New Year Plans? Your Child In It?!

A happy New Year to you. I want to use this medium to thank you for taking your time to learn something unique from this article today which is also my debut in the world of Educative blogging.

Truly, 2020 was a year filled with the ugly, bad and the good (in this order ironically). Even though multitudes cried and many lost out but some smiled all through the year.

How? You may ask. Answer is 'Preparedness/Intentional Planning Meet Opportunities.'

While I am not here to tutor us on this subject matter as it is a widely discussed matter on motivational speakers' lips, different blogs, etc, as I'm sure you are surely aware of how to go about personal planning and goal setting.

But the question for you today, really is;

★ "Are most parents or guardians really & intentionally planning for their wards?"

★ "If they are, do they have clear cut goals, do they intentionally set out such goals for them beyond their academic success, material, financial well-being/ support and financial obligations?"

The popular answers will be a big 'NO'!

Unconsciously the society has already wired us to believe that what we should do in terms of planning for our children is to just plan for this listed above and not beyond. This is far from being true. It is important to note that you can plan for your 'wonderminds' strategically and intentionally to facilitate growth and development that produces a total child.

In Nigeria, a lot of people tend to believe that only, the academics is quite important than any other area of learning for the child. This is absolutely wrong. The fact is that, there are three 'Learning Domains' that must grow and develop for the child to be a total child. These are:

1) Cognitive: This has to do with the academic aspects of learning.

2) Psychomotor Domain: This has to do with the use of the body muscles and joints to achieve a feat.

3) Affective Dormain: which balls down on attitude, character or discipline and output of internalized skills.

None of these three is more important than the other. But when these three are strategically planned to meet up with the needs of a child, the child is empowered to be stable. Stability in a great sense is the bedrock of a successful life.

A popular saying according to King Solomon, the wise Hebrew king says, "Train up your a child in the way that he should go...."

The important lessons in this proverb is that King Solomon choice of words were intentional. The article used, 'A child' connotes a definite noun which means every child should be strategically planned for as a separate entity.

While, the article 'the' way indicates an definite article which means just a way per a singular person.

So, when you are planning for a class, your children or taking a group of our 'wonderminds' and you plan a singular approach for them all, you are bound to fail!

The word 'Train' in this proverb is coined from a Hebrew word called Chânak. Pronounced as

khaw-nak and it has four distinctive meaning. Which are;

¡) To Dedicate,

ii) To Guide,

iii) To Initiate and

iv) To Direct.

So, if you are to train up a child successfully, then it simply means you have to take the aforementioned steps which does not necessarily reflect financial obligations only.

Keys to Strategic and Intentional Planning to Training A Total Child

To train the child, you need to be intentional in your plans and do this appropriately by considering the following steps;

• Observe

• Set SMART and clear goals

• Communicate

• Follow up

• Re- strategize

I'll pen down at this point to allow us internalize what we've learnt from this content so far. Next week we will explore these 5 approaches to planning intentionally for your child.

*Remember, that we are interested in helping you raise a 4SRs' child- A Stable, Resourceful, Resilient, (self-) Reliant and Responsible Child. We are just a click away.

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