Customer Reviews

StrengthsExplorer For Ages 10 to 14: From Gallup, the Creators of StrengthsFinder

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'd recommend this to any parent who wants to help their 10 - 14 old year old kids focus on their strengths. The package has a couple of useful workbooks (one for parents and one for kids) and one access code to the so called online StrengthsExplorer test . The test is like the adult version (StrengthsFinder) except it's shorter and it is apparently based on research with kids . Looks like both SF and SE test are by the same company, Gallup. Btw, one of the reviewers made it sound like it's a bad thing that the kid version of the test is shorter than the adult version. Somehow I can't imagine a 10-year old focusing for about 30 minutes (that's how long it took me to do adult StrengthsFinder) answering a bunch of somewhat abstract questions on line. So, to me, the fact that the kid version of the test is shorter, just makes sense. Another difference between SF and SE is that the SE report consist of Top 3 strengths as opposed to Top 5 in StrengthsFinder for adults.
Overall, especially if you thought StrengthsFinder was insightful, this is worth doing with kids.

As a parent of a teen boy, it was a wonderful resource to understand how he works and especially, how different his strengths are from mine. By naming his strengths, we could better use them to his advantage and frankly, ours too. We could appeal to his strengths in meeting homework deadlines, chores, etc.

Also, as a small group confirmation leader, I found the exercises to be useful for the boys as they faced awkward preteen years. They could go into situations knowing and naming their strengths and pull confidence from them even if they all handled similar situations differently. As with any inventory, the discussion that follows can be the most important and the prompts for parents or significant adults was helpful. The ability to see others as different and valued is so important at this or any age.

I have done the Strengths Finder and Strengths Leadership tests myself and found them helpful. However, my 10 year old daughter took the Strengths Explorer test and it was not at all accurate or helpful. The written materials included are VERY light, not much substance or guidance for the child or the parent. The website does not offer any additional information, help or substance beyond what you get with the test code. I think I wasted $26.

The publisher is no longer offering print editions of this book. But, if you go to the website - StrengthsExplorer.com - you will find it to still be very active.

There are PDF downloads (free) for Parents and Kids. For a $15.95 fee, you receive an access code for your child (12-year old niece, in my case) to do the online survey, which is an age-appropriate versions of StrengthsFinder 2.0.

There are also resources for teachers/educators.

There are very few resources that seriously recognize and tap the latent potential in kids, especially in this age bracket. As America's only leadership development program for 10-13 year olds, KidLead (www.kidlead.com) applauds these authors and recommends this book as a resource to KidLead parents. Thanks!

Alan Nelson, Ed.D.

This is a great way to encourage and stimulate greatness in your kids. If you are a parent or caretaker of children 10-14 and you yourself have completed the strengths assessment, this is the youth version. The workbook that comes with it to assist you in bringing up examples of your child's strengths is excellent. In a world where your children may be put down or made fun of at school, etc for "not being cool" by their peers' ever changing standards, this is a great way to refocus your child on what makes him/her unique.

Strengthsexplorer is a great way to get to know your child better and be able to parent him or her in a more effective way. It seems simple when you get the materials but if you dig into it and follow the directions for the youth and adult, you will get an amazing experience. Make sure you allow the child to take the online "quiz" without your guidance. Make sure they know to be completely honest (no one will see their test, ever, even they won't see their responses again). If they are not honest, they will not get the correct outcome of their top 3 strengths. I love this program, I took the adult Strengths Finder as part of a Life Group class at church and have really found it helpful for myself. I am so glad I had my son take the child version. It really encouraged him to know I was trying to find out more about him and he really felt the results described him. I was surprised by one of his strengths, it explains his reaction to situations and will enable me to be more effective with him!

I am a big user of StrengthsFinder at work, and it's has nagged me that I didn't know the strengths of my oldest daughter. I was more than pleased to find the Gallup survey adapted for 10-14 year olds and surprised to discover her signature themes of relating, presence, and confidence. These are a wonderful combination that will help her succeed in most every endeavor, skills that I can reinforce and encourage. Thank you!

The Strengths Explorer for ages 10-14 was exactly what I was looking for for my son. I had taken the Strengths Finder 2.0 and it helped me tremendously so I was looking for something geared to my sons age. We were looking for a way to focus on what he did best and help him expand on that. The Strengths Explorer for Ages 10-14 helped us pinpoint those strengths without always second guessing. It has also helped us as parents to understand better who he is and his thinking. I would recommend this to any parent that is interested in helping their child succeed.

I had high hopes for this given my opinion of the Strengths Finder for adults. It's twice as expensive as the Strengths Finder and gives about half the value. The actual instrument (test) is very short, and the level of description about the strengths is too skimpy.

Not bad, but not worth it. Maybe Gallup's foray into this age bracket research will yield better results down the road.