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You can use the SMART goal-setting strategy to help your child develop successful goal-setting skills:
Imagine your child sets a goal of becoming an Olympic diver yet she has never taken diving lessons. You might help her shape an initial goal that is: Specific: She will join the diving team at the local pool and commit to being at practice every day.
Once your child thinks through a goal using the SMART strategy, use the following questions to coach him or her on creating an action plan:
1. What are the potential obstacles you'll face?
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Weekly Parenting Tips
Help Your Child Learn to Set Goals
A childs ability to set goals and take appropriate action is critical for both success in school and long-term personal happiness. However, as parents, it can be challenging to help our children set goals, learn from when they fall short of their goals, and ultimately support them so that they persevere and stay on course.
Record the progress your child makes when working toward a goal. This written record will help you observe your child during the process. Take note when he or she gets stuck. Is it a loss of motivation, a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, a lack of outside resources, or perhaps an unrealistic expectation?
If it is an unrealistic expectation, make sure your child knows that it is okay to readdress the initial goal. The best leaders in the world know to do just this. There will be times when your child sets the bar too high and must make adjustments. At the same time, if your child sails through the process with little effort, it might be important to help him or her stretch and reach for a more difficult challenge.
If your child is struggling with an obstacle, help him or her look for creative solutions to the roadblock. If a loss of motivation is the problem, reconnect him or her with the rewards waiting at the end and the reasons the goal was attempted in the first place.
Finally, as a parent it is important to acknowledge your child for his or her effort, not just the end result. The purpose is to help your child build life skills of setting goals and doing the work to achieve them. So the work and effort is where it is best to focus praise and attention.
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