Adna for joining class. We'll begin. Can I ask John Paul to lead us in prayer please? Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we want to thank you for this morning. As we come before you, we pray to God that you would teach us and let your Holy Spirit minister to us. At this time be a learning for all of us of God that we would prepare ourselves to see your kingdom come in a very powerful way. Thank you for Pasasalina. We thank you for all of us who have joined this morning. We pray and ask for your grace to be with us this morning, God. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Thank you. So we were looking at the developmental needs of children in various age groups. We began by looking at the common developmental needs for children across all ages and then we look specifically at the physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual needs of children in ages three to four and five to seven, eight to nine and last class we began before we ended class we began looking at the developmental needs of children ages 10 to 12. So basically children who are ages 10 to 12 are in grade five to a seven. So how many of you work with teens and pre-teens are working presently, have worked with pre-teens or teenagers before or presently working with them? Okay, Jepina. Anyone else? Okay, Lubega as well. Thank you. Any of you in class have children who are pre-teens or teens? Anyone? Oh, Lubega. Okay, nice. Okay, so what do you think are the characteristic, you know, or the characteristics of children ages 10 to 12? Pre-teens. We've all been pre-teens. So what are the basic characteristics of pre-teens? Even if you don't have children for pre-teens or even if you are not have not worked with them or working with them, what are the basic characteristics? We've all been through a pre-teen and teenage stage so we should know. Yes, Jepina? I think it's a stage where you search for your identity. Mostly during the teenage, I kind of feel like that, like what you're doing and I think it's a stage where you also take some decisions by yourself. You don't depend on your parents much once you become a teen. I remember when I turned 13, all my brothers and they were all surrounding me and they said, hey, you turn 13 now. And I kind of felt like we thrown up suddenly all of a sudden. And I think it's the stage you also want to be mature. You get much more maturity about life maybe and also a stage where I accepted place was in my teens. So I think a stage of confusion even, like a lot of questions, what life is, what we are doing, what's happening, why we are living, all these questions I had when I was a teen. Before that I never had. Before that I just go to school, I come back, life was nice. And then once you become teen, you have a lot of questions like who's the real God, why there are so many religions, for what we are living, all these questions popped up. And yeah, so I think that's how teenage is. Yes, I think you've said so much about the characteristics of the pre-teens and teenagers. Good, it's quite fresh in your mind I think. Yes, Divya says friendships are very important. Yes, they're trying to find their place in the world. Yes, very true. Anything else? According to me, they are very, very inquisitive. They would like to know a lot of things. They are also good at shopping. They want to shop almost all things in the supermarket. They also, they don't go to church to learn the word of God. They only go there basically for fun, to show off anything. Dad bought them the new stuff, the clothes and the like. They also like visiting, but not to stay there. They feel safe, according to mine, because mine, they're all girls. They feel safe when they are home with mom and daddy, but they also want to go out. They want to go, like you take them to the beach, but when you are there, like looking after them, they want to shop a lot of things. One of my smallest things that the whole money in the entire world belongs to daddy and he keeps it in the bank. So when he says, has no money, he says, why don't you go to the bank and you bring that money? So that's how they are. I think you're having fun with your girls, Lubega. They are typical girls. They love to shop. Sorry, love to buy. Nice. Yeah, like you said, it's an age where they're very confused. I think who you, Jefina said, but I think Lubega also said something just slipped my mind. Anyways, and I think it's a stage of bombarded emotions and we seek independence during the stage. Yes, the stage is when they want a lot of independence, freedom to think, to do, to express, to dress, you know, to do what they basically like. And yes, emotions are on a roller coaster because of the, the hormonal changes that are happening. Yes, anything else anyone else likes to add? They love to ask questions. Okay. Yes, basically, I think questions about, I mean, if you're more friendly with what kind of questions, let me ask you a bit, what kind of questions would I go on to qualify it? Different question, Ma. Morning. Different question, Ma. Okay, so basically, they like to hear new things. Okay, thank you. Like I have, oh my daughters are here. It's the same thing. And they always ask questions about life. Daddy, what about this? Daddy, what about that? I have my friends saying this. What is the meaning of this? So they used to, at least they used to, used to stop me all the time with different, different questions. So about life, even about about