Effective Goal Setting For Kiddos

Most of my Saturdays are spent baby-sitting my nephew, and if you have spent time with kids, then you know they are the ones in charge of the remote! This particular day, we were watching Ubongo Kids on Akili Kids! and one of the characters, Baraka, had a goal to be a better basket-ball player. But for him to realise this goal, he had to outline how he intended to get there. 

Watching this episode sparked some nostalgia, and I thought to myself:

How awesome would it be, if I shared with you some goal setting tips from my childhood days? 

So here goes: 

Set Realistic Goals.

In my final year of Primary School, I vividly remember setting a goal to wake up at 3am every morning and sleep at midnight so as to have ample time to study for my K.C.P.E. Wueh! Sema ambition! 

The fatigue eventually caught up with me and I had to revise the whole schedule. After a lot of thinking, I finally settled on waking up at 6am and being asleep by 9pm. Safe to say, this worked like magic! And I was better able to focus on my studies.

Make an Execution Plan Together.

Now, this is where the work is! As I prepared for my K.C.P.E, improving on my Kiswahili was one of my goals. My mum helped me come up with a daily revision timetable ensuring that I set aside enough time to read Kiswahili books, newspapers and practise my Insha writing skills. Knowing that my mom was in this with me, motivated me to work even harder for that A.

Track and Review Progress.

But to improve in any task, one has to know whether they are making progress or not.

I used to keep a notebook where I would record my test scores. This helped my parents and I track my progress. My Sunday afternoons were also spent reviewing my weekly schedule and making the necessary adjustments. 

Celebrate All Wins

Suffice it to say, I was finally able to get my A grade in Kiswahili. And to celebrate this big win, I remember my parents buying me a pair of shoes that I had been eyeing for a while. We were all so happy! But for me what stood out the most, were the big packets of yoghurt that I used to get every Sunday after progress review sessions. To me, it felt as if they were celebrating these small milestones with me in their own little ways, which is what motivated me to work even harder and smarter.

But this is just a story about me and what worked for me as a child. How about you? Which goal setting tricks do you and your kiddo practise that you would like to share?