Hello, my wonderful friend! Does your six or seven year old seem to live completely in the moment, with no interest in thinking about tomorrow, next week, or their future? Do they struggle to set goals or work toward something over time? You might wonder if you should be concerned, or if there is something you should be doing differently.
Let me share something WONDERFUL with you: You are not alone in noticing this, and what you are observing is actually perfectly normal for this age. But here is the magical part—your child is right in the middle of a beautiful developmental window where their brain is actively building the capacity for future-oriented thinking and goal-setting. Isn't that AMAZING?
In this post, I want to share what the Magic Book and the research both tell us about how children develop the ability to dream, plan, and work toward goals. You will discover gentle, playful strategies to support this emerging skill, and I will introduce you to stories that make goal-setting feel magical and achievable for your child.
Understanding Your Child's Developing Future-Thinking Skills
First, let me help you understand what is happening in your child's beautiful, growing brain. Between ages five and seven, something incredible is taking place. Their executive function skills—that is the fancy term for planning, working memory, and goal-directed thinking—are actively developing. It is like watching a garden grow. You cannot see it happening moment by moment, but every single day, new connections are forming, new pathways are lighting up, and your child is building the foundation for future-oriented thinking.
Your child is learning that time exists beyond right now. They are discovering that their actions today can create outcomes tomorrow. That is profound. That is the beginning of hope, of aspiration, of dreaming.
What Makes Ages 6-7 Special
This age represents a particularly important window in development. Your child has been building foundational skills—learning to pay attention, to remember things, to control their impulses—and now those building blocks are coming together to create something new: the capacity to think about the future and work toward goals.
Dr. Patricia Miller, a wonderful researcher from the University of Georgia, explains that planning abilities emerge through the integration of earlier-developing skills. Your child has been preparing for this moment, and now their brain is ready to start connecting present actions with future outcomes.
What Research Tells Us About Goal-Setting Development
The research on this topic is SO fascinating and reassuring. Let me share what experts have discovered about how children develop future-oriented thinking.
Planning abilities emerge through the integration of earlier-developing skills like inhibition and working memory, which develop ahead of more complex planning behaviors.
— Dr. Patricia H. Miller, University of Georgia
Studies show that future orientation develops through three interconnected components: forming expectations about what might happen, developing aspirations for what they want to achieve, and building planning skills to create pathways toward their goals. This is a gradual, natural process that unfolds across childhood, with ages 6-7 representing a particularly important window when metacognitive awareness begins to emerge.
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) emphasizes that social and emotional learning helps children develop skills for setting and achieving goals, which are foundational for academic success and lifelong learning. Their research demonstrates that when children receive support in developing these skills, they show improved academic performance and better decision-making abilities.
And here is what I find most BEAUTIFUL: Research from Dr. Sarah Lindstrom Johnson at Johns Hopkins University shows that environmental factors—family support, exposure to positive role models, and opportunities for exploration—significantly influence how children develop future-oriented thinking. This means that you, dear parent, have such a powerful role in nurturing your child's capacity to dream and plan.
Gentle Strategies to Nurture Goal-Setting Skills
Now, you might be wondering: How do I support this development? How do I help my child learn to set goals without pushing them or making it feel like pressure? And that is such a wise question, because the answer is all about gentle scaffolding and playful exploration.
1. Model Future-Oriented Thinking Through Conversations
Your child learns about the future through the stories you tell and the questions you ask. When you talk about what you are planning for tomorrow, when you wonder aloud about what might happen next week, when you share your own dreams and goals, you are modeling future-oriented thinking. You are showing them that thinking about what is ahead is natural and exciting.
Try asking open-ended questions like:
- What do you want to learn how to do?
- If you could be really good at something, what would it be?
- What do you think you will like when you are bigger?
- What are you curious about learning?
These questions invite imagination without pressure. They are playful, curious, and they honor wherever your child is developmentally.
2. Celebrate Small, Achievable Goals
Your child does not need to plan their career path. They need to experience the joy of working toward something and achieving it. Maybe they want to learn to tie their shoes. Maybe they want to build a really tall block tower. Maybe they want to read a whole book by themselves. These are PERFECT goals for this age. They are concrete, achievable, and meaningful to your child.
When you help them break a goal into small steps, when you celebrate their progress along the way, when you acknowledge their effort and persistence, you are teaching them that goals are reachable. You are building their confidence in their own ability to shape their future.
3. Expose Your Child to Possibilities
This is SO important. Your child cannot dream about becoming something they have never seen or heard about. They cannot aspire to experiences they do not know exist. Read books about different careers, different ways of living, different adventures. Visit new places when you can. Introduce them to people who do interesting things. Let them try activities and discover what lights them up inside.
The research tells us that exposure to diverse possibilities significantly shapes how children develop aspirations and future-oriented thinking. You are not just teaching your child to set goals—you are opening windows to show them all the beautiful possibilities that exist in this world.