the universe, why, why some normally come out from the east? Why you go down from the, so different questions? So you used to bombard me with different questions. Questions. Yeah, I think you're beginning to feel like Google with all your children asking you a lot of questions. Yes. Like Lubeh said, you know, they're very curious. Yes, they're very curious to know about a lot of things because they're beginning to think more logically. And that's why they are asking more questions. And their questions can be never ending. But their questions can also be like, you know, if you tell them not to do something, they'll ask you, why shouldn't we do it? Why can't I do it? Why can't I go there? Why can't I wear this? Yeah. Jafina says, I think when it comes to questions, we also love to figure out the answers by ourselves than just relying on someone's perspective. Yes. Yeah. Basically, they, they like to be, like to challenge others with their own thinking, their own understanding. And that's why they ask a lot of questions. But also they're very curious to know things, to know what the world and what's happening because they're learning fast and they're learning to be independent. So they want more information. And if they're not very close to their parents and their parents kind of put them off and don't discuss things with them. And their teachers are also annoying and not very friendly and not approachable in terms of discussing, hearing them out. They will look for answers in Google or with friends, basically with friends. And that's when they are led astray to all wrong kind of philosophies and ideologies and thought patterns and systems that are not really right. Yes. Anything else? Anyone else likes to add? Yes, Divya. Thank you, ma'am. Just in terms of the question part, I was also thinking about the curriculum that we have here. So it is basically built on these three pillars, knowledge, understanding, wisdom. So it's kind of, I think the elementary age, they teach the what, the what of things, like they have to memorize a lot of things during the elementary age. Then they go into the, you know, the middle school, where they have to understand like the why, why is it like that? So that is the understanding part. And then when they go to the higher grades, they teach them the how, like how to apply what they have learned from their, you know, elementary ages. So it's a biblical, like a Christian curriculum, but it's built on these three pillars, like knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. So I think they're trying to cater when you're saying these things and trying to relate, like maybe they're trying to cater to the needs, you know, of those age groups. Even we know how in the Bible it goes with Proverbs, yeah, knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. So the what, how and why, yeah. Thank you. Yes, thank you. This age, they are more like, you know, they, you know, bringing to think logically and reason out things. And that's why they are more practicals and all, you know, they begin, even theories for this age group, grades five to seven, they, the preteens, and then of course, beyond that eight to 10, the grades eight to 10, they begin to do theories, proofs, you know, trying to do various practical experiments, which they can learn. So they're trying to reason out things, not just like when they are in the elementary classes, where they're in a, you know, in a very fantasy mindset, where they're very, they just accept everything, you know, you just give it to them, they just, if you tell them the grass is green, because God made it, they will accept it. But in this age group, you know, they will think about photosynthesis and, you know, all of those things and all of those little little aspects, you know, just not that God made it green, but it's green because of, you know, they're trying to prove things and think two things more logically and reason out and prove things for themselves. Yes. So children ages or preteens ages 10 to 12, you know, they move from childhood to, you know, to into the adult world. Some of them really want to be adults. So they began, they begin behaving like adults, even when they are in grade five, six, seven nowadays, we have children in grade five, six, seven who are behaving like adults. So some of them clearly want to behave, think, act like adults, you know, some of them still in the very playful child, childish mindset, and they are forced to get into this whole transition, where they are trans transitioning from, you know, being children, being kids into being, you know, adults. And it's a very difficult phase, a challenging phase, we all went through that. It's quicker now than I think when I was in school, children are reaching puberty even more quicker and faster than, you know, when I was in school. And for them, the world around them becomes very, very complex. It becomes more complex for them, even as you're trying to understand, like Jeffina was saying that identity, who they are, you know, where they are, what is their purpose, what they're doing here, and things like that. So what to expect in this age group? Basically, girls develop physically faster than boys, physically faster than boys. Boys of this age can be very competitive, and success can be very close to their heart. When we say this, we're not saying, you know, everyone is like that, but we are saying most of them, you know, can be very, the boys can be very