How do I teach goal setting and management?
Goal development, like everything else, needs to be broken down through direct instruction. People incorrectly assume that children automatically know how to do this skill. It is important for adults to use visuals and create steps so that the child has a guide to follow. By establishing a direction and living with intention toward a goal children are more apt to progress.
Developing a Vision Board
Step 1: Get a small cork board and pins.
Step 2: Sit with your child one on one to discuss their goals for the upcoming year.
Step 3: Look up pictures on the internet and in magazines. For instance, if the goal is to score a goal in soccer, find an image of a soccer net.
Step 4: Add inspiring quotes or words that will help to
Step 5: Add pictures of things that are of importance- family, picture of your home, etc.
Step 6: Find a frequently visited location to put the vision board.
Breaking it Down
If merely making a vision board were the key to success, everyone would do that. The important next step is to break down the steps needed to accomplish a goal and outline a list toward achievement of the goals.
- Example Goal- to score a goal in soccer- steps needed would include attending practice, listening to the coach, and practicing at home.
- Example Goal- to improve in multiplication facts- steps needed may include doing flashcards everyday and periodically doing timed facts fluency sheet (See page on Math Facts Fluency activity)
- Example Goal- to make new friends- steps may include finding new opportunities to make friends, writing out conversation starter topics, and role- playing a conversation
Progress Monitoring
An excellent way to do this is by data collection and graphing. I know that sounds daunting to some but it is actually fairly easy. You could just start an excel sheet to put in the dates and the number, highlight the information, click ‘insert’, and pick a graph. You can save it and add to it. This allows the child to see their progress over time.
- If the goal for the year is to improve skills in reading, you could graph their reading levels over the previous year adding data as the year goes on so the child can see that their reading has improved. Another visual is to video a child reading the same book periodically over the year. Show them the videos so they can see the difference between the choppy reading in the beginning to increased speed and accuracy.
- If the goal for the year is to improve in basketball, you could collect data by having a child shoot a basketball fifteen times and record the number of baskets made. You would do the same assessment every so often so they can see that they are improving toward their goal over time.
- If the goal for the year is to improve in drawing, you could start a portfolio of their drawings so they can see their progression.
Learning how to initiate tasks, manage the steps needed to accomplish a goal, and have evidence of progress over time will help the child to master skills and take on new challenges.