Tips for Setting New Year’s Resolution Goals with Students
Happy New Year! New Year means all new you! Right? Well.. it at least means a few goals that you want to accomplish for the year. Why should it be any different for your students?
Goal setting is one of my favorite activities to complete with my students. I have done it as young as kindergarten, and it can be continued throughout life! Here are some steps to lead your elementary students into setting great goals.
Compile a List
On the white board or on chart paper, make a list of age appropriate goals WITH YOUR STUDENTS. I like to make a few lists.. some for math, reading and outside of school goals. Allow students to generate the ideas and talk to their friends about which goals speak to them.
Discuss HOW to Reach Goals
It is not simply enough for your students to set a goal, but you want them to be able to reach that goal as well. Talk about student-friendly actions that they can do to achieve this goal. If a student sets a fluency goal, talk about how daily reading will help them reach that goal. If they set a math goal, talk about what specific centers or games they can play to master that goal.
Check In with Your Students
After students set a goal, it is important not to forget about it. Periodically check in with students to see how their progress is going.
Celebrate Achievements
If a student reaches their goal, make a BIG deal out of it! Celebrate that student the best way you know how.
One thing that I used to do is display their goals in the hallway. When a student would reach their goal, we would either move it to a different area of the hall, or we would differentiate their goal with a sticker to show they had accomplished that goal. This helps motivate other students to reach their goals as well.
If you are looking for a fun New Year’s Goal Setting activity, you can snag the one featured here on my TpT shop. It is already updated with years through 2040!
Good luck with your goal setting! Please leave any questions or feedback on this activity in the comments below.