competitive, and success can be very close to their hearts. And if, and it's a matter of great concern for them, if they're not being successful in beating their studies, or, you know, if they're learning a skill like a sport, like playing an instrument, or, you know, some skill or activity that they're involved in, or some games, and they're not, you know, they're not growing in that they're not furthering in that, or they're not moving up, you know, they can be really concerned and worried, and that can, you know, trigger off mood swings, and their reactions, and they can be very negative, and they can snap back very easily. So this can be one of the reasons for the boys, especially. And at this phase, you know, the teens start developing best friendships, and their friendships are more based on their, their likes, their dislikes, their talents, what is their mindset, their thinking. So you can see, you know, even friendships can change during this age group, because if some of them are very studious, they love studies, they can easily bond with other students in the class who are prone to, you know, studying and discussing things, but if they are the very playful kinds, they enjoy playing sports, so they find friends who share their common activity. If some of them are the parting kind, you know, they love fashion, they love dressing up and all of that, so they find their friends. So it can also be a concern, because many of them who have been very friendly from grade or kindergarten to right up to grade five, you know, or grade six, and slowly they find their best friend, you know, no longer spending time, but they're moving out to different groups, talking more with others than with, you know, their own, their own best friend that they had during all of these school years. It can be very concerning and very worrying and painful for those who are feeling left out, because their friend has this kind of finding others engaging in means of discussing and going around with them. So this can be a major issue, and it can also be an issue in the children's church, and so you'll need to help children understand, hey, you know, it's not because you are bad or it's not because your friend is not able to relate to you or doesn't like you, it's just because they're more focused on what they like and they're beginning to see their taste, their likes, their dislikes, their talents, their skills, and they're finding people who can share their activities, you know, and so you can also find people who share your common activities so you can build up friendships and bonds better. So this is something very concerning for children, especially in this age group. We also see that, you know, even though they get very friendly and they're choosing their friend circles, their peer groups become very important, their relationships are very complicated. So what do we mean when, you know, their relationships are complicated? Basically, they're moving from a childhood stage to adolescent and, you know, their relationships tend to involve a wider range of emotions and expectations and friendships can become more complex as individuals start to understand and deal with various feelings, conflict, and shared experiences. They also can be very competitive in nature, their friendships can be competitive in nature, particularly among girls because, you know, their competitiveness might manifest in various ways such as, you know, when they're vying for attention, they're looking for recognition and they're looking for being included in their social, within their social circles. So preteens may compare themselves to their peers, leading to a more competitive atmosphere in their relationships. So even though they're very friendly and they're looking for peers and their friend group circles are very important, these are some things that we need to keep in mind. Okay. It also, you know, their friendships are very, the dynamics are very changeable, changeable dynamics their friendship has, you know, because they're all undergoing significant physical emotional and social changes. And these changes can influence the dynamics of their relationship, their friendships may experience fluctuations, you know, as they, these preteens explore different aspects of their identity, which leads to shift in their preferences and interests and social connections. And that is why their friendships slowly change. And then, you know, they move on from their best friends or their, their, their friend circles to forming different clicks to forming different groups. Okay. And this is especially among girls. And research suggests that girls may experience unique social pressures, because they, it's all related to their appearance, their social status, their peer relationships, during this developmental stage. And all this contributes to the complexities of their understanding of their friendships and their relationships. And then they begin to be more affected by, you know, the standard and the types of their friends. So whatever their friends say kind of becomes a standard, their norm, what they would want to do, what they are dear to, compared to, you know, when we looked at ages, you know, the previous ages, basically between nine to, say about six, seven, eight, nine years old, when they are more, you know, then their models become, their teachers become their models. So they're just modeling their teacher. And, and we discussed this in the last