GOAL SETTING - WISH LIST VS GOAL SETTING - Back to school series

Back to School and the excitement begins. Buying new books, stationary, uniform and shoes. Even making new connections, new teacher or maybe new school. As a parent, you are more worried about tuitions, handwriting issues or homework hassles.

However, as a parent, take some time to think 'out of the box' and know how Goal setting is important. Kids require to be 'Goal oriented.' Educate your kid to know the difference between 'wishing' and goal accomplishment. Learning how to set reasonable and attainable goals is a valuable lesson for students of all ages. Let them

undergo an interesting exercise. Help them divide their Wish List and Goal setting on a piece of paper. They can draw and color too. Kids can think of all their wishes - be it buying a video game or going to a restaurant. On the other side, help them to make their Goals - from charting specific steps to achieve goals. Either for classroom performance or sports - help kids to be disciplined and punctual. Make them aware of obstacles for achieving the goal so that they can be well prepared for the show. Time frame is very important and hence, deadlines also need to be set. Get the child set the date limit to finish the English course, then the math or just make a Time-table. It helps prioritize where and how time is allocated, making easy to perform the task. Once there is a deadline, the child is then ready to face the challenge managing time for work and play and thus, accomplish goal within the deadline. If the child is not good in Math, don’t encourage a child to set goal to bring A+ but be cool and relax, he will do fine with that extra time plan and efforts. 

Apart from Academic, parents can help kids to set Goals in Sports, personal goals, financial goals, relationships and on health. Often we find children scared to sleep alone or shabby their room. Setting personal goals will help them be organized. Financial goals will help them to save money to buy their own video game and know the value of money. Relationship goals will help the kids to be friendly with siblings or friends at school. Setting Health goals for kids means by all means control over the junk and the binge habits of overstuffing the food while watching tv and helping their to exercise or play outdoors.

Afterall, Expectations should not be beyond capacity of the child. And every parent or teacher need to know this. Be Practical and help face goal challenges together.

Find more about 'Target Goals - Goal setting Ingredients, goal setting method and goal challenges.

- ilaxi patel

Editor, www.kidsfreesouls.com