HAPPY NEW YEAR – A NEED TO SUCCEED!
Happy New Year! Can you believe its 2011? The school year is nearly half way over and we have many school items that need to be taken care of. We are now down to the knitty gritty of testing and accountability for teachers and students. This is an excellent time to sit down with your child to make new goals for school improvement and dedication.
Making resolutions for the New Year can be a fun family activity. After all, everyone has goals for improvements for the new year, and talking about them and then working to make sure they're achieved is a great family or team activity.
Set a special "group goal setting time" for kids by cutting some paper strips and have each child write three goals they would like to see achieved. Kids only need to be able to talk for this one. Start with a special family activity (special meal, game night, park fun, family football or whatever). Then, have each person speak of wishes they hope will come true in the new year for other members of the family. The end goal is quality time and communication.
Goal Setting Begins Early
A goal is a vision of the best possible outcome. It's usually something big that we want or need to accomplish. It's written, measurable and shared with others. The rewards and consequences of the goal should also be clear. Depending on your child’s age, there are various ways to address these criteria.
Track Progress
Each time your child completes a task, recognize this accomplishment. After a pre-determined number of successes, there should be a reward. However, don't wait to celebrate their achievements. Throughout the process, discuss how they are doing on their goal.
Planning to Succeed
As your child grows; the goals will get bigger and more complex. They will need to be divided into achievable tasks. Again, you'll want to help your child develop a visible system for tracking their progress, reflecting on their achievements and rewarding them for working toward their goal.
Succeed As A Team
A real test of the goal setting process will come when your child is asked to work in a team to accomplish a task. This may be the first time your child is faced with the situation of someone else not meeting their obligations. When this happens, it will be a valuable and stressful learning experience for your child. As a rule of thumb, assume a task will take 2 ½ times longer than you expect.
By incorporating goal setting into your child's world as early as possible, you'll be providing them the tools they need to succeed.
Mr. Chadaz
