Setting Goals for 2021
As we bid goodbye to 2020 and kick off the New Year, many families take the time to reflect on the past year’s experiences, key learnings, and the ups and downs that led us to where we are today. The start of a New Year is a great opportunity to revisit our goals and plans for various aspects of our life – both for ourselves and our kids. Having a set of goals and commitments can be beneficial in helping our children stay on track and focused on achieving great things this New Year. Whether it’s getting good grades in school or learning a new skill such as coding, creating New Year’s Resolutions is a great activity to discuss as a family and can help set the foundation for each of your kids’ success as we progress through 2021.
Some things to consider as you discuss New Year’s Resolutions with your kids include: writing them down, keeping them age-appropriate, and supporting your child in achieving them.
Write Them Down
Writing your goals down and putting them in a place that can be easily seen on an everyday basis can help remind your kids of what they’ve set their mind to. Whether it’s placed on the fridge or framed in their bedroom, we’ve come up with an easy to read template that you can download and print out here.
Keep It Age-Appropriate
With younger ones, it’s important to keep goals simple and ensure that they are not only specific, but reasonable and attainable. While your older kids may have ambitious goals for the New Year, ensuring that your younger children’s goals make sense and are simple enough can help prevent them getting too overwhelmed or upset if they don’t progress as quick as they intend to. Additionally, making sure that goals are SMART – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic / Reasonable, and Time-Bound, can help set your children up for success.
Support Your Child
Finally, keeping your child accountable and helping them stay on track is important to remember as they work towards their goals and aspirations for 2021. Providing positive feedback and checking in periodically on their progress can help your child stay motivated and focused, ultimately getting closer each day to achieving the goal(s) that were set. Some children with learning differences may benefit from ongoing support or acknowledgment to help them stay on track, and positively highlighting their efforts towards their goals can go a long way in supporting them to succeed in the long run.
