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http://www.goalsguy.com/

Kids Need Formal Steps In Goal Setting

By the time your children reach junior high school you need to be
working with them closely on what goals they would like to actively
pursue. An excellent way of doing this is to sit down with your child
at the start of the school year and write out a list of goals he or she
chooses, with your guidance and support for the coming year.
Goals can be set in each of the following ten categories:
• Personal
- Goals relating to character development and
personal growth.
• Health
- Goals relating to exercise, appearance, diet and
overall well-being.
• Recreation
- Goals relating to relaxation, hobbies, vacations,
and fun activities.
• Family
- Goals relating to your parents, siblings, and relatives.
• Friends
- Goals such as expanding your circle of friends and
enriching existing relationships.
• Community
- Goals involving a commitment to serving others
through your time, talents, heart, and possessions.
• Career
- Goals relating to school grades, skill development,
and future ambitions.
• Financial
- Goals relating to earnings, savings, and understanding
the value and purpose of money.
• Household
- Goals relating to household chores and your
contribution to building a happy home life.
• Spiritual
- Goals relating to faith, spiritual growth, and the
strengthening of your beliefs.

Helping your children to learn about goal-setting in a more structured form will take time, however the dividends are more than worth the effort.

Kid Need Goals And Evaluations Built Around The School Year
Another challenging but worthwhile aspect of working with your children toward having formal written goals is the evaluation process. Another way of saying it, is inspecting what you are expecting. When you go over your
children's school report card, talk to them about any comments from
teachers that might accompany their grades. Use this time to talk to them
about the goals they have set for themselves at the start of the school
year. Another great idea is to take your child out to dinner or breakfast
once each month. This is not a family outing, just a special time for
you and your child. Make it a fun and informal get together, but do be
sure to talk about their goals and how they are doing toward their
achievement. Share some of your own personal goals as well. This
monthly get together can be a deepening communication between you
and your children. One of the most important keys to making it
successful is that you must listen to them and not lecture or dominate
the conversation.
Activities For Teaching Goal Orientation
If you don't teach your children about goal-setting, the value
of hard work,and how to live a purposeful life, where are they
going to learn it?
The following are a collection of activities that you can use to teach
your children about goal-setting.These activities can be used all the time at home, at school and with any activity that your child is involved in. In addition to sharing these suggested activities, I urge you to create a few goal-setting activities of your own.
1. Goal of the day and Goal of the week contests - select a number
of activities that can be completed within this period of time.
2. Group, team or family goal - identify an activity or set of activities
such as reading 10 books for each child.
3. Painting - let your mind run free and see all kinds of possibilities
for your children to start painting. If your child needs furniture for
their room this could make for a fun goal.
4. Yard work - a great set of activities for your child to learn about
goals can be found in and around the house or school.
5. Cleaning the shed or garage - these are areas that for most of us
could use some cleaning and organizing. Painting the floor,
hanging shelves, cleaning tools, and general organization can create
goal orientation.
6. Housecleaning - a never-ending activity that everyone should
participate in. Think of the things your child can do from vacuuming,
cleaning rugs, attics, and crawl spaces. Windows need cleaning and
dusting is always a necessity.
7. Washing - washing, drying, folding and putting away laundry is
an activity every child should learn.
8. Money - starting a savings and investment account.
9. Community Involvement - introduce your child to a charitable
cause and encourage their investment of time and sweat equity.
10. Timed Activities - use cooking timers to encourage them to clean
up toys, make their bed, and set the table before the timer goes off.
Reward them when they performed the way you expected.
11. Reading - set a goal of reading one new book a week and
discussing it with your child. 12. Words - set a goal of learning a
new word a day.
13. Spiritual - have your child learn a new chapter or story of the
Bible.
14. Sports - depending on which sport your child is involved
in have them set certain performance goals for the coming season.
15. School Grades - encourage your child to set goals for their
schoolwork.
b - from skateboarding to piano
playing, performance improvement goals such as entering a
competition can be set and worked on.
b - this is a wonderful for teaching your kids about
goal-orientation. Create a theme and teach them about the culture
and history of the food.
18. Pet Care Goals - set a series of goals for pet maintenance that
include walking, cleaning, and playing.
19. Purchases - talk to your child about things they would like to
purchase such as a bike or car and create a series of activities for
them to achieve.
20. Family Goals - this could range from planning a family vacation
to their active involvement in home repairs.
21. Friendship - encourage you child to involve their friends in
creating a project that they can work on and enjoy the benefits from
together. This will strengthen their relationship.
22.Celebrations - create a theme with your child and
encourage them to make it come alive such as a Halloween or
Birthday celebration.
23. Social - encourage your child to set a goal of meeting a new
person each day or week.
24. Grocery Shopping - this time can be used to teach about
coupons and shopping on a specific budget.
25. College Planning - set goals for getting into a specific college.
26. Driving Skills - they can learn about defensive driving and
other important rules of the road.
27. Puzzles - give your child a puzzle with out them knowing
what it's supposed to look like. Once they grow frustrated give
them the picture to complete it. Talk to them about the importance
of knowing what you want before you begin so that you don't get
discouraged and give up.
28. Genealogy - assembling your family genealogy can be an
exciting and rewarding activity.
29. Photo Albums - think about all those pictures lying around
the house and find a way to assemble them with your child.
30. Computer Skills - have your child teach you about operating
a computer. This will certainly teach them about the importance
of having patience.

