Do you know that children have a natural ability to plan, but their skills in this area may be dulled by not being used enough? It’s true! Just as muscles in a child’s body need to be used and strengthened, so do children’s planning skills.
Fortunately, it takes little effort on your part to remedy this situation. Planning skills are critical for learning the skills of successful living. As with all other learning, one must see the subject from various angles and angles to truly make an impact.
There are few parents who explain the practical use of planning skills in their children’s lives, but it is a vital piece of education that should be encouraged and developed. It isn’t easy to see how they will help your child, but as we will see, they will be one of their greatest assets.
The Benefits of Teaching Planning Skills to your Child
As a parent or teacher, you seek to create a strong foundation for your child’s early education. This is why it is essential to use planning skills in the child’s development.
The benefits of teaching your child planning skills are numerous, although I will focus on drawing these out for you:
1. Planning Skills boost confidence and self-esteem
The child feels that they can successfully do everything complex and straightforward when they have a well-developed plan. Your child will feel as if they are genuinely in control of their lives, and this will help them learn life skills that are so critical for their future success.
2. Planning Skills will be used for the rest of their lives
This is the beauty of planning skills. Once you start introducing these skills to your child, it becomes an integral part of how they learn and live.
3. Learning to plan makes it easier to organize daily life
If the child is successful in planning, it will be easier to organize their days and weeks. It is not difficult to see how this can help with almost all aspects of life because life runs much more smoothly when everyone knows what is going on.
4. Planning Skills will give your child a sense of control over their world
Since children learn best from controlling events, instilling the skill of planning will provide them with a sense of security in their lives. They will learn to be in control of their lives and make it so that they become better than they would have been without this skill.
5. Planning Skills will help your child gain better mental skills
A child without planning abilities is like a child trying to learn a foreign language from insufficient instruction in the language. They lack the necessary tools and resources to learn the language effectively, and their lack of planning skills can make them feel like this.
Upon learning how to plan, your child will be able to tackle even the most challenging problems in life with a sense of ease.
As you can see, your child will develop many skills that will benefit them in every aspect of their lives, and this is why it is so vital that you find ways to teach them these skills. You can begin right away by teaching these fun ways.
Here are the 9 Fun Ways to kickstart Your Child’s Planning Skills
1. Think a Step Ahead – Constantly
The ability to think ahead can make all the difference in planning and life success. When this skill is present, a child will be better able to predict what comes next and respond more effectively when dealing with problems as they arise. By doing this, the child will be able to make the most of every situation and be better prepared for anything.
In addition, asking your child to think forth will help him understand that there is a way to predict and plan for the future. Here are some ways to help your kids feel a step ahead:
- While drawing, ask them to outline the picture, and when you ask about it, have them explain what happened next.
- When you make this into a game by having the child tell you what comes next when they are drawing a picture or playing with their toys, it will be easier for them to learn this skill.
2. Use Imagination To Create a Story of How Something Was Made or Created
This is the basis for all planning skills, and it is one of the most important ones to teach. The development of your child’s imagination will help them plan better because they will be more interested in what they will do next, which will make it easier for them to prepare.
In addition, using their imagination is a great way to teach them how to come up with possible solutions to a problem. Doing this can help them learn without being told and prepare themselves for future situations. An example of this would be the creation of a story that takes place in a different period. The child might imagine that they are still in the present, but they ask themselves questions about what they did while there.
3. Teach Your Child to Use Silhouettes
Shapes are a vital part of any good plan. When you show your child a real object, you should also show them its outline. This will help them to recognize the form and will have them plan activities that require this form. You can accomplish this by making some basic shapes out of clay or other material or by drawing an outline on paper and having the child copy it onto a piece of construction paper.
Doing this will also have your child learning more about the properties of shapes, and they will be better able to plan activities that involve them. It is also fun for children, so they are worth teaching.
4. Draw a Map of The World
One way that you can teach your child to use the skill of planning is by asking them to draw a map of their world. You can ask them to draw islands and continents and then label where they will go next. You can playfully do this by having the child draw these things with markers or crayons, and you can ask them questions while they are doing it.
When they start labeling their future travel destinations, you can ask what they will see there or what they might eat. This will help them see that planning is more than just looking at pictures or putting things on paper, and it will have them become better planners as they get older.
5. Help Them to Color Coordinate Their Clothing, Bookshelf, and Other Objects
Taking care of your things, especially those that you use regularly, is an integral part of learning how to plan. This will help you plan your wardrobe and help you remember what you have and have not worn when getting dressed. It also enables you to organize your items to be easier to find. This can apply to anything from bookshelves to desks and anywhere else where you might need it.
The essential lesson of doing this is that you must take care of your things if you want them to last. If you do not take care of your books, they will eventually become worn down. This is the same with your clothes so that this skill can be so beneficial. Your child will also automatically start to understand the importance of planning, and they will be better able to plan their activities as a result.
6. Let Them Make a Game Out of Figuring Out What Goes Where
Playing games is one of the first ways children learn to plan. While this is only one aspect of planning, it can help your child to get the hang of creating a set. This will be easy for them if you have taught them to color coordinate their things previously, and it can be done with anything from their toys to bookshelves.
You can also have them play with you and ask them questions about their toys, such as “If I am playing with a car and this is the roof, where does that go next?” This will have them thinking about what goes with something and how it might fit. This can help them learn more about planning because they think through their activity instead of merely being told what to do next.
7. Ask Them To Plan Meals Ahead of Time
One of the most important ways that we plan is through food preparation. This is a great way to practice planning and make your child more comfortable with the skill as they get used to it. While this may seem like a simple activity, you can ask them questions about what they will eat and when they will have it. They might also have to start thinking about what is in the pantry and what will be prepared with whatever ingredients are available.
This is one of the excellent life skills that your child will learn, and it can help them be more self-sufficient later on. Plan their meals helps them be fed and helps save money and improve their food quality. An effective meal plan can make a huge difference in your health, and this is a skill your child must learn.
8. Ask Them to Plan a Group Activity
When children start school, they learn how to plan their daily activities. This can be a significant change for some children, but they must get used to it immediately. There may be many different ways that you can do this, and the most common might be to have your child discuss with you what they will do. They will also have to think about which things need to happen first and which ones will happen later.
This teaches them to be accountable for their actions and understand what they need to do. They will also learn that planning is more than just having things on a list, and they can start planning as soon as possible.
9. Set a Realistic, But Fun Goal
When setting a goal for your child, you can help them develop the right expectations and understand the concept of planning. Encourage your child by giving a small task to get a bigger reward. For example, you can ask them to clean their room before they get their allowance, or they can have time to play. These are great rewards for them and will make them more comfortable with this process.
This could be part of a bigger plan you have for them, and it can even be something that they think of on their own. However you do it, asking your child to set realistic goals is a great way to teach planning and get them started on their path.
Final Thoughts
Having difficulty with planning can be a hindrance to your child’s development. They must start enjoying planning as soon as they are old enough because it will help to teach them all of the skills that they will need later on.
That’s why NY BabySteps provides parents with the tools to teach their children how to plan. Learning how to prepare will make your life easier; it will make your child’s life better and more enjoyable at the same time. So let your child learn these planning skills and be more independent.
For more information about how to teach your child planning or any other parenting skills, contact us today. We’re happy to help!
