One of the most unsettling things for children is the fear of unknown. The unpredictability of the future can cause anxiety, nervousness and a feeling of real fear.
To establish a culture of safety and predictability, we can start to think about the short term future, and what it may look like long before at occurs.
The below chart is a very simple weather predictor/planner. Each Friday, children get to use the usual weather symbols to predict the following week’s weather. ☀️☁️🌦🌧❄️⚡️🌈🌪
In the bottom half of the table, children can write down anything that helps them see the future more clearly. Thus, reducing the anxiety of what next week may look like. Things like:
• who’ll they’ll play with each day.
• books they’ll read
• food they might eat
• games they’ll play on the playground
This simple task is the beginnings of executive functioning for children and can be used with children as young as 3. Planning your week, scheduling event’s and making calculated predictions are things adults do each and everyday.
Let’s allow our children to predict their future, it won’t always go to plan, and that’s how we build resilience!
Give it a go! ❤️
#parenting #children #culture #charity #school #parents #community #kids #education #school #teachers #teaching
