Many people wrap up the holiday season by setting goals for the upcoming year. Focusing on things like physical health, going to bed earlier, being more organized, and spending less time on social media is common, and can help inspire a successful new year. As children see their parents setting goals, they may become curious and want to participate. Fortunately, there are many ways to encourage this in a developmentally appropriate way.
Just like adults, children thrive on healthy routines and having a goal to work toward. Setting daily habits allows them to experience continued growth socially and emotionally by helping them develop self-regulation skills, gain responsibility and build confidence.
When helping children set goals, it’s important to start small. One or two goals for younger children and no more than four for older children is recommended to avoid them feeling too overwhelmed. As your little ones achieve success, you can certainly add more, but keeping a small number helps them to stay focused.
Ensuring that children have a say in the goals they are setting is also critical. By giving them autonomy with the selection, they will be more inspired to reach their goals and practice the habits they’ve chosen.
At Kiddie Academy®, we incorporate a variety of ways to establish healthy routines and goal setting with children. Here are some ways to practice this at home:
- Together with your child, make a list of possible goals using pictures for visual cues. This can include things like trying new foods, enjoying more outside play time, engaging in more mindfulness activities and participating in community events. Including age-appropriate ways they can help around the house is also a great option to include.
- Place the list and task illustrations on display in your house to serve as inspiration.
- Use fun stickers or allow your children to physically move the images into a completed section once the goal has been achieved. This can inspire a sense of pride and confidence.
- Give praise as they succeed or offer words of encouragement as needed to help your child strive for success.
The most effective way to goal-set with a child is to keep it fun! For example, if you’re trying to spend more time outdoors, find exciting activities that will engage their curious minds and help them look forward to that time of day. If your child is going to be putting laundry into their clothing hamper at night, turn it into a race or a sock-tossing game. There are many ways to gamify monotonous activities that will teach your child how to be helpful while also having a good time.
Start the year on a healthy note by setting small, achievable practices as a family. As you watch your child work to accomplish their chosen goals, you’ll notice character traits like responsibility and confidence shining through.
