“See you next YEAR!” The joke never failed to produce a smile of surprise and delight as my students said goodbye to each other at Christmas break. When January rolled in and they were back in their desks, I’d talk with them about setting goals for the new year. We’d discuss the word “resolution” and make cute bulletin board decor to display their amibtions.
While the students enjoyed the activity, I found they routinely struggled in the actual creation of the goals. What they brainstormed was typically too broad or unachievable in the near future. Some would have writer’s block as they stared at a blank piece of paper. I’d circle around the room, probing deeper with questions like, “What is something you find really challenging that you’d like to figure out?” or “Tell me something you love doing. How would you like to get better at it?”
Pushing through this goal-setting writer’s block helped my students set their vision for the coming semester, reigniting their drive to grow in their academics and friendships.
While we think of goal setting as an activity for the beginning of a new year, practicing setting goals on a more routine basis keeps ambitions fresh and motivation high.
Goal setting
promotes self-reflection
prioritizes healthy habits and positive values
develops planning and communication skills
builds stick-to-it-ness and resilience
Encourage your children to thoughtfully and realistically create goals for the various areas of their lives - school, hobbies and sports, life skills, and social relationships. Goals should be realistic and attainable in an age-appropriate time chunk: a matter of days for little ones, weeks or months for older kids. If your child sets a long-term goal, help him plan incremental steps to measure his progress.
Once goals are established, communicate them (or better yet, encourage your child to do the talking!) to key people who will support your child’s efforts. Accountability, advice, and lots of cheerleading from mentors, teachers, coaches, and friends will fuel your future adult’s drive to succeed.
In the next newsletter, we’ll look at the key ingredients needed to work towards meeting these goals - and the life lessons that will be learned along the way!
Until then,
-Leah Deegear
Proverbs 22:6