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Setting goals is an essential skill we learn early on in life. As parents, you’ll want to encourage your children and ensure they develop the right kind of goals and learning how to set themselves up for success instead of disappointment.

So, why is goal setting important for children in the first place? Setting goals helps kids develop a sense of direction and purpose. It also teaches them important life skills such as planning, self-discipline, and perseverance. By setting goals, children learn to take control of their own lives and take ownership of their achievements.

Have you ever tried to get your kids to set goals and found it to be a daunting and boring task? Well, you’re not alone! Most children find the idea of setting goals to be tedious and unexciting. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, there are several ways to make goal setting fun for kids, which we will go into later.

But first, let’s define SMART goals, and how these can be made more child focused and specific. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. With these elements combined, your child will be able to focus on what they want to achieve without getting overwhelmed.

Here are some tips to guide your child in setting SMART goals:

1. Begin with a brainstorming session.

When helping your child set SMART goals, encourage them to brainstorm all the things they would like to achieve. Make sure to remind them that their goals should be achievable, not impossible.

If your child comes up with something that is wild and completely unachievable then write it down anyway! You can still explore the option with them later on and allow them to decide if this goal is really going to be possible.

Ultimately you don’t want to corner them in to thinking that they can’t achieve big dreams, because that is not a great motivator in life, especially when they are young. If they want to be an astronaut then so be it! Perhaps this is a great opportunity for them to set goals to learn things about the solar system, remembering the order or the planets, or whatever else it is you need to know to be an astronaut! (Clearly this was never a goal of mine… can you tell?!)

2. Ensure goals are specific.

Being specific helps define precisely what the goal is. Work with your child on narrowing down their goals to a specific outcome. For example, instead of saying they want to get better at running, encourage them to aim to improve their 100m time by 3 seconds.

Going back to the goal of becoming an astronaut, this could be made specific by choosing an area of life that astronauts must excel in and working on that, such as learning about gravity or the solar system.

3. Make goals measurable.

Measurable goals help your child track their progress effectively. For example, if your child wants to learn how to play basketball, they should set a measurable goal for how many free throws they want to make and practice until they achieve it.

In our astronaut example, perhaps we might want to focus on learning the order of the planets from the sun as well as three interesting facts about each of them.

4. Encourage attainable goals.

While it’s important to challenge your child, remember that over-ambitious goals can backfire. Make sure the goals they set are realistic, depending on their level of ability.

You can also extend the goals if your child surprises you and you find that they can actually achieve more than you thought!

Similarly, if a goal begins to appear as though it may be too challenging for your child then this can damage their motivation. In this instance it might be a good idea to sit back down with your child and break the goal up into smaller steps in the form of smaller and more achievable goals towards reaching the initial one. The benefit of this is that you are teaching them that when things get difficult, they just need to go back to the drawing board and find a different way to apply effort to get to where they need to be. Building this kind of mental resilience into a child early on pays dividends to them later in life.

5. Help make goals relevant.

Ensure you’re helping your child set goals that are relevant to their lives. If your child does not find the goal meaningful, it will be challenging to find motivation. Involving them in the process will encourage a strong sense of ownership.

This is again where out astronaut example can come in useful. If you know your child needs to work harder in science, then forming the goal to improve this subject around their dream of becoming an astronaut makes it all appear more relevant and exciting for them.

Find a context for their goals that excites and motivates them. This might take some time and conversation, but I’m certain that one will exist somewhere!

6. Ensure goals are time-bound.

Setting a deadline makes goals time-bound. For example, you can help your child set the goal to finish a book in a week, which could culminate in a reward. It’s essential to support your child in meeting their deadlines and then celebrate these milestones in whichever way feels best.

Depending upon your child’s age, aiming to learn the order of the planets in the solar system in one week, one fortnight or one month may be appropriate.

If achieving this goal will require some input from you as a parent then try to factor this in as well. If you have time to practice their goal with them every evening then the time-frame chosen may be shorter than if you can only help them once a week.

7. Regularly review and make necessary adjustments.

As your child progresses, evaluate the goals they’ve set regularly. This helps to stay on track, reassess their priorities, and adjust goals as necessary. If goals start to feel too easy or too difficult then their motivation and self-confidence can be affected, which can stay with them into adulthood.