4. Create Visual Ways to Track Progress
Children at this age are concrete thinkers. They benefit from being able to SEE their progress toward a goal. This might look like:
- A jar where they add a stone each time they practice something
- A chart where they color in a space each day they work toward their goal
- A drawing that shows the steps from where they are to where they want to be
- A calendar where they mark off days of consistent effort
Make it playful and celebratory. The visual representation helps them understand that small efforts accumulate into something bigger—a foundational concept for goal-setting.
5. Share Your Own Goals and Dreams
Let your child see you working toward things that matter to you. Talk about what you are learning, what you hope to accomplish, what you are excited about. Model persistence when things are hard. Show them that setbacks are just part of learning. When they see you as someone who has dreams and works toward them, they learn that this is a natural, lifelong process.
Stories That Can Help
In The Book of Inara, we have beautiful stories that bring these concepts to life for your child in the most WONDERFUL ways. Let me share two stories that are perfect for nurturing goal-setting skills:
The Cave Where Dreams Grow Golden
Perfect for: Ages 6-7
What makes it special: In this story, Rumi and Freya discover a magical cave where treasures multiply when they are treated with patience and care. They learn that small amounts saved regularly grow into something magnificent. It is such a beautiful metaphor for goal-setting. Your child will see that little efforts, done consistently with love, lead to big dreams coming true.
Key lesson: Small, consistent efforts grow into magnificent achievements over time. Patience and regular care lead to dreams coming true.
How to use this story: After you read this together, help your child identify a small goal they want to work toward. Create a visual way to track their progress—maybe a jar where they add a stone each time they practice, or a chart where they color in a space each day. Make it playful and celebratory, just like the treasures growing in the cave.
The Dreamship Architects
Perfect for: Ages 6-7
What makes it special: Theo and Miles visit their father's generation ship office and discover that holographic blueprints respond to children's dreams. They learn that big journeys need spaces for wonder and purpose to grow across generations. This story introduces the concept of long-term thinking in such a magical way, showing children that their dreams and aspirations matter and can shape the future.
Key lesson: Dreams and aspirations are valuable and can guide our choices today. Long-term thinking helps us create spaces for wonder and purpose.
How to use this story: Use this story to start conversations about what your child dreams about for their future. Ask them what they want to learn, who they want to become, what makes them excited about growing up. Help them see that their dreams matter and can guide their choices today. You might even create a dream board together—a place where they can draw or paste pictures of things they are curious about or want to try.
You Are Doing Beautifully
Here is what I want you to remember, my wonderful friend: Your child does not need to have their life planned out. They do not need to know what they want to be when they grow up. What they need is to feel hopeful about the future, to believe in their own ability to learn and grow, and to know that you will be there supporting them every step of the way.
The research is so clear on this. When children have supportive relationships, when they are exposed to possibilities, when they experience the joy of working toward something and achieving it, they develop confidence in their ability to shape their own path forward. And that confidence, that sense of agency, that belief in their own potential—that is what will carry them through their whole life.
So be patient with your child's development. Celebrate their curiosity. Honor their interests. Ask them questions about what they wonder about and what they want to try. Share your own goals and dreams. Let them see you working toward things that matter to you. And most of all, help them understand that the future is something to look forward to with excitement, not anxiety.
You are doing such beautiful work by asking these questions, by seeking to understand your child's development, by wanting to support them in gentle, loving ways. Trust yourself. Trust your child. Trust the process.
The Magic Book and I are always here for you, with stories that help and wisdom that supports. Sweet dreams and big aspirations, my wonderful friend.
With love and starlight,
Inara
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- Nurturing Purpose and Meaning in Young Children: A Gentle Guide for Parents
- Understanding Your Child Developing Goal-Setting Abilities (Ages 5-6)
- Why Your Child Lives in the Present Moment (And How to Nurture Future-Thinking)
Show transcript
Hello, my wonderful friend! It's me, Inara, and I am SO happy you're here today. You know, the Magic Book and I have been noticing something beautiful happening in homes all around the world. Parents like you are asking such thoughtful questions about helping their children dream big and think about their futures. And today, I want to talk with you about something that might surprise you—your six or seven year old is right in the middle of a WONDERFUL developmental window for learning to set goals and imagine their future self.
Now, I know what you might be thinking. My child doesn't seem interested in the future at all. They live completely in the moment. And you know what? That's actually perfectly normal! But here's the magical part—their brain is developing the exact skills they need to start thinking about tomorrow, next week, and even next year. Isn't that AMAZING?
Let me share what the Magic Book and the research both tell us. Between ages five and seven, something incredible is happening in your child's brain. Their executive function skills—that's the fancy term for planning, working memory, and goal-directed thinking—are actively developing. It's like watching a garden grow. You can't see it happening moment by moment, but every single day, new connections are forming, new pathways are lighting up, and your child is building the foundation for future-oriented thinking.
