Weekend Preview

This random photo of a summer break on Lake Champlain was just for fun. It’s one of my favorites! Mikey always followed Will’s lead and Will could always be found trying to catch a frog or a fish with his net. So, I’ve shared this fun photo…I can now admit that I used it only because I love it and not because it has anything to do with Mikey’s weekend share. The weekend shares had many benefits, but since they were previews of the upcoming weekend, they didn’t have pictures.

But after reading this post, my thoughts are drawn to the idea that the weekend is a mini version of all the uncertainty of summer we explored yesterday. The weekend share was an idea we had to let Mikey’s classmates know what he was doing over the weekend. It served that purpose and helped his friends feel comfortable to jump in and include themselves (since Mikey couldn’t extend a verbal invitation). The added benefit of the weekend share is that it let Mikey know what to expect.

Previewing

Letting your kids know what is coming is a powerful tool in helping them to feel in control of their own lives. With more advanced kids, you can preview the plans as well as the expectations (review those right before the event regardless of ability level). For example, if we were going to the zoo, I would remind Will that we could see whatever he wanted, but we needed to stay together. Letting him know to keep me in sight allowed me to make sure Mikey didn’t wander away unnoticed.

We all love a little predictability. Give that to your kids whenever you can.