Setting Goals With Your Preschooler

Setting goals is a productive skill and practice for people of every age and life stage! As parents, it is our job to teach children the life skills they need for success and helping them learn to set and achieve goals is one of those skills!

Goals can seem like a complicated thing to introduce to preschoolers, but like with most other life skills we teach our children, we can start small! Follow this process to start setting goals with your preschooler. 

1.     Pick A Focus Area

Have your child make a list of all the things they do. This could include habits, sports, jobs, roles in your family, etc. A four-year-old might be a friend, a sister, a pet owner, a student, and a dancer. Once they have listed out what they do, you can talk to them about what areas they would like to improve in. 

2.     Set an Achievable Goal

After your child picks a focus area, help them set an achievable goal. While they might want to be a professional ballerina someday, have them start small with something like practicing ballet several times per week, or being able to do a difficult dance move. Try to help them connect these smaller goals to their bigger dreams.

3.     Make a Plan

Now that your child has a goal, help them figure out a plan to get there. If they want to learn to buy a new toy, they will need to make their bed twenty times to have enough allowance. A great way to keep your child motivated while they work towards goals is by setting milestones. In this example, you could help your child make a chart of how much more money they need for the new toy.

4.     Celebrate Wins

Whenever your child achieves a goal or a big milestone towards their goal, celebrate! Making a big deal about your preschooler’s accomplishments will show them the importance of goal setting and drive them to continue making goals in the future. 

Whatever way your family decides to approach goal setting, know that it is an essential skill that leads to well-rounded, accomplished, and motivated young adults!

Creating Chaos-Free Mornings with your Preschooler 

Want to learn more about Kids ‘R’ Kids Learning Academy of Stafford located in Stafford, Texas? Our mission is to provide secure, nurturing, and educational environments for children ages 6 weeks – 12 years. We help children to bloom into responsible, considerate, and contributing members of society. For more information, give us a call or stop by for a tour! We’d love to get to know you and your family.