For those whose monthly plan 'goals' always end up being 'to enjoy': 30 ways to rephrase them using actions

I have compiled 30 specific examples of how to rephrase the reasons why monthly plan 'goals' always end up being 'to enjoy' into action-oriented language.

Monthly plans that keep getting filled with 'enjoy,' 'familiarize,' and 'savor'

It's the evening at the end of the month. In the office after the children have gone home, I open next month's monthly plan.

In the goal section, I write this:

'Familiarize with autumn nature and enjoy playing'

After writing it, I look back at last month's monthly plan. 'Enjoy summer water play'

I look at the month before that, too. 'Enjoy outdoor play and savor moving the body'

…I realize they are all the same.

Even when I try to rewrite them, no alternative words come to mind. If I erase 'enjoy,' what should I write instead? I freeze for 20 minutes and end up changing it back to 'enjoy.'

I used to do this every month when I was in my second and third year as well.

Why can't I break free from 'enjoy'?

I have been a lead teacher for 0-2 year old classes at a certified center for early childhood education and care for 11 years. My husband has worked as a childcare worker for 10 years, teaching children from the young class to the older class, and now he works in the field of child development support (therapeutic education).

Since my husband and I started talking about paperwork, one thing has become clearly visible.

'Enjoy' is not bad. The reason only 'enjoy' comes to mind is because you are not conscious of an 'evaluable form.'

Think about it. When you set a goal like 'Familiarize with autumn nature and enjoy playing,' how do you reflect on it at the end of the month?

Whether they enjoyed it or not is a matter of the child's inner state. It cannot be verified by looking from the outside.

That is why the reflection can only be written as 'I saw them enjoying it.' And then the next month, you write the same words again.

The true nature of this loop is not a lack of vocabulary, but a problem with the design of how you write it.

The reason why therapeutic education documents are more specific than kindergarten monthly plans

When I heard about the individual support plans that my husband sees daily in the field of therapeutic education, I was honestly surprised.

Apparently, the plans contain sentences like this, for example.

When the support staff speaks to them, they can hand over a toy on their own 3 out of 5 times.

They even write down the number of times. (*The individual support plan itself is created by the child development support manager. My husband is on the side that executes the support according to that plan.)

When I first heard that, I thought, 'If you wrote this much in a preschool monthly plan, wouldn't it be too detailed?'

But after thinking about it for a while, I realized. Therapy plans are based on the premise of reviewing them together with the parents. That's why they need to be written in a 'visible and verifiable' format.

On the other hand, preschool monthly plans are often written and reviewed by the homeroom teacher themselves. So, even if they remain vague, they somehow manage to work.

But documents that keep going while remaining vague are actually strangling you. You can't write a review. You can't apply it to the next month's plan. So you write 'to enjoy' again.

Bring the therapy concept of 'writing in actions' into the preschool monthly plan. Just by doing this, the words you can write will increase all at once.

Changing 'words of feeling' into 'words of action'

There is only one thing to do.

Replace what is happening inside the heart (feelings) with what can be seen from the outside (actions).

For example, if it's 'to become familiar with autumn nature', you think like this.

• What are children who are becoming familiar actually doing?

• Picking up fallen leaves. Collecting them. Smelling them. Showing them to friends.

• Then, you should just write that as it is.

'Pick up fallen leaves and nuts, and notice the differences in color and shape'

If you do this, you can review it at the end of the month. Were they picking them up? Were there any comments about noticing things? You can see and verify it.

30 rephrasing examples (by situation)

This is the main topic. I have compiled 30 examples of rephrasing 'words of feeling' often used in the field into 'words of action'.

Please read them in the order of NG (expressions often written) -> OK (expressions written in actions).

A. Goals related to nature and the seasons

1 NG: To become familiar with autumn nature OK: To pick up fallen leaves and nuts, and notice differences in their colors and shapes

2 NG: To feel the changes of the seasons OK: To express in words how the appearance of the trees has changed compared to the previous month

3 NG: To enjoy playing outdoors OK: To decide where to go in the garden and choose an activity to engage in

4 NG: To become interested in insects OK: To inform teachers or friends about insects they have found and try to look them up in a picture book

5 NG: To experience the texture of soil and sand OK: To touch sand with hands or feet and express what they felt through words or facial expressions

