Why change should be your friend as a Kids Life Coach

Recently in one of our Thinking Thursday group mentorship sessions, the topic of "fidelity" was raised by a Kids Life Coach Academy student. It was in response to an experienced Kids Life Studio® certified coach presenting a brilliant client case study of a 12-year old boy lacking in concentration in the classroom. This kids life coach spoke extensively as to how she used our Kids Life Studio® foundation programme consisting of 5 tools and 7 key ingredients to support this boy who after participation in his coaching programme is now flourishing in the classroom and excelling academically despite a potential ADHD diagnosis. 

So what is fidelity and how is this applicable to coaching children? 

Fidelity is the extent to which an intervention follows a programme model. When implementing our evidence informed play based coaching programme, our certified Kids Life Studio® coaches are encouraged to adapt this for their local contexts. Being flexible in how the programme is presented means they are being culturally sensitive, totally inclusive and harnessing diversity and inclusion to their clients advantage. 

Maintaining fidelity is about preserving the components that make the model effective. This is particularly important when coaching children because according to neuroscience research it takes between 21 and 66 days to break down an old habit and create a new one. So whilst our global network of Kids Life Studio® coaches may adapt the programme, what they always do is stick to the fundamentals. This means using our 10-step process to get maximum results that ensure long term sustainable impact for each individual child. 

Why should a Kids Life Coach be flexible?

 This leads me back to our original discussion on fidelity in our mentorship call. We have these group sessions twice a week and all students and certified Kids Life Studio® coaches are encouraged to participate voluntarily in order to enhance their skills and be exposed to new ideas and opportunities.  This is where we discuss what works and what doesn't work and we come up with strategies for maximising our impact especially in the case of particularly 'challenging' clients who may need some extra TLC (tender loving care...aka patience) in achieving their goals. Whilst we have a solid foundation programme that shows measurable results and sticking to the framework and fundamentals of this programme is paramount, flexibility is always a key contributor to success with clients. 

Simply treating every child the same way using the same programme is presumptuous as this doesn't acknowledge their individualities. This is why change should always be your friend as a kids life coach. Understanding our play based coaching programme and using it as a solid foundation to build onto is important for our global network of Kids Life Studio® coaches. Using our intuition to navigate what is right for each child is our collective super power. This comes with experience and practice but most importantly it is about surrounding yourself with like minded professionals who keep you on track with values and morals underpinning the fidelity we display.

This is why I am so proud to lead a global network of self sufficient and innovative Kids Life Studio® coaches. Whilst I created our Play Based Coaching programme over two decades ago, the magic is in how this is implemented.  With all of certified Kids Life Studio® coaches walking the walk and talking the talk together, we are able to create a ripple effect of positive change for children. This starts locally on the ground where each one us as children's change makers acts as a secret parent to children by being good role models. 

The work we do as a global network is not only about helping a child who may be facing challenges, but it is mostly about creating a future generation of leaders who will make good choices for each other and our planet. So if you feel this is you....a team player who finds value in surrounding yourself with like minded professionals who share your vision...reach out to me and let's talk! 

Regards with Zeal,

Zelna Lauwrens

Founder Kids Life Studio®