My goal has been to help you achieve yours by providing you with
these guidelines and suggested goal-setting activities. I encourage you
to use them while making up some of your own as well. Have a
wonderful Kid's Goal-Setting Week and please be sure to send me
your ideas, suggestions, and most importantly, your success stories!
http://www.goalsguy.com/

http://www.goalsguy.com/Events/celebrate.htm

Suggested Goals
This section is aimed at the Parents and Teachers
who will be facilitating Kid's Goal-Setting Week. I urge you to read
this section on suggested parental goals carefully. Upon completion,
locate piece of paper and put the following title at the top: -
TEN GOALS I HAVE CHOSEN FOR MY CHILD
Under this title list ten things you want to work on to build into the
life of your child. The following are ten suggested goals with some
explanation for each that can be used in the development your
children's lives.

Goal #1
Positive Self-Image
Set the goal to build into your child a positive
self-image. Knowing that you are of worth does not mean you are
perfect or that you are better than others. It simply means that you
recognize that you are a child of God and that your life has importance.
Kid's and teens need to understand about self-worth as they grow up
and mature. Early on, we as parents and teachers must, by word and
action tell our children that they have worth and keep telling them
over and again. Children derive their attitudes about self-worth from
what we say about them and how we act toward them. The words that
come from our mouths and the actions resulting from our behaviors
must be positive and nurturing. Encourage your children at every
opportunity so that they grow to have a positive self-image.
Goal #2
Sense of Independence
If your children are to become good parents,
good spouses, good friends, and good people they need to be
independent of you. This of course does not mean that you don't or
won't help them. You want them to come back for guidance, love
and advice if they ever need these things, but you also want them to
be there own person.
Goal #3
Sense of Dependence
Another goal a parent needs to set for their
children is that they must learn to be dependent upon God. Kid's
and teens must understand early on that into every life, sooner or
later, will come situations so overpowering that only God can give
solutions. These kinds of problems surface and look like finances,
health, spouse, children, family, and even work to name a few. "If
you want favor with both God and man, and a reputation for good
judgment and common sense, then trust the Lord completely; don't
ever trust yourself. In everything you do, put God first, and he will
direct you and crown your efforts with success."
- Proverbs 3:4-6 The best way for a child to learn the lesson of
dependence is to see his or her parents model this truth.
Goal #4
Responsibility for Actions and Consequences
The acceptance of responsibility for one's actions is the hallmark of good character. In life, you reap what you sow and the best thing for a parent and
teacher to model for their children is responsible behavior. No
excuses allowed - ever! No child is going to go through life without
their share of problems, mistakes, sins and blunders. The solution is
not found in denial, but in the acceptance of responsibility for their
behavior. At the time of the event, the lessons are hard and sometimes
painful, however insisting on it with help build a young man or
woman of character.
Goal #5
Recognize and Embrace Their Potential
A necessary condition of
parental and teaching employment is to give your children an awareness
of their potential. Kid's and teens are full of potential and it is of extreme importance that we help them to realize that. An understanding of their
potential and ability is only part of the job. They need to be thankful and thoughtful and be willing to exert the necessary self-discipline to develop
and grow their abilities and opportunities. Tell your children that they
have potential, that they can finish a task, that they have unique gifts just
waiting to be uncovered and explored. They need to hear this from you
because it is the truth. Potential is not to be wasted or squandered. It is
to be nurtured and encouraged. Tell your children continuously that
they can. Why, because they can!
Goal #6
Use Their Ability
Encourage your children to try many things to
explore numerous options, to learn what they can do, to find what
they love, and to concentrate on doing their best - always!
Goal #7
Hope
Children need to learn that there is always hope. Winners do
not quit, they carry on in spite of obstacles because of their belief in
themselves and their hope for a better future! Hopelessness is
demoralizing, empty, and lonely. It is one of the worst diseases one
can be inflicted with. It can take even the most gifted individual
and make them frustrated, frightened, and unproductive. The best
chance for a productive and prosperous future is to give your
children an understanding of hope. Goal-oriented people are those
who learn to live in hope because they are always moving toward
an objective.
Goal #8
Happiness
We all want happiness for our children. Happiness however
is not to be confused with the absence of problems and struggles.
Encourage your children to discover what they like to and can do,
and then to do it. In the process of discovering what we can do, we
work our way through many difficulties in life. Even when your
children find out what they like and can do, they will still have to
deal with problems and sacrifices. Teach your children that in life
they shouldn't try to find a place where problems do not exist, but
rather to turn those problems into opportunities. Look back on your
own life, the greatest periods of growth have come as a direct result
of problems solved and new insights gained.
Goal #9
Good Character
It is important to teach children that having character
is more important than being a character. There is no higher praise
someone can give your child than to say they have good "character"
This quality is essential to achieving personal success and fulfillment
in life. Everything and that means EVERYTHING we do and say
ultimately arises from and reveals our character. The greatest gift
you can give to your children is a model character. Character
inspires and is inspiring - strive to inspire!
Goal #10
Sense of Fun
Having fun and maintaining a childlike enthusiasm is a
worthy goal for which every parent and teacher should want for their
children. Stress the importance of taking their responsibilities
seriously but never themselves. Teach them to laugh at themselves
and to carry a smile everywhere they go. Fun is the fabric of happy
memories, the icing on the cake of life. It ends far sooner than any
of us would like. Let your child see you laughing and enjoying life.
This will in affect tickle the toes of their soul as well.

