Habit 2: begin with the end in mind
Parent Resources- *The information below comes from The Leader in Me Parents' Guide*
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.
FAMILY MISSION STATEMENT
A family mission statement is like a constitution your family lives by that helps you all make decisions for your life. It represents the purpose and values of you family, and will allow you to shape your future according to the principles you as a family hold most dear, rather than letting other people or circumstances determine it.
Mission statements take many forms. Some are long and some are short. They may take form as a saying or phrase, a picture, a poem, or even a song. Make it personal to your family.
Get started by following these steps:
1. Discuss the following questions with your family:
-What does our family want to be known for?
-How do we treat each other?
-What unique contributions can we make?
-What big goals do we want to achieve?
-What unique talents and skills do we have?
2. Brainstorm ideas, words, and phrases to include in the mission statement. Remember no idea is a bad idea.
3. Begin crafting your statement, but remember, it doesn't have to be finished in one sitting. It can be a work in progress until you are all happy with the outcome.
4. Post the statement prominently in your home and encourage the entire family to consider it when making decisions or having disputes.
Younger-Child Activities
1. As a family or with an individual child, choose an area that needs improvement. The area of improvement becomes your end in mind. Then think of specific steps that will lead to achieving this goal.
2. Ask your child if there is something special he or she would like to buy, then help your child plan how much money he/she will need to save and how long it will take. Discuss ideas for earning extra money like doing extra chores or babysitting.
3. Create a "wants" and "needs" collage with your child. Cut out pieces of various items from a magazine and 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.
4. If you have the book, The 7 Habits of Happy Kids, read Chapter 2 in the book and then complete the Parent's Corner.
Primary Age Children's Reading List, 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.
FAMILY MISSION STATEMENT
A family mission statement is like a constitution your family lives by that helps you all make decisions for your life. It represents the purpose and values of you family, and will allow you to shape your future according to the principles you as a family hold most dear, rather than letting other people or circumstances determine it.
Mission statements take many forms. Some are long and some are short. They may take form as a saying or phrase, a picture, a poem, or even a song. Make it personal to your family.
Get started by following these steps:
1. Discuss the following questions with your family:
-What does our family want to be known for?
-How do we treat each other?
-What unique contributions can we make?
-What big goals do we want to achieve?
-What unique talents and skills do we have?
2. Brainstorm ideas, words, and phrases to include in the mission statement. Remember no idea is a bad idea.
3. Begin crafting your statement, but remember, it doesn't have to be finished in one sitting. It can be a work in progress until you are all happy with the outcome.
4. Post the statement prominently in your home and encourage the entire family to consider it when making decisions or having disputes.
Younger-Child Activities
1. As a family or with an individual child, choose an area that needs improvement. The area of improvement becomes your end in mind. Then think of specific steps that will lead to achieving this goal.
2. Ask your child if there is something special he or she would like to buy, then help your child plan how much money he/she will need to save and how long it will take. Discuss ideas for earning extra money like doing extra chores or babysitting.
3. Create a "wants" and "needs" collage with your child. Cut out pieces of various items from a magazine and 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.
4. If you have the book, The 7 Habits of Happy Kids, read Chapter 2 in the book and then complete the Parent's Corner.
Primary Age Children's Reading List, Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
- Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats
- The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
- Click, Clack, Moo by Doreen Cronin
- Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni
- Galimoto by Karen Lynn Williams
- Where Do You Think You're Going, Christopher Columbus? by Jean Fritz
- Lucy Mastermind by Alan Feldman
- Eddie, Incorporated by Phyllis Naylor
- Bobby Baseball by Robert Kimmel Smith
- The School Story by Andrew Clements