There is nothing like watching a child step into their confidence.
One moment they are saying, “I can’t.”
The next, they are standing taller, speaking more boldly, and believing, “I can.”
These breakthroughs don’t happen by chance.
They happen because you, as a coach, create an emotionally safe space where learning, growth, and transformation are possible.
With Adventures in Wisdom®, you use a proven story-based coaching curriculum and trusted coaching process to help children develop mindset skills for life.
Here are five powerful steps to delivering a coaching session that truly creates change.
Step 1: Start with Purpose
Every great coaching session starts with a clear understanding of why the child is being coached.
That purpose comes from a thoughtful intake process with the parent and child. Together, you uncover what is working in the child’s life, what is not, and what goals they want to achieve.
Some children may want help building confidence, managing anxiety, handling a transition, or learning to stand up for themselves. Others may be seeking clarity about their dreams or how to make good choices.
When you are clear on the child’s goals, you can choose the right skills and tools to support their journey. You also build immediate trust by showing the child that their voice matters.
Step 2: Create a Safe and Engaging Space
Kids do not respond to lectures or pressure. They respond to connection, creativity, and play.
Because their brains are still developing, especially in areas related to self-reflection and critical thinking, traditional adult coaching techniques often miss the mark. That is why the Adventures in Wisdom curriculum uses storytelling as the foundation for coaching and includes a teaching component for the coach.
Stories allow children to see themselves in characters. They explore real-life challenges, feelings, and choices in a way that feels safe and engaging. Through stories, children learn without being told, and coaches teach without preaching.
When paired with child-friendly discussion questions, and hands-on activities like drawing, crafts, role-playing, or games, these stories help children experience the mindset skills in a way they can remember them and apply the lessons to their own lives.
Step 3: Use the STORY Coaching Process
This simple but powerful five-step structure guides each coaching session and helps create consistency and momentum through the coaching journey.
S – Share a Coaching Story
Start by reading a story that addresses the child’s current challenge or goal. Each story in the Adventures in Wisdom curriculum teaches a specific mindset skill, such as building self-confidence, handling mistakes, living with integrity, or saying no to peer pressure – there are 27 skills in all.
T – Talk About the Story
Use guided discussion questions to help the child reflect on what happened in the story and how it relates to their own life. This step often sparks important insights and meaningful conversations.
O – Organize an Activity
Hands-on activities make abstract concepts real. They also make learning fun. Activities might include art, writing, acting, games, or other forms of expression that bring the skill to life.
R – Review with Parents
Children are often excited to share what they are learning. Giving parents a “WISDOM for Home” sheet helps reinforce the lesson at home and supports deeper family conversation and connection.
Y – Yes, Confirm the Learning
At the start of the next session, use a short review to reinforce the previous skill and celebrate progress. This repetition helps build mastery over time.
As one 7-year-old girl shared after a session, “I learned that I don’t have to follow other people. I can choose for myself.”
Step 4: Stay Flexible
Having a plan is important. Being present is essential.
Children live in the moment. Some days they may arrive full of joy and energy. Other days, they may be carrying something heavy and not know how to express it.
When you meet the child where they are and follow their lead, you often uncover the real opportunity for growth. Sometimes the best coaching happens when the plan changes.
One of the most powerful things a coach can do is to create a space where children feel safe to be themselves, even if that means changing course during a session.
Breakthrough coaching is not about finishing a lesson. It is about creating a shift in the child’s heart and mind.
Step 5: Celebrate the Wins
When a child has a breakthrough, no matter how small, celebrate it.
Maybe they recognized a limiting belief, tried something new, or used a positive self-talk statement on their own. These are powerful moments that deserve to be acknowledged.
Celebration helps anchor the learning in their memory. It also builds motivation and momentum.
Coaching is not about perfection. It is about practice. With each session, children build resilience, courage, and confidence. They learn how to face challenges with a new mindset and how to create a life they love.
As one coach shared, “Mike discovered that he was in control of his feelings, not anyone else. He shifted from outbursts to calm, from fear to self-respect. Now he is happier, more confident, and making new friends at school.”
Coaching with Heart
You don’t have to be perfect to be a powerful coach. What matters most is your intention and your presence.
When you lead with purpose, use tools that work for kids, create emotional safety, and meet children where they are, you help them discover the strength that already lives within them.
If you are already coaching, keep going. Your work matters deeply.
If you are thinking about becoming a coach, we would love to welcome you to the WISDOM Coach® family.
You may never know which session will change a child’s life forever. But every time you show up with love and intention, you plant a seed. And that seed will grow.
Want to read real-life breakthrough stories?
Visit WISDOM Coaching in Action
Ready to become a Certified WISDOM Coach®?
Click here to get started and receive your FREE coaching story
Renaye Thornborrow is leading a worldwide mission to bring life coaching to kids. Since 2013, Adventures in Wisdom has certified hundreds of coaches in over 30 countries, helping them create a business they love as a life coach for kids, while helping children build the mindset and skill set for resilience, self-esteem, achievement, and self-leadership so that they are confident and prepared to thrive in life.
*** The end ***
Adventure well, my friend!
Copyright (C) 2011-2025 Adventures in Wisdom, Inc. All Rights Reserved.