Helping Kids Set Goals: Big, Audacious and Achievable

Setting goals and achieving dreams are not just for the experts — or even just for adults, for that matter. With a little encouragement kids can set their own goals that will blow their minds.

An image of my daughter sitting on our porch today reminded me of this.

There she was, with her back to me. Her gaze set on the turquoise waters and the verdant mountains beyond. Her devotional book in hand. I could hear her little voice singing praises to God.

You can imagine the proud look on my face.

The excited look on her face was even more precious.

For some time now, we’d been encouraging her to have a daily devotion. And with a couple weeks left of summer vacation, we’ve been hoping to make some traction. Today was the second day that she’d done it on her own, un-prompted. And for her (and for me) it was a big win.

She was ecstatic. And she made it her goal to keep it going.

Here are a few tips we can share with our kids to help them set and achieve their goals.

By the way, if you’re ready for some goal setting of your own, click here for some tips on how to set goals like an expert.

Now on to the kiddos. Depending on the age of your children, have them read this for themselves.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you purchase through the link, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!

Setting Goals – The Kid Version

Big

We serve a big and amazing God. Read Isaiah 40:25-26 : 

To whom will you compare me?
    Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
    Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
    and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
    not one of them is missing.

As a matter of fact, read the whole of Isaiah 40 for an inspirational reminder of how great our God is. He can do amazing things, even more than we ask or imagine.

Our children need to embrace this truth for themselves.

Audacious

Nothing is impossible with God. When they see God showing up in big ways in their lives, a spark is kindled. With some fanning it can become a flame that’s not easily extinguished.

Encourage your children to dream for Christ and follow the big dreams God has put on their hearts. Hint: parents we might need to step out of the way to help them do this.

Achievable

This is the part where our goals grow feet.

In making goals achievable, focus on three areas: the what, the how, and the when.

Make it fun by letting them take notes in their favourite notebook or planner. Kids love colour, so consider using fun, bright pens and journals to get them excited about jumping in and setting goals. My kids always have fun with these.

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By the way, this is a great activity to do at the start of a new year, beginning of the school year or any time you feel your child needs a little extra dose of motivation. We need that as adults too, don’t we? Our kids are not all that different.

 

Some practical tips

1. What to do

Have them start by asking God to put goals on their hearts. God is the one who gives us hopes and dreams, after all.

Encourage them to pray about the things they think God is asking them to do. Be specific. Then have them write down each goal in their notebook.

From elementary school and up they can make a list of the goals they plan to work on. Suggest that they have a realistic number of goals (3-5 goals is a reasonable number) so that they don’t get overwhelmed trying to achieve too many things at once.

At the top of a new page let her write the goal in her own words. This is the what.

2. How to do it

Now that it’s clear what the goal is, consider how it will be accomplished. If the goal is to eat healthy, the ‘how’ might include having him choose the types of foods that he will eat and the ones he won’t. He’ll add that below the ‘what’.

3. When to do it

Goals are much more likely to be achieved if we set time-frames. For each goal, have her think about when to get started, how often to tackle this goal, and what time of day. Then let her add those details to the list.

This part of the process makes an excellent introduction to time management — something our kids will do well to learn at a young age.

Repeat for each goal

Go through the what, when, and how for each of the remaining goals.

And there you have it. Goal-setting that even my 9-year old can do.

Big, audacious and achievable.

Your role

By the way, one of the best ways I’ve found to help my kids is by setting an example for them. Whether it’s setting goals, having daily devotions or managing my time, I am obligated to lead the way.

I keep certain resources at my fingertips to help me stay on task. A couple of great ones are the First 5 app (for daily devotions) and the Make Over Your Evenings course (for managing my time).

Also, did you know that you can be your child’s greatest cheerleader? Encourage her to celebrate the little, as well as the big wins. Remind him that God is at work even when we don’t see Him. Then watch their faith grow.

Finally and most importantly, pray for your children. Right now you can join the 40 day prayer challenge that’s going on. The focus is, of course, our kids!

What about you?

Do you have any other tips for setting goals that you’d like to share?

How do you help your kids set goals and achieve their God-given dreams?

How do you encourage and cheer them on? I’d love to hear.

Wishing you blessings, 

Please spread the shine and share this with your friends using the share buttons below. 

I love linking up with these amazing sites and I’m honoured that this post was featured at the Titus 2 Tuesday Linkup on Cornerstone Confessions. Thank you, Kathy!

Photo Credit: The beautiful images in this post are courtesy of Rekita Nicole Designs.

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