5 Steps for Teaching Your Children How to Set SMART Goals

SMART is traditionally a mnemonic device which represents criteria for a set of objectives or goals – the letters usually correspond to Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely. So using the SMART acronym, here are 5 ways to help you and your children set SMART goals this year, and to stick with them!

1. Specific – Children sometimes have a hard time thinking specifically. For example, if they mention that keeping their room cleaner in 2014 is one of their goals, maybe suggest they set a more specific goal such as resolving to make their bed daily, sort their laundry weekly, or organize their toys and books every Wednesday. The more specific the goal, the easier it is to stay accountable to the goal, and to measure your effectiveness in achieving it.
2. Measurable – Speaking of measurements, help your child take an active role in determining whether or not the goal has been met. Oftentimes as parents we simply assume the role of judge and juror, letting our kids know when they’ve done well or missed the mark. By inviting your child to take an active role in measuring his/her success, you help them stay accountable to the goals they set while also teaching them independence and responsibility.
3. Attainable – Children (especially young children) also sometimes struggle to set realistic goals [“I promise I will NEVER do that again, mom.”] Help them think through goals that you know are realistic and attainable in the established timeframe. This will help them also to feel a sense of accomplishment when the goal has been met!
4. Relevant – Everything is relevant to a child, so this one is sometimes easier said than done! Try helping your children understand the word relevancy in terms they can understand. The important thing to remember with setting relevant goals is to pick goals that matter. A goal of saying the word “the” 1,000 times a day doesn’t really matter much to anyone. A more relevant goal for your child may be to finish their weekly homework assignment by Wednesday night so they have Thursday night for free time or an extra 20 minutes of computer or television. That represents a goal that matters to the child, as well as the parent.
5. Timely – The last criteria for SMART goals is simply to make sure that a timeframe is assigned to the goal. In other words, when do you want to achieve the goal? How quickly is it possible to achieve? Establishing an appropriate timeframe also helps with measuring achievement!

Whatever the goals this year, good luck and stick to them together as a family!