Helping Children Set Goals

The following is a post by contributing writer Roan of Joyful Always.

As each new calendar year or school year begins, many homeschooling mothers set goals for themselves, their children, and their homeschool.

Actually, you can set and implement goals any time during the year!  Also, goal setting is not just for adults.  Children can benefit from setting and working toward goals too.

I am by nature a list maker and goal setter.  If it is written down, chances are I will complete the task, sometimes simply for the pleasure of checking it off.

Recently, for the first time, I sat down with my children and walked them through the process of setting goals for themselves.  I have always had goals for them, but this is the first time that I explained to them how to choose their own personal goals.

Here are the three steps we followed to set goals

Explaining

I gathered my children around our table and passed out paper and pencils.  I asked them to tell me what goals were, and they each shared some examples.  We talked about the difference between broad and narrow goals, and we discussed how goal achievement could be measured.  I wrote many of our ideas on the marker board.

Brainstorming

I asked each child to list 1-3 goals in each of the following areas:  Spiritual, Physical, and Personal.  We discussed examples of goals in each of these areas.  Some of the goals listed were “read my entire Bible in one year (Spiritual), exercise 4 days a week (Physical), clean out one drawer or area of my closet twice a month (Personal).  Other personal goals included writing one letter a week, visiting an elderly person once a month, and doing a surprise household chore for Daddy twice a month.

Implementing

After choosing their goals, the children then assigned a time line for their completion.  I helped them create and type tables and checklists for them to print out to help them track their progress.  We agreed to discuss our goals and our progress towards meeting those goals once a week.  This accountability is important.

Some ideas for goals for children of various ages include:

• memorizing Scripture
• Bible reading
• sending cards to people who need encouragement
• service work at your local church

• eating one fruit and one vegetable a day
• riding bike or roller skating daily
• exercising (jogging, lifting weights, workout DVD, etc.)

• 90% or better on weekly spelling tests
• morning chores completed by 8:00 A.M
• sewing/crafting/other projects to complete
• lists of books to read
• play games with younger sibling
• learn a new skill