class, how, you know, we can really invest in that age group, because we are their models. But when they come to preteen, suddenly, you know, their friends become more important, what their friends say do, you know, even talk about things in life, what they say about them in particular, all holds deep significance and influences them very deeply. And, you know, what their parents say, what their teachers have said so far does not really matter, but what their friends say really matters. And we also said that they become beginning to get very independent. They also develop a capacity to reason and work out things. And, you know, so this can be a complaint by some very cheeky smart talk, which they didn't have, you know, when they were 10 years old, I mean, when they were, yeah, basically, when they were six, seven, eight, nine years old, they didn't have this sense of cheeky talk in terms of, you know, reasoning out things with you, wanting to have their way. So, you know, we can get a little intimidated and angry, but, you know, we can also discuss with them in a very more fun, a smart way, you know, catching their smartness and just discussing and talking with them can also be very interesting and they can be fun to be with, okay. The next one is that, you know, the goals for this age, what are the goals for this age? They learn more about their strengths and their gifts. They're learning to get along with others well, even as their emotions on the roller coaster. There are a lot of physical changes, you know, mood swings, which they tend to snap back easily, fight back because they're learning to be more independent. So, they're learning to get along with their friends because their friends are very, very important for them, okay. They're also learning how to resolve conflicts, not only with their friends, but specifically with their parents, yes, with their parents, because they're moving on to independence and the parents are struggling, they are struggling. So, you know, you need to help them how to resolve conflicts, how to handle their own emotions in a very mature and a very nice, healthy way. They're also learning, you know, to, they're also understanding the differences. They're learning to accept their difference, have straight hair, why they have baby curly hair, why they have big ears, not small ears, fat nose, you know, their skin color tone, their eyes, the way they look. Some children can feel that the others in the class are growing faster than them, why they are not growing physically, you know. So, all of this can be a huge problem, you know, specifically, their looks can be a major concern for them. So, you know, it's important that this ages 10, ages 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, you know, to do a lot of teen sessions with them, where you can talk about self-image, self-value, how to handle emotions, how to resolve conflicts, media, you know, a relationship with their parents, how to handle conflicts. So, all of these topics can be useful and of course, you can speak generally on these topics but also, you know, base it on biblical principles and use biblical narratives and, you know, show them from various scripture passages what God has spoken about them and how they can handle their emotions and stuff like that. So, teen sessions are very, very important and we do have teen sessions for our children's church in this age group where apart from the normal children's church curriculum, we used to have additional teen sessions for them, okay, because they're basically trying to understand how different they are and accept their differences, their strengths, their weaknesses, just love and accept themselves for who they are. Now, we began looking at a few points last week and so we'll continue from that. We looked at all of these points. Basically, we stopped at how children in this age, you know, enjoy competitive sports and team games. So, they're very competitive. They love team games. They are very athletic so you can use games and activities that, you know, are competitive in nature and also team games. Also, they, you know, you know, encourage group participation, sorry, encourage participation in group chores in the classroom, you know, like getting them to clean up the area each week. Like for in our children's church, we used to request them to help up and pack up and, you know, stacking all the chairs and, you know, just kind of rolling up all the power cards, putting back some of the stuff in the storeroom because we don't meet in our own facility. We rent out other spaces so we have to do set up and pack up so we ask children in this age group, you know, to help us and so they can, you can give them, you know, some responsibility, teach them how they can serve in church. It's a good time to teach them to serve in church. They need a little push because, you know, they're not very enthusiastic, like children, you know, in grades three, four and five, you know, they're more enthusiastic. The juniors are more enthusiastic than the preteens. So this group, you really have to motivate them. But if you can get a whole lot of them to do it, then, you know, it becomes like a culture and because they have other friends are doing it, they would also like to do it. You can also get them to, if you're serving snacks, you can get them to help in serving snacks, PowerPoint presentation or, you know, setting up the LCD projector, the laptop and all of those things. Just