Goal setting can never happen too young! When you become a family that sets goals together you are teaching your children how important goals are and setting a great example to them for their own lives!
One of the ways to start is to help your children prepare goals of their own and there is no better time than the New Year. If your children learn to make goals when they are young, they are more likely to set them as teens and young adults!
Here are some tips to help your child set goals!
Write them down and pray– First off have the pray about what their goals should be. Have them write down the goal and if they are too young write it for them or encourage them to draw it.
Get them to give you a time frame – We all need time frames to set goals, otherwise, they just get lost in the “forever zone”. Help them set a reasonable time to make a goal come to pass, give them a calendar where they can visibly see how much time they have!
Give reminders throughout the year –(especially to the younger child) An example: Remember you want to be sleeping in your bed all night by this time or have so many books read or whatever their goal is!
Teach Gratitude & Perseverance – Teach your children along the way to be grateful for their successes and their setbacks-remember the setbacks can teach character and perseverance. It is ok they don’t get everything right at first, they are human and they will struggle at times but as the saying goes, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”.
Reward – When your child reaches a goal reward them with something. It doesn’t have to big expensive or big. It may just be an ice cream night out as a family but by rewarding them you are showing them you are proud of them for their accomplishment.
Some ideas of goal setting your children may have:
Young Children
To stop sucking their thumb
To be totally out of pull-ups
To sleep in their bed all night
Older Children
To read a certain number of books this year on their level
To improve in a subject they are struggling in
To start their own personal time with the Lord
To reach out to try to make new friends (especially important to your shy children)
To talk to adults more, look them in the eye or to work on their manners.
For Teens to Young Adults
To learn to prepare for an interview
Open a checking account
Study for drivers test
To prepare for the ACT
To Read the Whole Bible
Developing a deeper prayer life
To work on a strained relationship (maybe with a sibling)
Hope this gives you some ideas on helping your children set goals!
