Some kids got it, some kids need a little help. And that’s OK. Because yes, your kids can achieve what they want to achieve in school with a little support from you and a little thing called goals.
When I was a guidance counselor, I helped kids create and achieve them — their unique goals, no one else’s. Setting goals are important because it helps kids to be successful in school, work or any area of their life. Like the founder of JCPenney (James Cash Penney) once said, “Give me a stock clerk with a goal and I’ll give you a man who will make history. Give me a man with no goals and I’ll give you a stock clerk.”
Here are tips to help your kids formulate and reach their life aspirations. These examples are related to school, but kids can create goals for anything they want to achieve, including sports, social skills, jobs or any other area of their life.
Motivation to Achieve Goals
Before creating goals, ask your child what their motivation is or reasons for wanting to reach those goals. This will help them to stay focused and overcome obstacles.
For example, if their goal is, “To be on the honor roll” and their motivation is, “To help me get into a good college,” you can use this concept to remind your child why achieving these goals is important. Using pictures or images as a sign of your motivation can help them to stay focused. In this example, hanging a picture of a college campus on the wall would help your child to visualize it.
How to Create Goals to Achieve in School
Edwin Locke researched goal setting for more than 40 years. He found that people who form specific goals had greater achievements than people with non-specific ones.
When creating goals, it is important to have the goal be specific, measurable and realistic. Using these three criteria will help. Here are some examples:
Vague vs. Measurable Goals
Example of a Vague Goal:
I want to get good grades.
Example of a Measurable Goal:
I will hand in my homework on time every day for one week.
With the first example, it will be difficult to achieve the goal since it’s not defined what “good” means. Does good mean receiving a C or an A grade? Is it for all subjects? Do you want to get these grades for one or two terms or a final grade?
In the second example, a time frame of one week is defined so that at the end of a week you know if you achieved your goal (if all assigned homework was turned in).
Unrealistic vs. Realistic Goals to Achieve in School
It is also important to aim for realistic and achievable goals in order to avoid disappointment. It is easier to set small goals to begin with instead of large ones.
Example of an Unrealistic Goal:
I will get a score of 100 on every test.
Example of a Realistic Goal:
I will earn honor roll at the end of term one.
Of course, some kids may be able to earn 100 on every test, but most will be setting themselves up for failure if they attempted this goal. In general, it is easier to start small and work your way up to larger or more ambitious ones. Also, if you write down your goals and put them on your wall, you are more apt to follow through on a daily basis.
Long-Term vs. Short-Term Goals
Your goals can be both long-term (one year or longer) and short-term (one day to 11 months). First, you can define your long-term goals and then your short-term goals as steps to helping you achieve your long-term goals. By creating short-term goals, you will find your long-term goal to be more manageable. Examples:
Long-Term Goal:
At the end of this year’s school year I will earn honor roll.
Short-Term Goal:
I will hand in homework every day this week to achieve in school.
Short Term Goal:
I will study and review classwork for one hour every day this week.
It may be overwhelming to think about an entire school year, but if you consider the shortest-term goal of only one hour per day it is more manageable and achievable.
Reasons GOALS MAY FAIL
The three main reasons I have seen why kids have difficulty in achieving their goals are:
1. They experiences an obstacle and instead of overcoming the obstacle, they give up.
2. They didn’t know when they achieved their goal since the goal was vague.
3. They created unrealistic or unattainable goals.
Subscribe to our weekly Newsletter for parenting tips, top things to do, our #WINSday contest and lots more!
Create New Goals If Necessary
If you don’t achieve your goals, first figure out the issue. Then you can create new goals or find the motivation to overcome the obstacle. Sometimes only minor changes are necessary. Examples:
Goal:
I will receive a grade of an “A” in term one in math class.
Short Term Goal:
I will complete homework every day.
Obstacle:
Current average in math class is a B.
Solution:
Encourage your child to talk with the teacher about ways to improve the grade such as extra credit or staying after school. Sometimes just making that effort makes the teacher/student relationship stronger and success begins to happen.
When your child achieves their goals, praise them for their accomplishments and their ability to set a goal and achieve it. Creating goals is a lifelong skill that will help your child work harder and be more focused.
You May Also Like:
Your Underachiever Can Achieve
Positive Parenting Lifts Kids Up