get them to take on responsibility, teach them responsibility in church, how they can, you know, help at church, teaching responsibility for self and others in the group also will really help them. Practice service to others. You know, you can take them for a short mission trips where they can, or evangelistic trips where they can go to, you know, orphanages, home for the elderly, those who are the home for the needy, you know, take them, show them, let them minister there, care for them, help out in some way in these homes. Also, you know, get them to mentor younger children, encourage them. So when you're having group games for the entire children's church, you can have preteens and teens helping their younger ones, whether it's a Bible quiz or a game or an activity, you can get them to, you know, be in charge, take responsibility. Also, get them to supervise younger children. For example, if you are, you know, going out in the open space so you can get them to help in leading the kindergarten, the grade one, the grade two, to the place where you're having a common activity and all of those things and just overseeing the children there, helping them out and things like that. Also, get them to pray together and individually, also get them to lead out in group prayer so you can have them pray for, you know, various needs in children's church in the common gathering, or you can get them to pray for the offering or, you know, some child who's celebrating their birthdays, you can get them to do that. Also, a good age for them to memorize a lot of scripture, so you can have Bible quiz, you know, get them to memorize long passages, Psalm 1, Psalm 23, the books of the Bible, you know, the fruit of the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, what is love, you know, you can get them to memorize all of these scripture passages, get them to also memorize some of their favorite verses in the Bible, a good age for getting them to do this. The next one is, you know, it's important to teach them to treat others kindly, both in and out of class, of course, they treat their friend groups very, very well. Why do you think they treat their friend groups very well? Why do you think they treat their friend groups very well? Even if somebody in their friendship groups, you know, disagrees with them, they might not literally snap back or fight back in, they might say things in a very strong way, but, you know, yes, they need acceptance, yeah. If they're not accepted by their friends, thank you Divya, they need acceptance. If they're not accepted by their friends, it can be a huge, you know, emotional turmoil for them, a concern for them, because friends are very, very important, friendship group, peer groups are very, very important for them. It gives them a sense of identity. So, you know, so sometimes, even if they sharply disagree and have a disagreement and argument, that can, you know, really affect them to a great extent. So, you know, it's important to teach them how to, you know, be kind to others, talk about a good scripture passage to discuss with teens, pre-teens, or you can use the scripture passage for your curriculum is 1 Corinthians chapter 13, where it's talking about what is love, love is patient, love is kind, does not envy, does not boast. So, you can talk about love, you can also talk about Jesus' commandment about loving one another, you know, also talk about how to resolve conflicts in a peaceful and a mature way, how Jesus did it, how the early church did it, you know, you can talk about various narratives in the Bible. So, this is when you're thinking about the curriculum, you can think about these points and keep these points in mind. Also, you know, talk about how to speak the truth in love. Ephesians chapter 4 verse 15, okay. Yes, it's important that you can, you speak the truth, speak your mind, speak what you feel, you understand, you think, you know, what you are trying to understand, you know, you can share it, you can speak it, you can discuss with people, but you know, how to do it in love. Also, help them how to express their frustrations and their anger using calm words, how to calm themselves down, how to, you know, discuss keeping others perspective in mind, you know, and also seeking a resolution. Also, help them to, you know, develop these spiritual disciplines of praying, reading the Word, you know, how to serve in church, evangelism, you know, giving of their offerings, even if you want to help them to type, some of them get their pocket money, how to type so you can help them. And I think basically, they would learn all of these things when you take them for mission trips, you know, and show them. It has a huge impact. I remember when I was in Bible college, you know, I was going through a very difficult phase in my life and they took us to Mukti Mission, you know, and in Mukti Mission, this is a home in very close to Pune, the city of Pune, a home for, you know, women who are widowed, who are abused, who are divorced, and, you know, the girl child who's just abandoned, all of them are in this home, and specifically what really impacted me the most was I went to this room where they had all these women who were blind, and, you know, they were sitting and they were weaving things, they were making baskets, and that really shook me, and that really brought me out of, I was going through a very difficult phase in my life, I was totally depressed, but that really