So here's what we do, and I'm just going to say that every family is different. This is just a starting point for you. Feel free to make changes to fit your own family as needed.
1. Gather your planners and favorite pens/markers/crayons/stickers/stamps/etc. and start with a prayer. I'm the first to admit that I can't do this alone. God has helped me in SO many ways, that I like to invite him to our weekly planning session. (Hey, if that sounds crazy to you, just try it. You'll see what I mean.)
2. Review last week.
- Review the inspiring words you chose to focus on (Possibly give out a prize for anyone that memorized it! I'm all about bribery. More on that here.)
- Talk about the challenge/needs and the solutions/goals for the week. This is SUCH an important part of planning. It will definitely open up the communication in your family. Allow each person to express themselves without judgement. They NEED to feel comfortable being themselves and expressing themselves. This step will definitely give them the confidence to do that! (This discussion may lead to adjusting the goals for next week, feel free to do that now!)
- In turn, help each child respond to the journal prompts. Some suggestions:
- You may want to do this individually before the actual planning session.
- You could also ask one question at a time and have each child take a turn responding.
- If your children are old enough, they may want to just fill this in on their own, or even use a "parent planner" that gives them more space to express whatever they want. I would suggest at least one year of using the prompts to get them into the weekly habit of being thankful, trying new things, seeing their own strengths and areas they could improve (without being too hard on themselves. Don't spend too much time on that prompt. It is meant to prompt a goal on improving some aspect of their life, not dwelling on weaknesses or character flaws).
- For the "I did this really well" prompt, take turns focusing on each individual while everyone in the family gets a chance to tell them what they noticed this week. This promotes family unity and might help a child who is struggling see some strengths they hadn't noticed. It also shows children that it is OK to praise and complement someone, and that it feels good when you are the one being complemented too! This is one of our favorite steps in the weekly planning process.
- Keep track of what they've earned, saved, spent/donated. This can be anything from money, points, tickets, stickers, etc. More on that here.
3. Plan for the upcoming week.
- If you haven't already gone over the challenges/needs-solutions/goals step, do that now.
- Ask if they have any challenges/needs, and point out anything on your mind (without being critical).
- Ask for everyone's ideas on possible solutions. Encourage all answers to be written.
- Each person can make a personal goal to overcome the challenge or meet the need. More on goal-setting here.
- List any responsibilities that need special attention. We use a separate "job chart" that reminds them of things that must be done daily. This is a place to list anything that might need some extra focus to get done.
- Go through the weekly schedule and fill in any appointments, practices, games, etc. Anything that needs to be ON the calendar.
- Choose a new quote/saying/scripture to focus on and write it in the box.
- This is a great way to teach a principle that may be helpful with specific challenges or needs that are being encountered at the moment.
- This doesn't always have to be chosen by the parent. If a child heard something that resonated with them, let them share!
4. End with a prayer, a treat and prize redemption time if desired.
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