Happy New Year! I love how the beginning of January always brings a time of reflection. It perfectly coincides with that weird week between Christmas and New Year’s when we forget what day it is, aren’t sure what time to eat, and have mixed feelings about the neighbors immediately taking down their Christmas lights. During this week, I like to really think about what I accomplished the year prior and what I want to achieve in the coming year. It’s the perfect time to celebrate what was and set new goals for what will be.
This is the first year that I really started thinking about having my 10 year old twins set goals as well. They are at an age where I think it makes sense to teach them how anything really is possible with dedication and a clear path.
Granted, my first attempt did not go over so well.
“Hey guys, let’s think about what we want to accomplish in 2022. What goals do you want to set?”
I was met with weird eye rolls and two pajama-wearing barefooted kids running away from me (and a husband). They were on vacation and I was asking for hard conversations that felt like work. They were not on board.
I knew I had to rethink my approach. There must be some FUN ways to actually set goals for kids and FUN ways of helping them achieve them.
I brainstormed and researched to come up with this easy list of 4 things you can do to help your kids set goals for the coming year.
- Do an interview – Make a list of questions (see below for example) then make it a fun game with a real (or fake) sparkly microphone and set a time for the interview. You can even wear fancy outfits if you want, whatever motivates your child.
“Instead of pushing your child to set a goal that you want her to reach, help her consider what she truly wants to accomplish or achieve this year.” (from 4 Steps for Helping Your Child Set Effective Goals)
2. Make a Chart – It’s always nice to track their progress with a fun chart and visual for them to see what they have done. My twins are knee-deep into Minecraft at the moment. So I’m hoping these FREE fun tracking charts are great printable motivators for my kids (and your kids too). I created a couple of versions with some familiar characters (I had to ask my son which ones were cool). Feel free to download the png version or the fully editable powerpoint version here:
3. Play a Game – Sit in a circle (like playing hot potato) and toss a ball to random members in the circle. When you catch the ball, you have to blurt out something you loved about last year or something you want to accomplish in the coming year.
4. Write it Down – I’ve heard many times that a goal is just a dream unless you write down. Have your kids draw a picture of their goal and write down steps to get there. If you need a little more help, check out the free printables in the link below.
“…the actual process of writing goals down can help improve your chance of accomplishing your goals by 33%.” (from 4 Steps to Goal Setting for Kids)
There you have it! 4 super EASY and FUN ways to set goals with your kids. I really hope some of these methods work for you and your kids. I’d love to hear about your kids’ goals (and your goals for that matter) for the coming year! Comment below and tell me how you asked them and how they responded.