So many of us grew up with the mantra “I think I can, I think I can,” and it all began with the timeless classic tale of The Little Engine That Could.
“When the train carrying toys and goodies to the children on the other side of the mountain breaks down, none of the shiny, powerful locomotives would help.
Only the Little Blue Engine would try, and with the power of courage, perseverance, positive thinking, and self-determination, he finally did it and pulled the train up and over the mountain.”
Through his story, we discover three important lessons: willingness to try, believing in yourself AND never giving up even when something feels really, really hard.
A New Year is an exciting time to set goals because it’s a clean slate, a fresh start. This essential question can be posed to your children: “WHAT CAN YOU DO IN 2023??? What is something you want to try for the first time, what is something that you want to get better at doing, what might seem scary or too hard?
Check out who’s riding on the “I Think I Can Train!”
With motivation and encouragement from us as the adults in their lives, and with some intrinsic courage, perseverance and belief in themselves, children can work towards these goals (and others) to experience the feeling of accomplishment and pride when obtaining them.
WHY: Goal setting for children is important because:
- It gives them a sense of purpose that can improve their confidence and build their self-esteem.
- It helps them to focus and make better decisions.
- it teaches them to take responsibility for their own behaviors and learning
- it promotes a “can-do” attitude
- it forms a powerful lifelong habit
- NurtureBlog