Let's Set a Goal! (100 days 'til the end of the year)

Did you know that on September 23rd there will be 100 days left 'til the end of the year?





This is the kind of thing that you can use with your kids to put a bit of magic and fun into the goal setting process.

In the picture you can see a powerful goal setting tool. That's right - it is simply a piece of card with a grid on it. What's special about that? There are 100 little squares on that grid. On September 23 I shall color the first square in with a black marker pen. On the 24th I shall color in the second square. And so on until the end of the year.

Seeing the days to the "end target of my goal" disappear like this is a powerful psychological motivator and a great way to visually see your progress through time from the time you set a goal until the planned end date.

For kids it is ESPECIALLY important to encourage them to set themselves up for success. For example, let's take a couple of example Art Goals that might be appropriate for a "100 day challenge" like this:

• I will learn to the new skill of painting art
  
• I will make 10 new contemporary art paintings with acrylics between now and the end of the year

What's good about these goals?

1. They are in the child's CONTROL, some outside event is not going to make him fail (other than a real disaster such as a hurricane, or a serious illness - but let's not plan for those)
   
2. There is some room for slippage. So what if your child misses 10 days of music practice out of 100? Don't expect him or her to be perfect.

Why not have a fun goal setting session with your child a few days before September 23rd, and set some End of Year goals in YOUR family?!

Cassie

P.S. This technique is great for children who are mature enough to have a good sense of time and the ability to plan ahead. It depends on your child when he or she will be ready to have a goal spanning 100 days. Most 5 year olds will be too young and NOW-focussed. Most 9 year olds will be able to benefit from this technique. If your child is young, you could introduce this goal setting technique with a 10-day or 5-day goal and coloring grid.

Kids and Reading

Read With Your Child

Reading with your child is one of the best investments of time that you can make as a parent.

No matter how young your baby, having a cuddle and some quality time looking at a book together will help your child to develop a love of books and to become an early reader - not because he or she is pushed into it but because of the pure joy of reading!

Happy parenting,

Cassie

Goal Setting for the Summer Holidays

A year is a very long time for small children (and even older children), so helping them learn to set goals which can be achieved over the summer is a great way to introduce children to what for them is relatively "long term" goal setting.

You could start by talking round the possibilities - find out what gets your child excited. What goals would motivate and energize him, get him fired up and passionate?

You can encourage your child to think about what he would like to achieve this summer, then teach him some basic, simple goal setting skills to make it happen.

Ask your child to:

1. Think about and then write or draw in detail what his goal will look like when he's achieved it. Or, instead of writing or drawing it, you could give him old magazines that he can search for pictures that relate to his goal, and cut them out.

2. Make sure that your child has whatever represents his goal in a visible place - somewhere he will see it every day, like on a corkboard in his room for instance.

3. Encourage your child to write out the steps - actions - that he will take towards his goal. Suggest that he should do SOMETHING, no matter how small, to help carry him towards his goal each day. It could be something as big as signing up for a club or class, it could be a phone call to ask someone for help, or something as little as choosing a relevant book from the library or simply spending a little time thinking about his goal.

4. Find out how to help your child. A good place to start is by understanding how he feels about his goal and what it is that excites him. Refrain from criticizing. A child's passion, when first ignited, can be a delicate and fragile thing. Be sure to encourage him first, and only point out downsides as things to overcome rather than things that make his idea or goal silly or unachievable.

The process of setting a goal, taking action and then achieving success is critical for the development of a healthy self-esteem in children. It's not the size of the goal that matters, but the realization, developed over time and many repetitions, that "I Can Do This!"

Happy Goal Setting with your kids!

P.S. Check out this free download of a special "Summer Holidays Memory Book"