The goals listed above must become a part of your children's every
day thinking. People who live on purpose, developed by and through
goal-directed behavior, have a greater chance of developing this
type of mindset. It is thinking at this level that will help your child
to be a high-achiever.

Contact Gary Ryan Blair at gary@goalsguy.com
or by calling 727-934-6647 if you should have any questions or
suggestions on National Kid's Goal-Setting Week.

Celebration Tips - From A to Z
Announce Kid's Goal-Setting Week to your entire school or neighborhood through word of mouth, memos, e-mail and internal newsletters.
Bring in pictures that represent goal achievement to be discussed with your kid's.
Celebrate your kid's - let them know about this event with a personalized letter.
Decorate your home or school with motivational banners and posters.
E-mail motivational tips to your kid's every day of Kid's Goal-Setting Week.
Focus the spotlight on goal achievement - talk about previous accomplishments and what behaviors were involved to enjoy this sense of accomplishment
Greet each child by saying, "Today is the first day of Kid's Goal-Setting Week. We're going to learn about goals and how you achieve them?"
Hand out goal-setting exercises and quizzes for kid's to do on their own. Invite kid's from other classes or homes to learn about goal-setting and achievement.
Judge a "What I want to be when I grow up" essay contest.
Kick off your celebration with a Monday morning catered breakfast.
Laugh with and celebrate all the new things your children are learning about goals.
Motivate your kid's with inspirational stories of goals you've achieved or of others achievements.
Name a "Goal of The Day" to be achieved by everyone individually or as a group for every day of the week.
Organize a group of kid's to talk about their goals and how they plan on achieving them.
Publicize the event internally and externally. Let family, friends, churches, other schools and the media know about your participation in Kid's Goal-Setting Week.
Question your kid's on what they know already know about goal-setting. Reward your kid's with food treats, gift certificates and other appropriate items for goals achieved.
Surprise your kid's with a group goal of reading a certain number of books by yearend.
Test your kid's on their newfound knowledge. Congratulate them on their strong points and give them tips and encouragement on how to improve their weak ones.
Urge your kid's, to continue the discipline of goal-setting everyday of their lives.
Vote as a group on the most important goals that should be pursued immediately.
Welcome questions and concerns while always focusing on solutions.
X-cite your kid's by organizing games and contests throughout the week. Yes you can. Encourage your kid's to dream big dreams, to pursue their hearts desires, and to say yes to the possibilities of life.
Zero-in on concrete steps you can take to help each child achieve their goals.

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