Motivating goals

Your child’s goals must be defined according to their skill level and ability to manage stress. Setting easy-to-achieve goals will help your child stay motivated. The most effective approach is to choose them together. Remember, their goals should have the following qualities:

• Specific: They should be clear, well articulated, and easy to understand.
• Achievable: They should be realistic.
• Quantifiable: You should be able to measure your child’s progress.
• Adaptable: You should be able to modify them according to your child’s needs and abilities.

When setting academic goals for our child, we tend to highlight their results. We want them to get a specific grade. However, every step of the learning process has value, from studying to exam writing. When setting goals, consider all the tasks that your child needs to accomplish. Even lesson review and work methods can be included in your list.

Below are a few examples of specific, achievable, quantifiable, and adaptable goals that your child can work toward:

• At least two weeks before the exam, begin studying for 30 minutes every day
• Two weeks before the exam, make a study calendar
• Aim to increase your grade average by 10 percent by the end of the school year
• Etc.

It’s been shown that children have an easier time staying motivated when they feel like their tasks are meaningful. To help give their schoolwork purpose, consider doing the following:

• Discuss the subject with your child
• Explain how their assignment relates to the world of employment
• Explain different aspects of the subject
• Etc.

A motivated child is responsible for their own schoolwork. To help your child learn to manage their assignments and study habits, you can encourage them to do the following:

• Make a study plan
• Organize their tasks
• Set goals
• Reward themselves when they’ve completed a task
• Ask questions in class
• Etc.