Planet Lean: The Official online magazine of the Lean Global Network
Lean parenting tips from children 0 to 5 years old

Lean parenting tips from children 0 to 5 years old

Sérgio Caldeirinha
July 18, 2023

FEATURE - In the second article in his series, the author provides helpful tips for those interesting in bringing some Lean Thinking to their parenting, focusing on the first five years of a child's life.


Words: Sérgio Caldeirinha, President, Lean Academy Portugal


Get ready because this is where the adventure begins! Whether you're a mom or dad, a grandpa or grandma, or even an uncle or aunt, you might be called to participate in the upbringing of a child.

In this article, we won’t explore the medical, behavioral, or psychological sides of child development, but it is worth mentioning that there are different developmental stages in the 0- to 5-year-old window and that every child will develop and mature at a different pace in terms of cognitive, motor, behavioral, and relational skills.

Psychologists Piaget, Freud and Erikson, each in their own way, defined this journey in deep detail. Here’s a general overview of a child’s development over time:

As I mentioned in my previous article, Lean Thinking offers a number of useful practices that can greatly help you as a parent. Drawing on my own experience parenting, let me share some of the things I have learned along the way, and some fun activities you can do to help your kids tap into their full potential while they grow and learn from you and the world around them. I hope you’ll find them useful.

You could leave this undoubtedly hard task to others, or simply make no plans, but this will only make the whole experience more difficult for you, your family, and relatives.

Your life will change when you child is born. This is the best time to think about how you can establish new parenting dynamics in the first five years of your child’s life. It’s never too late to start planning! In fact, you could even begin your lean parenting journey sooner, during pregnancy.

Let me demonstrate a few options. You have a chance to plan the entire pregnancy, dividing it into phases and planning what will happen in each. Consider the 4Ms (the four dimensions that may contribute to the stability and robustness of a process – or lack thereof) and set up a Kanban Board (a simple white board or wall, where you will stick the “things to do” during the nine months):

Let’s fast forward… your child is now born. What now? In the simple information tables below – which only touch on a few of the options available to you – you’ll find some tips on how Lean Thinking can help you be a better parent in the first five years of your child’s life. At the end of the article, you will also find the pictures in a larger format for easier consumption, as well as some templates that you can print and customize to your specific requirements, broadening the scope and deepening each dimension.

Don’t forget that the most important thing is to plan while having fun. If you achieve that, you’ll be less stressed by the daily burden of raising a child, you'll value your relationship with your partner and the child more, and everyone around you will be pleased with how you're educating your child.

Download the templates here.

PS. Read Article 1 here. The next article will be on Lean Parenting: practical tips from 6 up to theirs 15 years old!


THE AUTHOR

Sérgio Caldeirinha is President of Lean Academy Portugal

Read more

The importance of new product development
March 26, 2014
The importance of new product development

INTERVIEW - Jim Morgan looks back at his years at Ford Motor Company and talks about the challenges and opportunities of applying lean management ideas to new product development .

Continue reading
A playground for lean teamwork and collaboration
September 5, 2018
A playground for lean teamwork and collaboration

FEATURE – Enabling its people to think autonomously about problems and fostering collaboration among departments is allowing a French company that makes and installs playgrounds to thrive.

Continue reading
Lean product development for new Jaguar Land Rover vehicles
August 11, 2016
Lean product development for new Jaguar Land Rover vehicles

INTERVIEW – Following two successful experiments with kanban boards, Jaguar Land Rover decided to extend the reach of its lean product development activities to include all new vehicle programs. Here’s how the story unfolded.

Continue reading
The Sunday-night barista
April 30, 2019
The Sunday-night barista

FEATURE – The author looks back at her time at Starbucks Coffee Company and reflects on the role of leadership in facilitating the spread of lean thinking across the organization.

Continue reading

Read more

Empowering children to navigate life’s challenges
April 11, 2023
Empowering children to navigate life’s challenges

FEATURE – In this new series, the author will walk us through some uncommon ways to apply lean – with a particular focus on establishing productive and enjoyable relationships. In the first instalment, he introduces the concept of lean parenting.

Continue reading
Lean thinking for the family business
August 28, 2018
Lean thinking for the family business

WOMACK’S YOKOTEN – The author discusses the benefits that the many family businesses making up our economies can harness from embracing lean management.

Continue reading
Mr Joe and the most important A3 of his life
April 22, 2021
Mr Joe and the most important A3 of his life

FEATURE – This story will take you through the development of the most important A3 of Mr Joe’s life – the one meant to turn around his health and help him to live longer.

Continue reading