How to Teach Kids to Plan a Project

Kids love to make things and explore ideas. If your child would like to plan a project that involves several steps, encourage her to think it through and then help her make it work.

Instructions

1. Pick a project. Kids want to learn about real life. Ask your child what he has always wanted to learn about and encourage him to pick a project that will help him learn more about that interest. For example, if your child has always wanted to be an artist, maybe painting a mural is something that he would like to try. If your child wants to build, maybe this is the summer that she embarks on building a play house. Perhaps, your child is business minded? Surely, a economically viable lemonade stand is a great idea. Pick a real project that is interesting to your child.

2. Plan the steps necessary to get the project done. Every project has a series of steps that need to be accomplished in order to get to the end result. Help your child think through this process before he begins working on the project. Make a list of each step and help him anticipate how long each step will take. Anticipate hurdles that may interfere with the project's completion. If Aunt Sally is bringing her ten kids next week for three days, that might not be the best time to start a building project.

3. Attach a date to each step of the project. Help your child make a project calendar, noting which steps will be completed on which days. This will help your child visualize the project as a whole and it will help her structure her time on a daily basis. It is greatly encouraging to know that even large, multi-step projects can be tackled if you simply do one thing at a time. according to your plan.

4. Gather your supplies. Help your child think through what supplies will be needed to complete his project and then, make a list. As part of your scheduling calendar, plan a day, before the work begins, to bring all of the supplies together in one place. If some things must be purchased or borrowed a head of time, do that prior to the time you have set aside to gather your supplies.

5. Do the project, step by step, according to the schedule your child has outlined. Encourage your child to, at least, accomplish that day's goals in an effort to stay on track. If she falls behind, encourage your child to modify her schedule as necessary and keep going.

6. Encourage your child to keep a journal of his progress. Have your child keep all of the project planning information in a journal. Note the steps that are planned, the materials that are needed, and the anticipated calendar. Once the plan is fully outlined in the journal, have your child make daily entries (or you do it for him) about his progress. Take progress pictures with a camera or draw them. In the end, your child will not only have a completed project, he will have a record of how he did it.

Tips & Warnings

• Start with small projects and gradually advance to more complicated projects.

• Make sure that each step of the project is simple and that no step is overlooked. Help your child plan the project in such a way that he is likely to be successful.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish