The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Elementary School Students

Sep 17, 2020 | Littleton

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Elementary School Students

 

Dr. Stephen Covey’s best-selling book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, discusses 7 habits he believes allows people to be successful in their professional and personal lives. Although this book was written for adults, these same habits can help your child find success as well.

 

The 7 habits are: 

1) Be Proactive 

2) Begin With the End in Mind

3) Put First Things First

4) Think Win/Win

5) Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

6) Synergize

7) Sharpen the Saw

Let’s look at how these habits can speak to your child and how you can practice these habits with them.

#1: Be Proactive

When presented with a challenge during math instruction, your child may say comments like,” I hate math” or “Math is too hard for me, math isn’t fun.” How can you help your child be proactive about changing a negative attitude towards math? Help your child understand they are in control of their thoughts and attitudes. If they approach their math instruction believing for a positive outcome, they will see good results, even if it presents a challenge initially. Address this concern upfront and proactively set the tone for the rest of the semester.

 

#2: Begin With the End in Mind

Your child may have a test coming up and would like to receive an “A”. Receiving the “A” grade is the end goal.  You can work with your child to think about how they can make it happen. Can they review previous homework assignments? Is there a video or lecture they can re-watch?  Can they set a small daily goal for the week that will bring them to their main goal? Help your child create an action plan and discuss the steps they will take from beginning to end.

 

#3: Put First Things First

Habit #3 is about teaching your child to manage their priorities. Your child may prefer to play video games for 2 hours after school before completing their math homework. You may need to guide them initially to know what tasks are important and what can wait.  Consider working with them to decide on a schedule for a rest break prior to starting homework. Or your child may procrastinate if they have a project due, ending in a late night rush to complete it at the last minute. Help your child avoid procrastination and the anxiety it can bring by helping them schedule and track important assignments. 

 

#4: Think Win/Win

Thinking “win/win" is viewing circumstances in life as the glass being half full instead of half empty. Your child may be presented with a challenge, but with a “win/win” attitude and perspective, they will seek an outcome where everyone involved can benefit. This positive outlook will carry beyond assignments and help them be more optimistic and encouraging of others.

 

#5: Seek First to Understand, Then Be Understood

This next habit is centered on communication skills. Listening before having a turn to speak may be a challenging concept for younger children to understand, but you can strengthen this skill with practice. Help your child practice patiently listening to instruction before jumping into a lesson. Especially in math, one missed instruction can result in an incorrect application, so it’s important to utilize their listening skills. Practice having conversations with your child where they repeat what they heard and discuss what was said.

 

#6: Synergize

Synergize encompasses the saying, ”Two heads are better than one.” By incorporating this habit, your child can learn to utilize the resource of their community to problem solve.  Consider a quarantine play date where your child can work with a friend to complete an assignment. Mathnasium is also ready to synergize with your child to help them excel in their math understanding. You could also have an older or younger sibling get involved. Different people will bring different perspectives to the problem, resulting in a new understanding and greater outcome.

 

#7: Sharpen the Saw

The 7th and final habit is about self-care. Even at a young age, the importance of self-care can be understood by your child. After a long day of virtual learning, allow them to do an activity that brings them joy.  Make room for family time where you take time to play a game with them or take a walk outside. Most importantly, take care of yourself to be a good example for your child.  

 

These habits are meant to be a guidepost but are not set in stone, so feel free to modify them to fit your child’s needs. Maybe they are a pro at “Being Proactive”, but they need practice to “Think Win/Win”. You may define success slightly differently for your child and that’s ok. You and your child can define success on your own terms! Call or email us today and mention this article to see find out how you can get a free trial day at our center to see how we can help make your elementary student more effective and efficient.

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