Your child can become a good chooser by simply practicing making choices.

Being a “good chooser” is how the son of a friend of mine describes a person who knows what he wants or
doesn’t want and thinks for himself. Good choosers develop skills for resisting peer pressure and making safe, healthy decisions. They are confident about their ideas and are determined to achieve their goals.

Aren’t all these things what you want for your children? Your child can become a good chooser by making lots of choices about many things and experiencing the outcomes – choices about clothes to wear, where to go for dinner, a family activity for the weekend, what color paints to use, etc.

Remember that fewer options when giving a choice are better than many options and better than a non-specific choice, especially for young children. “Do you want carrots or celery for a snack?” is better than “Do you want carrots, celery, crackers, or peanuts?” and better than the non-specific “What do you want for a snack?

Try out offering more choices.