Dr. Patricia Miller, a wonderful researcher from the University of Georgia, explains that planning abilities emerge through the integration of earlier-developing skills. Your child has been building the blocks—learning to pay attention, to remember things, to control their impulses—and now those blocks are coming together to create something new. The capacity to think about the future and work toward goals.
And here's what I find so BEAUTIFUL about this age. Your child is learning that time exists beyond right now. They're discovering that their actions today can create outcomes tomorrow. That's profound. That's the beginning of hope, of aspiration, of dreaming.
Now, you might be wondering, how do I support this development? How do I help my child learn to set goals without pushing them or making it feel like pressure? And that's such a wise question, because the answer is all about gentle scaffolding and playful exploration.
First, let's talk about conversations. Your child learns about the future through the stories you tell and the questions you ask. When you talk about what you're planning for tomorrow, when you wonder aloud about what might happen next week, when you share your own dreams and goals, you're modeling future-oriented thinking. You're showing them that thinking about what's ahead is natural and exciting.
Try asking open-ended questions like, what do you want to learn how to do? Or, if you could be really good at something, what would it be? Or, what do you think you'll like when you're bigger? These questions invite imagination without pressure. They're playful, curious, and they honor wherever your child is developmentally.
Second, celebrate small goals. Your child doesn't need to plan their career path. They need to experience the joy of working toward something and achieving it. Maybe they want to learn to tie their shoes. Maybe they want to build a really tall block tower. Maybe they want to read a whole book by themselves. These are PERFECT goals for this age. They're concrete, achievable, and meaningful to your child.
When you help them break a goal into small steps, when you celebrate their progress along the way, when you acknowledge their effort and persistence, you're teaching them that goals are reachable. You're building their confidence in their own ability to shape their future.
Third, and this is so important, make sure your child has exposure to possibilities. They can't dream about becoming something they've never seen or heard about. Read books about different careers, different ways of living, different adventures. Visit new places when you can. Introduce them to people who do interesting things. Let them try activities and discover what lights them up inside.
The research from Dr. Sarah Lindstrom Johnson at Johns Hopkins tells us that environmental factors—family support, exposure to role models, opportunities for exploration—significantly influence how children develop future-oriented thinking. You're not just teaching your child to set goals. You're opening windows to show them all the beautiful possibilities that exist in this world.
Now, let me tell you about two stories from the Magic Book that can help with this in the most WONDERFUL ways.
The first story is called The Cave Where Dreams Grow Golden. In this story, Rumi and Freya discover a magical cave where treasures multiply when they're treated with patience and care. They learn that small amounts saved regularly grow into something magnificent. It's such a beautiful metaphor for goal-setting. Your child will see that little efforts, done consistently with love, lead to big dreams coming true.
After you read this story together, you can help your child identify a small goal they want to work toward. Maybe they want to save up for a special toy. Maybe they want to practice something until they get better at it. Create a visual way to track their progress—maybe a jar where they add a stone each time they practice, or a chart where they color in a space each day. Make it playful and celebratory, just like the treasures growing in the cave.
The second story is called The Dreamship Architects. Theo and Miles visit their father's generation ship office and discover that holographic blueprints respond to children's dreams. They learn that big journeys need spaces for wonder and purpose to grow across generations. This story introduces the concept of long-term thinking in such a magical way.
Use this story to start conversations about what your child dreams about for their future. Ask them what they want to learn, who they want to become, what makes them excited about growing up. Help them see that their dreams matter and can guide their choices today. You might even create a dream board together—a place where they can draw or paste pictures of things they're curious about or want to try.
Here's what I want you to remember, my wonderful friend. Your child doesn't need to have their life planned out. They don't need to know what they want to be when they grow up. What they need is to feel hopeful about the future, to believe in their own ability to learn and grow, and to know that you'll be there supporting them every step of the way.
The research is so clear on this. When children have supportive relationships, when they're exposed to possibilities, when they experience the joy of working toward something and achieving it, they develop confidence in their ability to shape their own path forward. And that confidence, that sense of agency, that belief in their own potential—that's what will carry them through their whole life.
So be patient with your child's development. Celebrate their curiosity. Honor their interests. Ask them questions about what they wonder about and what they want to try. Share your own goals and dreams. Let them see you working toward things that matter to you. Model persistence when things are hard. Show them that setbacks are just part of learning.
And most of all, help them understand that the future is something to look forward to with excitement, not anxiety. That growing up means discovering more of who they are and what they love. That they have time to explore, to try things, to change their minds, to dream new dreams.
You're doing such beautiful work. By asking these questions, by seeking to understand your child's development, by wanting to support them in gentle, loving ways, you're already giving them exactly what they need. Trust yourself. Trust your child. Trust the process.
The Magic Book and I are always here for you, with stories that help and wisdom that supports. Find The Cave Where Dreams Grow Golden and The Dreamship Architects in The Book of Inara app. Read them together, talk about them, let them spark conversations about dreams and goals and all the beautiful possibilities ahead.
Sweet dreams and big aspirations, my wonderful friend. Until our next adventure together. With love and starlight, Inara.
