The Power of Goal Setting: How to Help Your Children Achieve the Best Results

By Madame Karine, French immersion teacher from Calgary, living in Costa Ria

I know for me it’s sometimes hard to just start a new healthy habit out of nowhere and keep it going. I need a GOAL, a plan; something to strive for and accomplish so I can say to myself after ‘you did it’!

The question is: How do we set goals and actually accomplish them? More importantly, how do we set up our kids to learn this powerful skill of goal setting? An ability which will not only serve them for life but will also bring about tremendous self-esteem.

Utilizing the Mark of a New Year as a Fresh Start for Goal Setting with your Children

The mark of a New Year is such a special time. After hopefully having spent restful, yet busy and heartfelt moments with family and friends during the holiday season, the new year brings about a reset: New Beginnings.

The entering of a new year, along with the winter solstice bringing in the light, puts forward a feeling of hope, fulfilling dreams, making positive changes, and setting goals.

What a perfect time to renew!

Most adults look forward to making new year’s resolutions and are quite motivated during this time to follow through with them. For children too, this time of the year is an excellent opportunity to teach them the essential skill of goal setting.

The Importance of Goal Setting for Children

Whatever you put your attention will grow. Not only is a goal something tangible that children can see themselves reaching but it is also something that they can own and take

responsibility for accomplishing.

The definition of a goal is: “the object of a person's ambition or effort; an aim or desired result.”

This definition shows that not only is there focus and intent but there is also a result involved. This to me is key! Something the child can actually observe as a fundamental change that has occurred.

Seeing a result is a reward within itself. And this reflects the importance of goal setting.

Why a concrete goal setting plan for children matters

Instead of just being better at reading or at gymnastics, the child can make concrete goals such as ‘I will be able to read 20 sight words at the end of the month’ or ‘I will be able to hold a handstand for 3 seconds at the end of the month’. With a concrete goal setting plan, there is a direct link of cause and effect for the child to see and take pride in.

With any desired intention, there needs to be the plan of attack. HOW are you going to bring about these things? This is where the parent and child need to brainstorm and write down (like a contract) the practice times, how often and how to mark the accomplishments.

Goal Setting for Students

How can we explore various effective approaches and inspiring examples to cultivate goal-setting skills and achievements among students?

One simple best practice that I often share with parents is the commitment to choose a certain amount of sight words that the child needs to know by the end of the month.

Here is an example plan for wanting to learn 20 sight words by the end of the month:

• Start with 5 sight words a week to work on and add 5 more the next week and so forth as they master the words.

• Work on the sight words 10 minutes before school and 10 minutes before bedtime. In these 10 minutes play the card memory game, do flash cards, play go fish with the words etc.

• Write down the words that are mastered on a paper and put this on the fridge or in their room so it is a direct visual of the progression.

This last part is crucial to keep them motivated!

They need to SEE their achievements which builds their confidence.

Successful Goal Setting Techniques for Students: Our Goal Making Agenda When We Homeschooled Abroad

When we were homeschooling for our year abroad; each of my children had an agenda. In there, we would write daily what the tasks to fulfill for the day were. Their ‘To do’ lists. As well, we would write, at the beginning of each month, what their goals were for the month.

Enhance your Child's Goal Setting Skills by Setting 3 Goals each Month

We had 3 goals each time; one was a learning goal, the second was a physical goal and the third was an emotional goal.

It looked something like this:

• to remember to write capitals and periods in sentences (learning)

• to be able to do the splits (physical)

• to work on patience (emotional)

After choosing the goals, we would discuss and write down HOW they were going to work on these. Throughout the month, we would check in to see how they were doing in these areas of growth. If the goal was not fully realized at the end of the month, it would carry over to the next month.

What I enjoyed the most in this was seeing their self-reflection of being able to find on their own what they needed or wanted to work on. This is a huge life skill for everyone: how to observe the self and see what we need to work on, in order to make that self even greater.

Sometimes I would help my children with their learning goals as we would look at their work and talk about what they wanted to do better. They were crystal clear at knowing what they wanted to do better at physically and quite aware with where they needed to grow emotionally. I was very impressed with this.

I highly recommend taking the time to do this with your child. Not only does it teach them to put goals in place and how to create positive habits to accomplish these goals, it also teaches them that we all have something to work on.

Goal setting skills involve the acknowledgement that there is always room for self-improvement.

What is life’s purpose if there is no room for growth? Is it not part of our journey here to grow and expand?

I invite you to try this month to set a goal or goals with your child; ones that they choose, (perhaps with some guidance), as it is their responsibility to foresee this objective after all.

It’s important for it to be a doable target as we obviously want to set them up for success. Remember though; setting the goal is step one only. HOW and What they will do to reach that goal is critical as THIS part, the journey, is what will create the practice time/habit of getting to that place.

Goal Setting for French Reading

If your child’s goal has something to do with French reading; my VIDEO course program could be the perfect tool to use. This is an excellent resource for beginner readers and struggling learners to master a solid foundation of French reading.

You can set the goal with your child (example: to master a French blended sound a week) and create a habit to watch the videos daily. Through your child easily following the step-by-step instructions in each lesson, they will be taking charge of their own learning.

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It is through personal responsibility and accountability that we grow to be confident learners. This is how we set up our children for true success.

I would love to hear your feedback and comments on how this little exercise went with you and your child. Happy goals everyone!!!