Blog - International Life Skills Olympiad

Importance of Goal Settings in Early Childhood

For adults, beginning of a new year is a favorite time for setting goals or resolutions. But for children, early childhood is the best time to set goals for life. Goals are nothing but a specific list of what we want to change about ourself and what we want to achieve in our life. Setting goals and making plans to achieve those goals is a great life skill, but most parents shy away from talking about goalsetting with their children. They all know that the process of setting goals is just the first step towards achieving them, but the possibility of their children not achieving their gaols and in turn getting demotivated, leads them to avoid talking about the same.

Yes, that is correct, goals setting shouldn’t be limited to adults only. In fact, it is even more helpful for the children since they are still going through the hardwiring statges of their brain’s development. A critical lifeskill like goal setting could trun into a lifelong practice that will help them to focus and prioritize in their life.

Importance of Goal Settings

Goal setting for children is extremely important mainly because it provides them with a sense of purpose that can strengthen their confidence and develop their self-esteem. It may also help them to concentrate more and make more effective decisions. In addition to this, goal setting can be used to encourage children by ensuring that they accomplish smaller goals on a regular basis.

It is essential for parents to explain to the young children that good things in life don’t happen by accident. They are the result of setting SMART GOALS that is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timebound goals. Working with our children by encouraging them to develop goals and create actionable plans can do wonders for the children’s future accomplishments.

Young children are naturally fantastic goal-setters. All of them know what they want to be “when they grow up” and this is just the beginning of goal setting.

Here are a few ways to encourage a child to start setting his/ her life goals.

Speak to them and share the example of top-level athletes, successful business people, and other achievers in general. Share their stories (Most of the kids follow sportspeople) This will motivate them to start thinking about their personal goals in life.

Tell them about long-term and short-term goals and their benefits.

After sharing the importance of goal setting, you should ask them about their aims, objectives, and aspirations (Eg - what you want to do with your life)

Then, assist them to break the bigger goals into smaller one and smaller targets.

Now ask them to create a plan and put in on a chart with daily and weekly steps. Finally help them to start working on that plan.

Sit with your kids on a weekly basis to discuss the progress and challenges related to their plan.

Use stickers to highlight the achievements of the day or week. When a smaller goal is reached, reward them.

we must teach your children the needfulness of goal settings.

It is our responsibility to teach these goal-setting skills to our children. Keeping this in our mind, Lets teach our children the needfullness of goal settings. Starting today.