How to Set Goals for Children & Youth

Teaching your children goal-planning at an early age can increase their liklihood for success as adults.

One important aspect of child-rearing is to teach your child about the importance of goals. Goals give anyone the realistic steps to achieve what that person wants out of life. Teaching your children about goal formation will help them know how to plan out their future and manage aspects of their life to fit around those goals. There are several ways to teach your children about making life goals.

Instructions

1. Sit down and ask your children what they want in the long term. This complex question can be simplified to your child, such as "what would you like to happen for you or the family by Sunday?" This gives a chance for your child to critically think about time and planning.

2. Give your child a list of items that need to be done in a week, such as chores. Ask your child how to best prioritize the items on the list. Teach her how to both prioritize tasks and become accustomed to timetables.

3. Expand beyond a week to a month as your child progresses in his set goals. Only do this after you have seen your child successfully manage goal prioritizing and meeting deadlines. Maintain the same structure as the weekly goal-setting and ask your child what he wants to accomplish in the month.

4. Shift toward far-future goals by asking your child about certain life goals. Again, simplify this question. Ask your child what she wants to do when she grows up, for example. Then, ask your child how she would reach that goal. This process gives your child the ability to explain how she can pragmatically reach that goal through things such as schooling or training.

5. Give your child the resources needed to understand certain goals. For example, if your child wants to become a teacher, buy books concerning teaching. This way, you are not dictating to your child what is possible and you are giving her a glimpse of the road ahead.

Tips & Warnings

• Be patient with your child. For a child, a week is a long time and she might not want to think ahead. Grow with your child concerning goal-setting.

References

• Kids Goals: Goal Setting Kids
• Kids Goals: Procrastination
• Teach Kids How: Teach Your Child How to Set Goals