WHY COACH KIDS & YOUNG PEOPLE?
Life coaching for children is not meant to be an alternative to parenting.
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My belief is that every child enters this world with a clean slate. As they develop and grow they learn from those closest to them, be it parents, extended family members or carers. The way in which we parent, mirrors to our child who we are, what we stand for, how we experience life as it is happening, and our reaction to that which is happening. Unknowingly we write on the slate of who the child is becoming.
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The child you raise is and will be the most important job you will ever have and yet you have received no formal training in becoming a thriving parent. You have trained or studied to be in your profession and worked hard at being successful.The task to shape and be a good role model to another individual is being performed by how you were raised by previous generations. I am certain that as you have travelled along this parenting journey, you have come to realise that they too should have maybe done certain things differently.
Children do not instinctively know how to share with a friend during a game or how to engage with a group of other kids. They are not born with self-confidence, self-worth or resilience. They gain that by interaction with you and the world around them. Today youth struggle with issues such as bullying, low self-esteem, no self-respect, substance abuse, peer pressure, death, family problems, poor body image, parental divorce and a myriad of other reasons.
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My outlook and approach with a child is that they are complete, capable and creative just the way they are when I meet him/her. The aim with coaching is not to ‘change’ or ‘fix’ the child, it’s not about parents that want to put more pressure on their child to perform to their expectation. It’s about the child needing assistance in improving whatever life skill he feels he would like to improve on or that he is struggling with.
However it is unfortunately a fact that most education systems in the world focus on a child’s academic accomplishments, forfeiting their social and emotional development. A child’s Emotional Intelligence (EI) is as important as his Intelligence Quotient (IQ).
Life coaching builds skills and awareness, helping the young person & child to understand themselves better, identifying issues of concern or goals they wish to reach and develop methods for managing their emotions and improving their life situation. It also helps kids manage their response to difficult situations which leads them to becoming more resourceful thus improving their social and emotional well-being and creating more positive outlooks and outcomes.
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Coaching is a particular effective format of providing support for young people as it is action-orientated, practical, child-led and future focused. Coaching tools and techniques lend themselves to one-on-one relationships and group coaching offering a wide range
of applications.
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Life coaching assists children and young people to:
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Understand themselves better, including their triggers to negative emotion.
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Identify both positive and negative influences.
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Build relationships with others.
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Manage difficult situations and emotions.
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Develop a positive, healthy self image and identity.
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Manage anxiety and stress.
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Set and obtain goals.
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Improve self-esteem, self-respect and self-confidence.
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Build resilience and positive coping mechanisms.