Starting your journey as a life coach for kids is both exciting and rewarding. But as a new coach, it is natural to feel a bit nervous about your first session. You might be wondering, “What should I do? How do I make the session impactful? What if I get stuck? Will I be able to get results with kids?”
The good news is if you are certified with Adventures in Wisdom, you can feel confident that you will be an effective life coach for kids because you will be using a proven story-based coaching curriculum and STORY Coaching process that will guide you step-by-step.
Setting the Stage for Success in Your First Coaching Session
The first coaching session with a child is all about building rapport and setting a solid foundation for your coaching relationship. You want the child to feel comfortable and safe, so they can open up and engage fully during your coaching sessions.
If you haven’t already met the child, you will start by sharing a bit about your background and why you’re passionate about helping kids. Authenticity builds trust. Coaches often share pictures of their own children or their pets to help build connection.
This is also the perfect time to share how coaching is designed to support them in achieving their goals whether it’s to build confidence, make new friends, improve performance in school, break through shyness, etc. An analogy that always works with children is that, “just like a basketball coach helps children build the skills, confidence, and ability to thrive on the basketball court, a life coach for kids helps children build the skills, confidence, and ability to thrive in life.”
You are part of their team to help them win in life!
Coaches will often include an icebreaker at the beginning of each session such as a “Would You Rather” game, to build rapport and help the child relax. Adventures in Wisdom has many different icebreakers for you to choose from.
One of the most important things to do in your first session is to set clear expectations because most children will not have experienced life coaching before.
Explain how coaching works, the role you will play, and what’s expected from them (to be curious, to listen, to participate, and to have fun). You can also share about confidentiality as well. Sometimes children are concerned that what they discuss will be shared with their parents, so you will want to discuss with them that the two of you will decide together what will and will not be shared with their parents.
Introduce Story-Based Coaching
One of the most exciting parts of the first session is introducing the children to story-based coaching. As a WISDOM Coach, you use engaging stories to help children build confidence, resilience, and self-leadership. You can share how stories create a safe space for kids to explore their feelings and to learn powerful life skills, without feeling judged or lectured.
You can also share an example of a story you plan to share with them and how it ties to their goals. This will get them excited and curious about the coaching journey and inspire them to engage right away!
Example: If you are helping a child build confidence, you might tell them about the story “Canville and Cantville – A Tale of Two Towns”. Through the story, they will learn that confidence is a skill and that they can choose to use “I can” thinking versus “I can’t” thinking in their lives. The power of their thoughts will directly impact their ability to feel confident and to achieve their goals.
Story-based Coaching and the Step-by-Step STORY Coaching Process You Will Use
Coaching stories are the foundation of the Adventures in Wisdom story-based coaching curriculum and each of the 27 mindset skills is taught using a story.
The reason for this is brain science.
Research shows that we are far more likely to remember something taught through stories. Stories give kids a safe way to learn through characters and situations in the story.
While stories are the foundation of the curriculum, they are only one part of the highly-effective STORY Coaching Process.
The STORY Coaching Process is a step-by-step process that includes a coaching tool for each step and is designed to help kids learn, understand, and experience a mindset skill so that they use it in their life.
The STORY Coaching Process is so simple and effective that coaches often get results within their very first coaching session.
You will use the STORY Coaching Process for each of the 27 mindset skills you help a child to develop.
There are 5 steps:
Share the story – You start by sharing a coaching story. The story is written in a fable format and is designed to help kids develop a specific skill. The main character in all 27 coaching stories is Wyatt the Wise Wizard. He is the mentor in the story, who helps the characters navigate the situation they are facing by using mindset skills. You can think of Wyatt as your partner in coaching kids.
Engaging with the child during the story will increase retention of the lessons from the story. Adventures in Wisdom provides tips for engaging with kids during storytime!
Talk about the skill – Each story has a set of child-friendly discussion questions to help check a child’s understanding of the story and to help the child explore the mindset skill at a deeper level and apply it to their own lives. And of course, you can add your own discussion questions as well.
Organize an activity – After exploring the story, organize a fun activity to help the child practice the skill. The curriculum gives you activities to choose from and you can add your own as well. Activities might include art projects, role playing, or a game. You can bring in your own area of expertise or passions here as well (like yoga, drama, art, dance, etc.). Be creative and have fun with it! Bring who you are into your coaching.
Review with the parent – At the end of the session, it’s time to review what was learned with the parent. Often the child will share what they have learned and are usually very excited to share their art project if they completed one that day. The Adventures in Wisdom Curriculum also provides you with a WISDOM for Home take-home sheet that summarizes the key points in the lesson and suggests ways to continue the conversation at home.
Yes – Confirm the learning – In the next session, you will quickly check retention of the previous lesson by using a set of practice exercises that take about five minutes. These are called the Wise in 5s.
The power of the STORY Coaching Process is that it is so simple, effective and consistent that you and the child will know how each coaching session is structured.
More Tips for Success when Life Coaching Kids
- Practice Active Listening
Be fully present and listen carefully to the child’s words, emotions, and body language. This builds trust and helps you understand their underlying beliefs and challenges. - Stay Flexible and Open-Minded
Every child is different, and sessions may not always go as planned. Stay adaptable and be ready to follow the conversation wherever it leads. - Embrace the Power of Stories and the STORY Coaching Process
Remember, story-based coaching is your secret sauce! Approach each story and coaching session with enthusiasm and curiosity – your excitement will be contagious! - Ensure the Parent Understands what was Covered in Coaching that Day
When the parent drops their child off for your session, be sure to ask them to come back about 5-10 minutes before the end of the session so that you can share what the child has learned. Often the child will explain what they’ve learned first, and then you can fill in any gaps. Then you present the WISDOM for Home take-home sheet so that the parent can continue the conversation at home with their child.
After the Coaching Session
Many of our coaches will take notes about any insights they’ve gained from the session and share their insights with the parent. Adventures in Wisdom provides sample email templates that you can personalize and use.
Communicating with parents between sessions is a wonderful way to stay engaged with parents throughout the coaching process and reinforce the value of the coaching and the impact that it is having on their child.
As a coach, you decide what type of connection you want to provide throughout the coaching process. Some coaches add a parent coaching call and email support to their coaching packages while others just focus on the sessions with children.
Feeling Confident in What to Expect in Your First Coaching Session?
Your first coaching session is an opportunity to make a powerful impact. The Adventures in Wisdom Curriculum and STORY Coaching Process are designed to guide you step-by-step.
And remember, it’s okay to feel nervous – even seasoned coaches were once beginners! Even if you are new, the curriculum, tools, and processes you use are not new – they have been proven for over a decade and have been used by coaches to transform the lives of children around the world. Trust the process, trust your training, and most importantly, trust yourself. You’re on a journey to inspire and empower children to reach their full potential, and that’s an incredible gift. You can do it!
Ready to Get Started?
If you’re excited about using story-based coaching to empower kids, become a WISDOM Coach® and start transforming young lives today!
With the right preparation and mindset, your first coaching session can be a life-changing experience – for both you and kids. Embrace the adventure, and happy coaching!
How can You Find a WISDOM Coach to Work With?
Simply click below to:
- Use the “Connect with a Coach” form or
- Search the WISDOM Coach® Directory
Get Certified as a WISDOM Coach Yourself
If you’re passionate about helping kids this way, then get certified to use this story-based curriculum and use it in the way that works best for you.
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Adventure well, my friend!
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