Goal Setting Kids

Suzie McDermott asked:


Goal setting for Children is never easy. How do we help our kids set appropriate goals? Motivate them to achieve these goals and act as their mentor to guide them when the going gets tough.

Following the four easy steps below will make goal setting for your children a whole lot easier

1)Define the goal. Without a clear vision of what it is that you want to achieve its easy and likely that you will get side tracked. Write down what it is that you want to achieve. If your kids are too small write it down for them, if they are bigger it’s a great practice to get into. Writing it down helps to clarify want it is you want to achieve and keeps you on track.

Having a written copy of our goals helps us to remain focused on the job. This is a skill that our children need to learn and master if they are to accomplish their goals. The clearer we are on our goals the easier they become to achieve. The clarity of our goals makes it easier to spot what we need to help us to achieve our goals. It also helps our children to filter out all the background noise that is constantly around us these days.

2)Know your Why behind the goal. Knowing why you want to achieve your goal is often overlooked in goat setting. Yet it is critical in stopping you and your kids from giving up. This is how you develop passion in your kids to achieve something.

It is also an important and very useful tool to refer back to when you need to motivate your children to overcome obstacles or when they lose interest to keep going and finish the project.

3)Be your kids mentor and not the doer of the goal. In others do not take over or do the task for your kids. It’s your job to guide your kids, motivate them and build up their confidence. It’s not your job to do it for your kids. This only deflates their confidence and motivation. Taking over, will also deny your kids of the satisfaction of achieving something that is important to them.

As a mentor we need to be able to help our children set realistic goals that they are capable of achieving, know what their limitations are and how to best help them achieve it.

4)Kids need realistic and positive feedback on their performance. We all need to know we have done a good job and our kids are no different. In fact our kids need to be continually reassured that they have done well. Descriptive yet positive feedback works best. Our kids need us to give them realistic feedback so they can learn to honestly assess their abilities. This in turn is a key step in helping them to develop into independent and confident adults.

5)Make it fun. I can’t stress this point enough. Our kids are easily bored and tune off if they find something boring. Let them learn from their mistakes without criticism and always focus on the positive. Remember the journey is just as important as the end result.



Zack

Suzie McDermott asked:


Goal setting for kids is all about making sure your kids have fun. When kids have fun they actively seek out the experience again and again. We have all heard it a thousand times before - “just one more time, please mommy/daddy!!” This is the catch phase of kids who are having fun.

When children are bored they tune off, fidget about and drift off into their own little fantasy world that is filled with adventure and fun. Follow the five steps mentioned below and your kids will be too wrapped up in achieving their real adventures to go into the world of fantasy.

1) Let them learn from their mistakes without criticism. Criticism deflates fun, while support understanding and encouragement help to support a fun learning environment. It is from our mistakes that our greatest learning comes from. By viewing our mistakes as something to learn from instead of something that requires punishment is one the biggest advantages we can give our kids in life.

It teaches them that mistakes are a very normal part of learning and achieving our goals. This in turn will help them to actively pursue their goals as they grow up without fearing mistakes. Instead they will have the confidence to overcome many of the obstacles that life will throw at them.

2) Always focus on the positive. When our kids make a mistake focus on what the mistake has taught them. Use it as a positive. When they become disheartened point out what they have done that is good. And remember acknowledging that something is hard is also focusing on the positive. It lets your kids know that it’s normal for almost everything to be hard and awkward at first.

3) Join in on their excitement and enthusiasm for the project. This is a sure fire way to heighten the experience for our kids and double the fun. If you are genuinely excited and happy to be joining them (but not taking over) in their quest they will feel empowered. And as a side effect you will feel a greater connection to your kids.

4) Remember the journey is just as important as the end result. Although it’s important to know the end result when goal setting for children it’s not the only important component. See the journey as a series of mini goals that are needed to achieve the end result.

Reward you children for achieving each mini goal with plenty of praise and encouragement for what they have achieved so far. After all goal setting for our children should be just as much about creating happy lasting memories for our kids and ourselves as it is about reaching the finish line.

5) Tackle your mentoring role as an adventure not as a chore. Take the attitude of the explorer and adventurer and you will begin to find ways to make the whole experience of goal setting fun and exciting for your kids. This attitude will also help you to see the whole experience from your kids’ point of view. You will be amazed at how big of a difference a small change in perception can make to your whole outlook. And your kids will thank you for it with plenty of excitement and determination to get the job done.



Gordon

Joseph Then asked:


Just how many of us really set realistic goals in our life? Goal setting is a good idea for any person. They could cut out being so disorganized in their life. When any one sets daily goals they quickly realize that their day would run smoothly and not have as many mishaps that makes you have a lot of stress from something not going just right and running out of time try to get it done.

When some set goals in their life it might not be because they want to it may just be because they have to, so they do not have lots of chaos in their life. This group of people may even need to write down when they are to arrive at the grocery store to do the shopping and even how long it is to take in the store. Some people just need that organization in their life to live freely and peacefully.

When you set goals for the day and have them out for everyone too see them you will notice that if you have kids they will soon start to fallow them, with a little help. After a while you would end up noticing that the kids have set their own goals that they would like to achieve in their daily life.

One example is that they set the time to get up, brush their teeth, get a bath for bed, and even go to bed. That does not include the time at school and any other chores or tasks that they would want to put in there on their own.

Really every one needs to set a life goal and work hard to achieve the goals that you set for yourself or your family.

One thing that you need to think about when you set the goals in your life is that you need to make sure that you do not set goals that are completely out of reach and are too hard for you to accomplish. Some of the goals that an adult could set for himself or herself are better schooling, better position in the work force, or even working toward a promotion.



Cecil