Family Council Free Printable

Having a monthly Family Council is great way to bond, teach goal setting, and evaluate your needs as a family team.

This printable goes hand in hand with the Personal Interview printable, and is a remake of the original one I posted ages ago.

Read on to see tips and explanations of each step

click here or the pic to print

There are 5 basic steps to a great family council but you can change it up, add more, take out, or whatever to fit your family's needs.

Step 1- Give Praise- EVERYONE likes to be told great things about themselves. It's a great way to set a positive tone to the meeting and in a very subtle way teaches your children to look for the good in others and not the bad.

Step 2- What's working well & What isn't? Is bedtime a disaster? Does your morning routine need tweaking? You'll be surprised at what good ideas you're kids will come up and how much more compliant they will be to obey if they helped come up with the plan!

Step 3- Review Family Goals- Having family goals, as well as personal goals, teaches how to evaluate team performance and how to work together with others to achieve certain things. It's an invaluable tool socially, as well as educationally, and in the workplace! You can have as many or as few goals as you'd like. But I personally recommend sticking with 1 or 2 every month. It's easier to stay focused that way. I've listed several different types of goals to give your family some ideas.

Step 4-This Month's Wants and Needs- I'm sure most parents are aware of their kids needs, but addressing these as a family shows you all support each other, and in some cases might actually bring something to your attention that you may have missed. Is Jimmy embarrassed about his black socks and would prefer white ones? This is also a great time to have all your kids bring any "supply lists" from school or recreational activities to the table for you to read and make note of.

Step 5- Family Planning- Break out the calendar and plan your upcoming month! This is great to do as a family because then everyone is on the same page. It also teaches your children the benefits of planning ahead.

{I recommend having Family Council the last weekend of the month. The goal is to plan, prepare, and make goals for the upcoming month.}

Enjoy your time as a family and have fun planning your first Family Council!
If you have additional ideas/thoughts/input on Family Councils leave a comment below! I'm always looking for ways to improve the way our family functions!