Tuesday Tips: The Power of Cooperative Games (Part 2)

Tweens & the Battle of the Frontal Lobe

Real talk —middle school is wild.

One minute you’re laughing about dragoncats or grape soda, the next minute someone’s crying over a side comment that felt like an attack. You’re not alone in it—this is the age where hormones start playing tug-of-war with brain development.

And guess what part of the brain gets especially tangled up?

That’s right. The frontal lobe - home of the executive functioning skills.

Brains: Under Construction

As our kids grow, so do our expectations. We start asking them to be more independent, plan their time better, regulate their emotions, and “just be more mature.” School asks them to manage their own agenda, do long term projects and work more on group projects.

But under the hood, their frontal lobes are still under construction—and now battling surges in hormones that trigger the fight, flight, or freeze response at a moment’s notice.

It’s not fair, really. Their to-do lists are growing. Their emotions are louder. And their brains are still wiring up the parts that help them pause and think before reacting.

So what can we do?