Effective Goal Setting for the New School Year
When children struggle with learning as parents, guardians and teachers we think about what the goals should be. We don’t have to make these goals alone. Here are 5 things to think about when setting your goals for the up coming school year.
Why Goal Setting is Important
Every year with three kids I take a look at where they are now and envision where they will be in 10 months. If you have watched children, yours or children of friends, you’ll know a lot can change in a few weeks. This is never more true then for children who struggle with school. Whether the struggle is due to a diagnosed issue or simply that they are not achieving to their full potential.
It’s so important to put goals in place for kids to reach and ensure that they know what the intended goal is. As our kids age it’s important to include them in the goal setting. But guess what, as a parent you don’t have to do it alone…. And I would suggest you don’t do it alone. So who do you create the goal with and why you ask? You create the goal together with the team of people you have surrounding you and your child. This team could include doctors, psychologist, teacher, Special Education Teachers, and any other support person helping support your family.
5 Things to consider when created your child’s school year goals.
5 Things to Consider When Building Your Child’s Goals
Have you built the goal together to ensure success?
This is important and I would say the most important thing to consider. Like all things in life it’s easier if everyone is on board to work towards the same goal. This means that everyone knows and understands their role in accomplishing the goal. This helps on a couple of levels but mainly it’s important for ensuring that it’s a goal everyone can agree on.
Is It a S.M.A.R.T Goal?
The acronym SMART stands for the following - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely. These are important and the same types of goals your school should be using. Write out the goals under each heading. Do they fit? Does it meet the expectations you have? If not go back, look for another way.
Is the goal reflective of what your child is able to do?
There’s nothing worse then setting a goal that is beyond the reach of anyone. I’ve done this more then once, and it always leaves me feeling like I’ve failed myself. Have you ever done this? Think about how it felt and I can bet you don’t want that for your child. To do this look back at the last school report card, what were the next steps for your child? Did the classroom teacher have any suggest set out already? These can be good start points.
Did you include your child in the discussion around the goal?
This goal is not about you! Remember this goal is about what your child can do and where as a team we hope to get them too. So early on maybe you’ll pick the goal, so say JK/SK till maybe Grade 3. From then on they are about 8 or 9 and could begin to help you pick the goal. One of the goals my middle child has himself identified is to build more confidence in his reading. If we don’t include our kids in the conversation how will they know what is expected of them?
How will you know when the goal is reached?
Does it have to be the report card that tells you they’ve reached the goal? Does it have the an assessment that tells you they’ve reached the goals? I would argue NO. For example, with our own son who’s learning to be more confident in his reading. If he just begins to take up reading road signs without having a melt down, that’s a win for us! It doesn’t always have to be about the grade. Sometimes it can be something much smaller and less marks oriented.
Setting goals can lead to success.
Remember that focusing on the positive and creating positive environments helps support your child. As important as it is to set goals for you child, don’t forget your goal. For example, myself as a busy working mom my goal is to go for a walk or workout at least 3 times a week. It’s specific in the number of days, I can measure that with my Fitbit, I can achieve that easily enough, it’s relevent because I need to get back in shape but I also need my ME time! and it’s timely as I am going back to work and I can start a new routine.
Don’t over think your goals. Keep them simple and make sure you create oppertunity to include your child and all the supports you have around you. This parenting thing was never meant to be done alone.
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