Building Strong Kids: Model Choice for your children

Model Choice for your Children

In the last blog, we discussed how choice is a fundamental life skill. Empowering children to make choices is one of the greatest gifts a parent can give a child.  As children begin to make choices, consider how your own thought processes can help a child grow in their abilities. 

Model Choice for your children:  As you begin to make choices, model your thinking aloud. Keep your choices accessible to a young mind.  For example, talk aloud about choosing between two restaurants for a family dinner, think aloud about which gas station has a lower price at the pump or choose between two gifts for a family member.  As children begin to hear you list pros/cons of each decision aloud, they will be more likely to incorporate similar language into their own choice vocabulary. 

Reflect on your choices:  After making a decision, articulate through reflective thought about each choice. For example, "I really enjoyed eating _________at this resturant but maybe next time I will choose to go to this ________resturant and eat____________." Keep your language positive as your reflect on the consequences of your choice.  Again, children listening to your thought processes will likely incorporate similar language into their daily life. 

In our next blog:  Helping children making challenging choices and what do do when a choice leads to a negative outcome.