SUGGESTIONS FOR BUILDING ASSETS

Asset # 32- Planning and Decision-Making

(Young people are good at planning ahead and thinking about consequences before they act)

To Build Asset # 32 Parents and Extended Family Can . . .

* Parents and extended family can . . . Have a family calendar, and use it to model planning family activities. Prioritize things like extra-curricular activities, so you can teach your children about balancing time.

* Give your children choices rather than telling them what to do. Let them experience making decisions in age-appropriate ways. Help them evaluate the outcome of their plans and decisions.

* Parents and children together should come up with the rules and expectations of the household.

* Have teens in your family plan a camping  trip. Guide their planning with questions like, "Why did you decide that?" and "How would you deal with...?"

* Give children an allowance, and let them decide how to spend their own money. (Don't bail them out if they regret a spending decision!) Suggest a separate piggy bank for spending and savings. Have them choose something special to save for, and let them decide how much of their money goes in each bank.

* Teach decision-making skills to your children. It helps to "think out loud" when you are making a decision, so your children can learn how you think through a decision. Also, explain your reasons for your decisions, so kids understand what factors you consider when deciding things.

***************************************************************************************************

 29% of youth surveyed by Search Institute have this asset in their lives.*

*Based on Search Institute surveys of almost 100,000 6th to 12th grade youth throughout the United States