Setting Goals-Half Way Point
Do’er Duck encourages children and youth to be persistent, never give up and persevere! But, what if we don’t meet goals?
June 1st, marks the half way point from the New Year. And, most of us set goals or make resolutions going into a new year. The halfway point on anything brings hope, for me at least! It’s a way to evaluate your progress, an opportunity to reflect on where you are, your achievements and what you may need to work on to ensure that you do indeed reach your goal! For us, an adult it may be preparing for a Marathon, practicing to reach our goal, or while driving to a destination we might seek a shorter route, or, if we’re preparing for a larger change in life we reflect and work on how we will make this happen. But, how does a child reach their goal? Does a child know what a goal is? Does a child understand the importance of reaching a goal? Our character, Do’er Duck teaches children to persevere, never give up and to try again if need be. Remember, it’s progress, not perfection to keep moving forward. One step at a time. Our blog on Teaching Perseverance can be found here.
TIPS TO TEACH GOAL SETTING FOR CHILDREN:
First, set a goal with your child. This could be practicing spelling words to ace their test, practice riding a bike or even learning to read and write, communicate and follow a dream. A child may look at a goal as a dream, YOU can help them achieve this!
Then, once your child has set their goal, review the progress. For spelling it may be once a week, for others goals it may vary. Setting a goal is the first step, following through is next, keeping up on the goal is important. Teaching a child to practice, to ask questions when they struggle and to encourage them to complete their goal. Maybe it’s not a mid-year half way point, but weekly, biweekly or even monthly. The importance here is to set a goal and to follow up on the progress. It’s an opportunity to see what working or what’s not and to make adjustments. If the goal is to pick up after themself daily you and your child can see the progress. If the goal is to practice for an upcoming event it will take more time. Be sure to check in on the progress. This can be as simple as a sticker chart, keep it visual for your child to see their progress. You might even reward them with a Certificate of Achievement! Our blog offers a FREE print out for one here.
Next, when your child recognizes their progress, this helps boost their motivation and helps to keep them focused on their goals! This will also help to achieve their goal and that is success! It may take time, but even if your child achieved their goal and they weren’t first place, the point is that they never gave up, they followed through and they will try harder the next time. This is also an opportunity to reflect on what worked to reach this goal and what can be changed.
Finally, Celebrate the wins! Appreciate your child’s hard work and encourage them! Be there for them in the thick of things and pick them up, be there for them to celebrate the win and always keep an open communications with them and talk about their goals and what is on their mind. Might be petty to you, but it will mean the world to them. Teaching your child to persevere will build confidence, help with resolutions, problem solving and even build coping skills. These are all important as a child, youth and adult. So ENCOURAGE and PERSEVERE and before you know it your child has reached their goal, followed their dream and are setting themself up for SUCCESS!
Characters of Character celebrated 18 years as a Non-Profit in January, and here we are in June. As I reflect on our progress I admit it seems a bit slow, then I stop to remember and to celebrate our WINS! We are making a difference in the life of a child with our Superhero Character Building Activity Boxes which are donated to Children’s Hospitals and expanded to the YMCA and Fort Campbell Army Base in Tennessee. You can learn more here. We have published books to engage, empower and impact our children and youth and even recently published a series called, Come Learn with Me. You can learn more here.We have created a YouTube Chanel to share our character values and important messages and lessons. You can learn more here. Have you subscribed to our Newsletter? Have you met our Characters? Would you like to support our mission to provide a firm foundation for children to establish strong civic values?
Wishing you a productive rest of the year!
Miss Joni and Team Characters of Character
TELL me and I forget, TEACH me and I remember, INVOLVE me and I learn. Benjamin Franklin