Teaching kids to be adaptable and resilient is one of the main benefits of the goal setting process for children.

Now, let’s dive into how you can make goal setting more enjoyable and engaging for your kids (and for you!)

1. Make it a family activity

Get the whole family involved in setting goals. Sit down together and discuss each family member’s goals for the year. This not only makes it a more fun and engaging experience for the kids, but it also helps to create a supportive environment where everyone is working towards achieving their goals.

This will also give you space and motivation to work on your own goals! Getting buy in from your kids and partner provides you with more support and understanding for the times you take out of family life to pursue your own goals.

With the opportunity for everybody to respect and support each other in achieving their own personal goals, better family-life balanced can be achieved all round.

2. Use a visual aid

Visual aids make goal setting more exciting and tangible for kids. Create a visual aid such as a vision board or a chart with stickers to track progress. This will help kids to see their progress towards their goals and to stay motivated.

It would also be an easy afternoon activity to do for some screen free time! Whilst they create their vision boards or tracker charts, you can work on your own, or spend some time with them whilst you plan or work on your own goals.

3. Reward their efforts

Make sure to celebrate your child’s efforts towards achieving their goals. Whether it’s a simple “good job!” or a personal reward for reaching a milestone, recognition is an important part of goal setting that makes it fun and motivating.

It is possible that your child won’t hit their goals on time every time. Highlighting the great effort they have put in so far and encouraging them to continue for a bit longer to achieve the goal teaches children that achievement always requires effort, and effort brings us achievement in the long run.

Again, this flexibility and resilience is critical for their confidence and mental health as they grow into adults, and focusing on the effort applied and not just the outcome is essential.

4. Turn it into a game

Kids love games, so why not turn goal setting into a game?

You can do this in conjunction with the visual aids, such as collecting stickers for achieving goals or hitting milestones along the way.

The aim of practicing SMART goals with kids should be less about achieving the actual goal itself, and more about teaching children the importance of the growth mindset. When children see that applying effort means they can achieve big things, they are set up for success well into their futures.

With this in mind, making the process as fun as possible is the most important thing of all at this stage, so don’t under estimate the power that turning it into a game can bring!

Plus, who says goal setting has to be boring? Add a fun twist to the process by incorporating things that your child loves. For example, if your child loves music, challenge them to write and perform a song about their goal or make a playlist of songs that motivate them towards their goal.

5. Use role models

Kids look up to role models that they admire. Use this to your advantage by highlighting examples of people who achieved great things through goal setting, especially things that relate to their own goals. This will inspire and motivate them to set and work towards achieving their own goals.

It might also be helpful to include learning about this person as part of their goal setting.

Consider also that you can be a role model for this too. If you sit down as a family to set goals and are open and honest about your own efforts, failures, successes and challenges then you are showing your child that the process of achievement is a wild ride… but that this is okay!

If you don’t achieve one of your own goals in the time you set, talking positively about the things that you have achieved, the effort you put in, and how you will keep working towards your goal until you reach it; all of these things help you child to develop that all important resilient growth mindset.

6. Break it down

Breaking down goals into smaller, more manageable steps makes it easier for kids to understand and stay on track. This also creates a sense of accomplishment as they reach each step towards their ultimate goal.

We all like to feel that little boost of motivation along the way and it reminds us of how far we have already come. These things are important for all of us, but even more so for young children.

7. Make it a habit

Lastly, make goal setting a regular habit. Incorporate it into your family routine and make it an important part of your child’s life. By doing this, it becomes a natural part of their routine and something that they look forward to.

In return, it becomes part of your own routine! We all need a little bit of extra motivation to become better and to achieve things, and if we can use the love we have for our children to bolster our own routines and motivation then all the better!

By following these tips, goal setting doesn’t have to be a tedious and unexciting task for kids. By incorporating a few of these tips and adding a fun and engaging twist can help make goal setting an enjoyable and motivating experience for your child.

As a Mum, assisting your children to set SMART goals is one of the most important contributions you can make to their learning and growth for their future. What’s more, it sets your child up for success in whatever they choose to do. Remember to encourage, praise, and support your child when they meet milestones or complete their goals.

Move through the goal setting (and getting!) experience together to discover the benefits that this can bring to the whole family, now and in the future.

Sending good luck to you all, and your aspiring little astronauts!

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