impacted me so powerfully, so I think, you know, pre-teens and teens are, you know, not only just independent, but they're always thinking about themselves, you know, and that is why they have the very curious, they're asking a lot of questions, also their looks and everything, so if you divert their attention to, you know, homes and children and people in need, you will teach them the value, you will teach them the importance of valuing what they have, being, you know, happy with what they have, content with what they have, and how they can give to others, so I think, you know, even when we have pre-teen and teenage children at home, you know, they're basically wanting to buy and buy and buy and shop and shop because they're having this competition with their friends, basically among girls, you know, and they want to look the best, they want to be the best, the best dress, and they're vying for attention, so they want everyone looking at them, and like Lubega said, they go only to church because, you know, it's not to worship God, but because of friends and attention seeking, so I think taking them for mission trips and evangelistic outreach, you know, outreaches can really help them and change their perspective of thinking and being very self-focused to being people-focused and how they can help and, you know, how they can give away things and how they can be content with what they have, okay? Any questions so far? Anything anyone likes to add? Fe? Nothing? Okay, there are no questions, queries, no one wants to say anything, we'll move on, okay? Children in teens, pre-teens in this age, sorry, pre-teen, in pre-teenagers, you know, they're able to understand more abstract ideas compared to the previous age groups, you know, where they understand concepts more better and which needs to be reiterated and, you know, have them to understand in a more realistic way. These children are able to understand more abstract ideas so you can begin to talk about the Trinity, you know, all of the doctrines like redemption, atonement, sanctification, the person and the work of the Holy Spirit, you can also talk about the prophecies, covenants, also give them a broad view of the entire, overview of the entire Bible about the historical settings, you know, and how, you know, the Messiah, that was Jesus who, you know, the incarnation of Jesus happened at a specific time in history, but how it was, you know, prophesied or it was made known from the very beginning that is in Genesis itself, in the Garden of Eden, so, you know, when Adam and Eve sinned, so how the Bible talks about Jesus from the very beginning, also you can teach them about the various books in the Bible and how and who wrote the various books, how it was written, why it was written, so you can get into deeper teachings of the Bible and basically you can teach them some of the courses that you are studying in the Bible college as well, also provide them with, you know, answers to deeper questions like who is Jesus, why did he come, you know, why and how does God love me, compared to other people who are loving me based on my looks and my social status and what I have and how I perform in school and how I behave and how good I am, you know, also their purpose in life, you know, why they are here because that's a big question for them, you know, why am I here, what am I doing here on this earth at this point of time, why am I living, what is the purpose for my life, so something that you can talk about in your curriculum, you can have these points as well, these topics as well, some of the spiritual messages they need to hear is that, you know, the salvation message, you can share the salvation message with them in a deeper, in a more clearer way, the way that they can understand, they can also, you know, lead them to accept Jesus Christ as a Lord and Savior and many of them would want to accept Jesus Christ as a Lord and save in this age group, also, you know, talk about, you know, God's wonderful plan for their lives, you know, and that God will never leave them nor forsake them and, you know, how they can trust God, that's very, very important, okay, they're looking at the world around and they're beginning to see that, you know, people around them are not perfect, even their parents are not perfect, their teachers are not perfect, you know, nobody's perfect in this world and who they can trust, you know, who they can trust with their feelings, their emotions, what they're going, what they're thinking, you know, some of them can be thinking a lot of unhealthy thoughts, you know, who I can share with, what I'm going through physically, emotionally, mentally, so it's a good time to teach them to trust God, to put that trust in God and that they can share with God anything they want because God is there and he's trustworthy and he's faithful, okay, also teach them about, you know, the nature of God that in a more detailed way, you know, that he's all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present, so he knows what they're going through, he knows what they're thinking, he can work on their behalf, he can change things, he can help them, you know, identify themselves, love themselves, accept themselves, also how they can achieve and be successful. Remember, boys in this age are looking a lot for being successful and girls for more, for acceptance and loving themselves and, you know, accepting themselves and valuing themselves also for the boys, so