Give Your Child the Gift of Goal Setting
Let’s talk about teaching your kids the success habit of GOAL SETTING.
I’ve got plenty of habits I’m trying to break, but I’ve had a habit for the last 16 years that’s actually a good habit – goal setting about my kids. I’ll show you a quick view of what I do, but I actually want to encourage you to have your KIDS use this method to make their summer meaningful while developing the great success habit of goal setting.
Luke 2:52 says, referring to when Jesus was a child, “And Jesus grew in WISDOM, STATURE, FAVOR with GOD, and FAVOR with MAN.” (NIV)
I’ve used this verse for many years to set goals twice a year regarding my kids in the following four categories:
1. “Wisdom” – Academic Goal (What is a weakness I see that they need extra time to work on in this area? It could be handwriting, memorizing multiplication tables, or learning how to research topics. What is a strength that I see in them that I want to foster extra time in this area? Maybe they love studying astronomy or have had questions about music theory.)
2. “Stature” – Physical Goal (What is a weakness in their physical ability or health? It could be that they don’t have good posture or don’t drink enough water or they need to eat more veggies. What is a physical strength you see in them? You could have noticed that they’re really good at ball handling.)
3. “Favor with Man” – People Skills/ Relationships Goal (For most of us, people skills are one of the top determiners of our life’s success both personally and professionally. I need to identify my child’s weaknesses in how they interact with others and be sure they’re having healthy relationships with people. What type of difficulty does your child have in communicating with others -such as a shyness, poor enunciation, lack of confidence, not giving eye contact, etc? Is there a relationship that is especially in need of mending with your child?)
4. “Favor with God” – Soul Goal (Does your child have a personal relationship with Jesus? What do you see as a weakness in their character that you should be praying about for them and creating opportunities for them to develop regarding that area? What is a passion about God that you could foster – such as missions, or caring about the elderly or helping with babies?)
I try to pick one weakness and one strength in each of these four categories which ends up being eight goals about my kids for the next six months. Then I focus on PRAYING for my kids in those areas as well as PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES for them to grow in those areas. I don’t always share the list with my kids. It just depends on whether I think their knowing about each item would HELP or HINDER their growth in that area, which varies by child and by item.
Then, some summers, when I really have my act together, I show this Bible verse to my kids and have them set their own goals in these categories for the summer. One of the greatest success tools we can give our kids is goal setting. Teach your kids to pray before they begin goal-setting, while they’re goal setting and making a plan, and while they work to implement the plan as you want them to always be seeking first God’s kingdom and His righteousness in all their endeavors.
THE MOST EFFECTIVE GOALS WILL BE