Knowing how to set goals is incredibly important not only as a child but also as parents too! Children have a lot to worry about. I know that sounds silly because they do not have the responsibility of adults, but they are trying to migrate this world and learn societal norms, and we can attest, that is overwhelming. That is a lot to figure out plus go to school and learn as much as possible before feeling the pressure to choose what they want to be when they grow up.
How can you help your kids? Teach them that with doing anything takes a few mindful moments to break down your “plan of attack.” For example, learning a new skill like how to ride a bike or bake, or a life skill like reaching a savings goal, advertising themselves to become a babysitter, or learning how to care for their own pet, this all takes thoughtful planning BEFORE jumping in. For example, they need to know if they can give lamb to their dog? Yes, they can as per this link: https://www.nextritionpet.com/blogs/nutrition/3-amazing-health-benefits-of-feeding-lamb-to-your-dog.
Goals should be visualized and reminded of daily as well. The thought process should always be, if you see it, you’ll believe it! Therefore, I am a strong supporter of vision boards. I will include a few of my favorites but I am also providing a free GOAL SETTING MINDMAP! It is easy to use and kids and parents can use it for any type of goal, individual or family. Place your goal in the middle and all the steps to get you to that goal go on the outside. Print it and place it on your vision board and get to work!
It is so easy to become overwhelmed by goal setting… breaking it down into steps on a mindmap is a perfect way to make more ‘bite sized’ goals that are more attainable. Not to mention, you can see what has been accomplished when you have completed steps of the larger goal. It is a reminder to see how far you have come and give you some additional motivation! I have also created a great lesson specific to setting goals and dreaming big that you must check out! This gives the opportunity to discuss with your child, the steps to setting goals and dreaming big, vision board graphics, a hands-on activity, and a craft specific to dreaming. Check it out!
It is never too early to learn about goal setting either. Younger children are tangible little people. That means they need to see something to conceptualize, something like a ‘goal’ is hard to see. Using these visual goal setting tools like goal thermometers or responsibility and reward charts are a great way to start with kids!
Here are some of the vision boards I recommend—they can be used as family vision boards, individual, or strictly a child’ first vision board.