you can talk about how God is all-powerful and also always present, present everywhere with them, ready to help them, so these are important attributes of God that you can talk about in a much detail, in a much deeper way, okay, and that, you know, they are loved by God no matter who they are, how they look, their social status, how they perform, you know, what is happening in their lives, God loves them very deeply and they don't have to do anything to make God love them, but also you can teach them that they are saved by grace and not by works, talk about how Jesus is the only way the truth and life, like Jeffina was saying, they're very confused about so many religions, so many philosophies, so many so-called gods and goddesses, so who is the truth, talk about the exclusiveness about Jesus that he is the way, the truth and the life, okay, and also you can, you know, begin to get them to share Jesus of God with others, which at this age can be a little difficult because they're very conscious, you know, if they talk about religion and God, their friends, whether their friends will like them, accept them, call them a holy joy, make fun of them, and things like that, but you can teach them in creative ways how they can share about Jesus, what just basically through and how, you know, their friends in their same challenges, so they can just share, you know, how God helped them and this will just, you know, be means when they're with others. What can we do as teachers, children's church ministers who minister to pre-teens, okay, be very conscious of the fact that they're going through physical changes, okay, and don't comment on their looks or their clothing or their style or in front of others. Of course, if there is, you know, a particular child is not dressing in an appropriate way and it's kind of going to be very uneasy for the teacher and for the other students, you can, you can, you know, speak to the child one on one, just explain things and, you know, try to understand why the child is dressing up in the way that he or she's dressing up and then discuss from there and hear their point of view, share your point of view and just help them to dress in an appropriate way, okay. They are looking for independence, so give them a certain degree of independence. What do you think are the areas that we can give them independence? Any thoughts? What are the areas we can give them independence? We're talking about in the children's church or Sunday school setup. Any thoughts? I don't know if I'm saying the right thing though. So when I go to the pre-teens, like, when you go to, like, I was in beginners as well, you can tell the child where they have to sit if you want to come friend, you can tell. But when I go to the pre-teens, they have specific spots, they have their friends, they want to be around them and I just make sure they can listen to the class from where they are. Sometimes they go way too far and I tell them to come little friend. But that's one of the areas I think I give independence whenever I go. Like, you can choose where they are, where they are comfortable where they can sit. That's one of the things that immediately comes to mind. Yes, very true. Thank you, Jeffina. I think that's so important. They, you can see one going sitting right at the back, you know, and they're hardly five or six students and the other five are sitting in the front and this one right at the back there. Okay. So maybe you can just allow them, what do you think? You can just allow them to sit down there as far as they are paying attention to you. You can get them to sit because, you know, if not, they can get very irritated and frustrated and you can, they can feel that you're treating them like a child. They would not want to come back to your class. Okay. Any other areas? Talking about the independence areas, we can give them independence. Yes, Lubega? I think we can allow them to cognitively be independent in using the Socrates method. They should ask you questions. You wouldn't back them off. Say you over ask, you do this or that. You should allow them to ask questions. Of course, as a, as their trainer or as their tutor, you can guide them, tell them that let's ask on this very topic. So to avoid them going astray, but we should allow them be independent as in asking questions. Thank you, Ma. Yes. Thank you, Lubega. I think that's very important. Get them to ask questions too. Do preteens and teens ask a lot of questions in class? Lots, okay. So get them to, yeah. So get them to ask questions. And when, when they ask questions, you know, your response should be, yeah, I think that's a very important question. Thank you for asking it. I know what you're saying. I understand what you're saying. I can just feel what you're saying. It's so true, so right. You know, what do the others think? So even if it's a kind of a very silly question, for you, it can be silly. Everyone else is laughing, but you can say, hey, that's such an important question. Thank you for asking it. You know, so what do you, what do the others think? So that way is, I think it can be very encouraging for preteens and teens, you know, your response and the way you look at their questions and how you encourage them and how you respond to their questions, very, very important. Yes. Any other area where we can give them independence? Okay. I think you can think of that during the break and we'll meet up the break. Okay. Thank you, everyone.