Goal Setting And Children

Parents have many goals for children, but do you know that it is best to allow children to set their own goals as weird as some might be?

Research shows that children between the ages of 4 and 7 exist in what researchers call the optimistic goal setting phase. They wildly overestimate their capabilities. They believe they can become professional football players by next Tuesday or learn to fly if they practice hard enough. This isn't ignorance or magical thinking that needs correcting.  It's protective.

By December 2026, every parent would feel proud saying that his or her child achieved certain goals but what is most important is that children learn from goal setting and not necessarily completing the goal.

They learn about themselves. They gather data about their own patterns of commitment, their genuine interests versus passing fascinations, their tolerance for repetition versus need for novelty.
 

So while we want children to set goals about reading more, let them se their own goals, even the weird ones.

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