Parent Resources

Last week’s 7 Habits focus was Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind. “Begin With the End in Mind” means to think about how you would like something to turn out before you get started. Reading a recipe before cooking or looking at a map before leaving on a trip is beginning with the end in mind. For young children, a good example is that of a jigsaw puzzle. Before doing a puzzle, they look at the cover of the box. They start with the end in mind.

Younger-Child Activities

• For Habit 2, provide a good base for activities around goal setting. As a family (or with an individual child), choose an area that needs improvement. The area of improvement, or the broad goal, becomes your end in mind. Then think of specific steps that will lead to achieving this goal. For example, if the goal is to improve as a reader, specific steps may include reading a certain amount of time every day or working several times a week to improve oral fluency.
• Ask your child if there is something special he or she would like to buy, then help your child plan how much money he or she will need to save and how long it will take. Discuss ideas for earning extra money, like doing additional chores and helping around the house.
• Create a “wants” and “needs” collage with your child. Cut out pictures of various items (toys, candy, vegetables, cleaning supplies, appliances, books, etc .) from a magazine and then ask your child to paste them under the correct column of “wants” or “needs”. Discuss why he or she chose to put the items in the respective columns.

Learn how Leader in Me (7 Habits) can help parents and guardians establish a powerful framework to nurture and develop life-ready leadership skills at home. The excerpt above is from The Leader in Me Parent’s Guide. This link will give you access to the entire resource.