With the turn of the New Year, it’s the perfect time for parents to guide their children in setting meaningful goals to accomplish this year. Goal setting not only teaches kids the value of perseverance, but also boosts their confidence and helps them build lifelong skills. By supporting your child through this process, you can make goal-setting a fun and rewarding experience. Here are three practical ways parents can help their kids set and achieve their New Year goals:
Start Small
Goal setting and achieving are two separate skills that both require consistent practice and effort to improve on. To help kids learn to achieve goals, they must first learn how to set a goal. Encourage your child to think about goals that are meaningful, realistic, and most importantly specific. For example, rather than setting a goal such as “get better grades,” suggest something more along the lines of “improve my math grade by working on practice problems twice a week.” Starting with smaller, attainable, and specific goals helps kids build confidence and teaches them the value of steady progress, while forging the path to success. Once kids master how to set smaller goals, then the more ambitious goals will begin to seem a lot less daunting.
Create Reminders
The real hard work begins once the goal has been set. However, unlike brushing teeth or showering, working towards goals is usually not a step in kids’ daily routines. So, they may need a little help in the form of daily reminders. Although, our goal is to raise independently-minded kids, so it’s best to have kids find ways to remind themselves. One of the best ways for kids to stay on top of their goals is a visual checklist. This could be a chart, a checklist, or even a vision board with pictures and words that represent what they want to achieve. Having a visual cue keeps their goals at the forefront of their minds and makes it easier to track progress. Once the visual reminder is created, the most important thing is to keep it somewhere that kids will constantly see it and be reminded to keep working toward their goals.
Teach Persistence
Finally, the hardest part of goal setting is often maintaining the necessary motivation and determination, even in the face of challenges. Goal setting is not always smooth, and it is inevitable that kids will run into a few roadblocks along the way. Use these moments to teach your child the value of persistence. Remind them that it’s okay to make mistakes and that setbacks are part of the journey. Share examples from your own life to illustrate how persistence has helped you achieve your goals. Encourage a positive attitude and remind them to focus on what they can control. Mindset is key when it comes to achieving goals, so help them develop the mental fortitude needed for success!
In Martial Arts…
Training in martial arts provides an excellent framework for teaching kids how to set and achieve goals. Martial arts emphasize discipline, focus, and incremental progress. Students regularly work toward earning new belts and learning new techniques, giving them a tangible sense of achievement. What’s more, an essential part of martial arts is consistent training; in order to truly succeed, students must set aside time each day to work on their skills and improve. These experiences help children understand how to break down large goals into smaller steps and develop the resilience needed to stay committed.
Conclusion
By helping your child set and pursue their goals, you’re equipping them with skills that will serve them well throughout their lives. In order to dream big, encourage them to start small, work hard, and celebrate their successes. When faced with roadblocks, set them up with the mental resilience needed to overcome them. With your guidance, they can take on this New Year with confidence and excitement, ready to embrace all the opportunities that come their way!