B. Goals related to interacting with friends and people

6 NG: To play nicely with friends OK: To invite friends to play or respond to invitations from others

7 NG: To enjoy interacting with friends OK: To decide on roles and proceed together within the same activity

8 NG: To notice how friends feel OK: To speak to a friend who is in trouble or inform a teacher

9 NG: To foster a spirit of cooperation OK: To divide tasks with friends toward a single goal (such as carrying large building blocks)

10 NG: To interact with compassion OK: To go to the side of a crying friend, pat their back, or hand them an item

C. Goals related to daily life and personal belongings

11 NG: To try to do things for themselves OK: To put their bag in the locker and take out their change of clothes by themselves after arriving at school

12 NG: To clean up willingly OK: To return the toys they used to their designated places by themselves after being prompted to clean up

13 NG: To enjoy meals OK: To reach out for foods they are not fond of and try to take one bite

14 NG: To develop the habit of washing hands OK: To head to the hand-washing area after outdoor play before being prompted

15 NG: To know the importance of a nap OK: To lie down after getting into their bedding and try to spend the time quietly

D. Goals related to expression and creation

16 NG: To enjoy crafting OK: To choose colors and materials by themselves and state what they want to make before starting

17 NG: To become familiar with music OK: To hum along to favorite parts of a song and add movements

18 NG: To express freely OK: To explain to the teacher what was drawn

19 NG: To feel the rhythm and move the body OK: To switch between walking, running, and stopping according to the tempo of the music

20 NG: To play by acting out a role OK: To use language appropriate for one's role during pretend play

E. Goals related to exercise and moving the body

21 NG: To experience the pleasure of moving the body OK: To run around the playground once and then say 'one more time' to repeat it

22 NG: To engage in exercise play with enthusiasm OK: To proactively attempt difficult movements (such as on the horizontal bar) at least twice

23 NG: To play using the whole body OK: To engage in play that involves climbing, crawling, and jumping in succession

24 NG: To develop a sense of balance OK: To walk across the balance beam to the end without getting off halfway

25 NG: To enjoy games with rules OK: To continue playing tag while following the established rules

F. Goals including considerations for children with developmental concerns

This category is based on how my husband has seen plans written in developmental support settings. This format can be used when writing individual considerations in a monthly plan.

26 NG: To be able to spend time calmly OK: To move to the next location after receiving a prompt before switching activities

27 NG: To be able to express one's feelings OK: To tell the teacher 'no' using words or gestures when something unpleasant happens

28 NG: To be able to participate in group activities OK: To sit in one's seat for about 5 minutes during group time

29 NG: To encourage communication OK: To convey requests to the teacher by pointing or using words when wanting something

30 NG: To aim for emotional stability OK: To approach a specific teacher on one's own when feeling anxious

Tips for use

Even if you copy these 30 examples exactly, it probably won't work well. This is because they may not match the actual situation of your class.

What is important is the conversion procedure itself.

1. First, try writing it with 'enjoy' or 'become familiar with' (this is fine for a draft)

2. Ask yourself, 'What are the children who are doing that actually doing?'

3. Turn the actions that come to mind into sentences as they are

That is all there is to these three steps. Once you get used to it, the question in step 2 will run automatically in your head.

Explanation when checked by the head teacher or director

You might be asked, 'Why did you write it this way?'

In that case, explaining it like this will likely be accepted.

'I made it in a form that can be observed and verified to make it easier to write the end-of-month review.'

This is actually true, and since it is the very purpose of the document, it will almost never be rejected.

The culture of writing is just different between preschools and developmental support

One last thing.

It is not that the preschool's way of writing is wrong. Since a preschool's monthly plan indicates the direction of growth for the entire class, there are times when a certain level of abstraction is necessary.

On the other hand, individual support plans for developmental support are meant to share each child's progress with their guardians, so they need to be specific.

Because the purpose is different, the way of writing is different. That is all there is to it.

However, having the option to 'write using actions' for preschool documents as well will broaden your writing range. You will definitely reduce the time spent stuck on 'enjoying' every month and wasting 20 minutes.

When you write next month's plan, please try it out, even if it is just for one goal.

In your class, which goal is the hardest to write? If you would like, please let me know in the comments. I will use it as a reference for the next article I write.

60 examples by age group are here

As a follow-up to this article, I have compiled 120 examples of goals by age for 0-5 year olds and 30 examples of how to rewrite them.

Scheduled for release on August 25th for the September monthly plan.

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