How to Help Your Kids Set Goals

I don't know about you, but I am thrilled to say goodbye to 2020 and welcome 2021. 

If you listened to my recent podcasts, you know that there is a difference between setting goals (which many of us do this time of year) and creating habits and routines. 

Both will help your family get you from where you are to where you want to be.

Goals aren't just for kids; they are for grownups too! We can teach our kids how to set goals to cultivate the life, education, and growth they want. As we teach our kids to set and follow through on a plan, we give them a skill they'll need to help them succeed.

Whether your child's goal is to read more books, work out and exercise more, or grow academically, it's necessary to assess where you are at, determine where you want to go, and create simple steps that can take you there.

(We did this activity as a family, and it was so fun!)

Here's how to help your kids set goals.

1. Assess where you are right now.

   It's vital to determine where you are right now to figure out where you want to be. 

   Ask your child how they feel about their life in each of these categories. Have them rate them on a scale of 1 to 10.

   Friendships

   Family Relationships,

   Spiritual and personal growth

   Play,

   Money,

   Fitness

   School Work

   1 means they are not satisfied and want to see radical change, and 10 indicates they are happy and wouldn't change a thing. They can write on a notepad or use this assessment sheet. 

2. Once complete, ask them to write a few sentences about why they feel this way. Even if your kids are young, they will have something to say. Kids are great at being honest and telling you like it is. 

3. Share what you wrote. If doing this exercise as a family, you can take turns sharing each category or going one by one and sharing all the categories.

   (I go in-depth about the assessment process HERE.)

4. Now, set the assessments aside and plan another time to follow up. 

5. When you are ready to meet again, grab the assessment sheet, and have each person answer the question, "What would a 10 looks like in this category?" There are no wrong answers. Encourage your child to write down whatever comes to mind. 

6. Share these answers. 

   While talking about it, choose one action in each category to get you close to a 10 rating. Pick only one because if you focus too many things, thing-you're less likely to follow through, and it can be overwhelming.

7. Decide when and how you do your simple step. Based on your answers determine, When will I do these things? 

   Is it daily? 

   Is it weekly? 

   Monthly? 

   What specific days and times will you do this? 

   This process is similar to setting non-negotiables, which I talked about in THIS podcast episode. 

8. Write down the steps. You can put them on the calendar or create a spreadsheet to help your kids track their progress. Visual reminders help us understand when and how often we should do something to meet a goal. This step allows your kids to make and keep appointments with themselves, just like they would a friend.

9. Follow through. As parents, we can come alongside our kids and be their coach. We help them to be consistent by reminding them and checking in to see how they're doing.

The key to leaving behind good intentions and accomplishing what matters to you is to designate a time each day to do them, even if it is not the same each day.

Consistency is the key. However, we can teach our kids not to get discouraged if they don't execute their steps perfectly. It's not about doing it "right"; it's about cultivating persistence and intention. (Great character traits to have.)

The ability to create and follow through on a plan will set your kids up for success in the future! Remember this. It's the WHY that will propel you forward if this process takes a little time to master.