HOW TO USE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES TO HELP YOUR CHILD IMPROVE:

Goal-Setting

The ability to set goals is fundamental to long-term success in school, jobs, and one’s personal life. Goal setting requires the ability to look into the future, develop an achievable plan, and make necessary changes in that plan.

Goal setting is developmental in nature. Expectations for younger children are for short-term, rather than long-term goals, whereas older children are capable of more long-term planning. Children with difficulties in setting goals may have problems with sustained attention, goal-directed persistence, and the ability to conceptualize the future. 

Common indications of difficulties with goal setting include:

• Problems with long-term goals such as school or home projects
• Difficulty predicting the benefit of sustained practice to get better at sports, music, art
• Cannot save money for long-range goals (e.g., a video game or car insurance)

Further information about goal setting can be found in LearningWorks for Kids.com sections on Planning, Time Management, and Goal-directed Persistence and in Resources. Digital technologies can be used to support, practice, and enhance goal-setting skills at home. Parents are encourage to utilize children’s other strengths, intelligences, and interests to assist them with their difficulties in setting goals. Digital technologies used in conjunction with parent, teacher, and peer mediation/involvement may be helpful with the preceding list.