Every year in January, each of my kids and I set a goal for ourselves for the new year. It’s typically a new skill we want to learn or something big we are challenging ourselves to complete.
Two years ago, my oldest child’s goal was to learn to ski and my middle child’s goal was to learn to trot on a horse. In true youngest child fashion, for the life of me, I cannot remember what my littlest’s goal was…ha! My own goal was to complete a triathlon.
After some time spent thinking and brainstorming, we write our goals on index cards and hang them up on the refrigerator where we can see them each and every day. We also discuss the steps we will need to take to accomplish our goal.
This is where we come in as parents because typically, our kids’ goals will involve us to some extent. In the case of the goals I talked about above, I had to commit to finding the time to take my kids skiing and horseback riding regularly so they could practice.
I find that it’s helpful to get dates on the calendar as early as possible so I don’t feel like we’re scrambling at the last minute. This also sends the message to kids that their goals are important to us and that we are invested in helping them succeed.
Since beginning this goal setting project a few years ago, I have created this resource to help my kids in setting their goals and identifying their action steps. It’s a simple way to help guide their thinking.
As you begin thinking about setting goals with your kids, here are a few things to keep in mind and/or discuss with them:
- Goals can be big or small, but I encourage my kids to make this a BIG goal since they have all year to work on it.
- Encourage them to think outside the box. What is something they’ve always wanted to try? What is a new skill they’d like to learn?
- Have them help you plan out the action steps/get dates on the calendar. It’s their goal; they need to own it.
- Celebrate the small wins! As they inch closer to achieving their goal, get excited about the small steps they take along the way. This will help keep their momentum going as well!
- Discuss failure. What happens if they don’t achieve their goal? How might they feel? What might they be able to do differently in the future? Reassure them that failure is possible and OK! It happens to all of us!
- Celebrate the accomplishment! Make a big deal when they reach their goal! In our house, we write the date the goal was accomplished on the index card and take a picture of the person with their card to commemorate the achievement. We also keep all of their index card goals in their “box of memories” so they can look back on them later in life.
If you try this strategy with your kids, I’d love to hear what some of their goals are for 2024! What are your own goals?
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