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| Get children excited about the new school year with goal setting |
Beyond Grades: Setting Non-Academic Goals for School Year Success
AD. Back to school season is a great time for planning, but it's not just about new
school uniforms and childcare. It's also an excellent opportunity to help your children set goals that go beyond the classroom. While good grades are important, real success lies in overall growth, resilience and happiness. This year consider sitting down with your children to set meaningful non-academic goals in social, emotional and personal areas.
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| The school year isn't just about learning in the classroom |
Why Non-Academic Goals Are important
Some children excel at academics, but what happens when they face a more difficult situation in life? Success and happiness outside of school often require more than just 'book smarts'. Great test results should be congratulated, but setting non-academic goals can help your child become a well rounded individual, ready for life's challenges.
- Build Resilience: School (and life outside of it) can be tough. Non-academic goals can teach children how to cope with challenges and setbacks, manage their emotions and resist negative social pressures.
- Boost confidence: Achieving a goal provides a powerful sense of accomplishment which can extend to other areas of their life. This is especially helpful for children who struggle in the class room and don’t get as much recognition for traditional school achievements.
- Develop a Growth Mindset: When goals focus on effort and improvement rather than just the final outcome, children learn that their abilities can be developed over time. This mindset is crucial for lifelong learning and personal growth.
- Prepare for the future: The modern world values emotional intelligence, collaboration and problem solving skills just as much as academic knowledge. Helping your child set goals in these areas gives them a significant advantage for further education and their future careers.
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| Goals should be as individual as your children are |
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| Have a combination of social, emotional and personal goals |
Practical Goal Ideas for Different Ages
When setting goals, make sure they're appropriate for your child's age and include a mix of short term wins and longer term projects.
Primary School (ages 5 to 11)
- Social: "I will make one new friend this term," or "I will be a good listener when others are speaking."
- Emotional: "I will use 'calm down' strategies when I feel frustrated," or "I will talk to a teacher or parent when I'm feeling worried."
- Personal: "I will try a new after-school club," or "I will learn to get dressed by myself.”
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| Help your children prioritise social skills as well as school grades |
Secondary School (Ages 11-18)
- Social: "I will get to know a new group of people," or "I will stand up for a friend being treated unfairly."
- Emotional: "I will manage my time to reduce stress before exams," or "I will be kind to myself if I get a bad grade."
- Personal: "I will learn a new skill outside of class (e.g., coding, an instrument)," or "I will volunteer for a local charity or community event."
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| Secondary school children can set more challenging goals, but they need to be motivated |
School Uniform Goals: More Than Just Looking Smart
A new school year often means a new school uniform so it’s a great opportunity to use the smart new clothes as a chance to teach your children responsibility and independence. Choosing easy to care for school uniforms with easy to iron technology and reinforced knees in the trousers (like the items we chose from Very's Everyday range) will give them a head start in this area. Here are some goal ideas related to school uniform:
- Take care of it: A great goal for all ages is to learn how to properly care for their uniform. This could mean hanging it up each day instead of leaving it on the floor, putting dirty items in the washing basket or even learning how to iron their shirt.
- Get ready on time: A goal could be to get dressed in their uniform independently (for younger children) or remembering the right kit and being ready on time each morning (for older children). This ties into other skills like time management and personal responsibility.
- Learn a new skill: For new school starters this could be a practical goal like learning to tie their own shoelaces on their new school shoes or mastering the buttons on their shirt cuffs. For older children, it could be a goal like learning how to repair a small tear or how to polish their school shoes.
Make Goals SMART
Once you have worked with your children to decide on their goals for the year you need to make them SMART:
- S - Specific: What exactly does your child want to achieve? For example, "I will read for 20 minutes a day" is better than "I will read more."
- M - Measurable: How will they know when they've reached their goal? "I will save up half of my pocket money for a new video game" is measurable, unlike "I will save money."
- A - Achievable: The goal should be a stretch, but within reach. For example, learning a new instrument is a great goal, but mastering it in a month is not realistic.
- R - Relevant: The goal should matter to the child, not just to you. Ask them what they want to achieve.
- T - Time-Bound: When do they want to have achieved the goal by? Setting a deadline such as "by the end of the first half-term I will have read two books” provides focus and urgency.
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| Children will all have their own ideas of what they want to achieve and how |
Your Role As A Parent
If this is the first time goal setting with your children they will need a little more support and guidance than when they are familiar with the idea, but your role is still to guide your children, not to enforce your own ideals.
Goal Setting
Start by asking open ended questions like, "What's something you're excited to learn this year?" or "Is there anything you want to be better at outside of school?".
If your child struggles with reading you might say “wouldn’t it be cool if you could read the instructions in Minecraft on your own by the end of the year?”. This helps make a goal relevant and motivating. If they say “yes” then you could talk about the actions they could take to get there eg read to you for 10 minutes 4 times a week.
Ultimately, the goals must be your child's choice though. If they aren’t motivated, you will just spend the year nagging them and you will all resent the process.
Progress Checks
Regularly check in on their progress. For younger children who forget easily, a bi-weekly check in is a good idea. Keep it brief, asking how they're doing and if they need any extra support. You could also use a tracker or chart to help them visualise their progress.
Celebrate the wins.
Acknowledge and celebrate all progress and effort, especially for long-term goals. Recognising mini-milestones can keep them motivated. Consider small rewards when they reach a significant point, like a month of getting out of bed on time.
This new school year is a wonderful opportunity to focus on developing the whole child: their character, relationships and passions. By taking the time to set goals that extend beyond academics, you're giving them the skills and mindset to thrive for a lifetime.
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| Together you can make it the best school year yet |
Items in pictures: Everyday Polo School Tops in White, Everyday Boys Skinny Fit Trousers in Grey, Everyday Jogging Bottoms in Black, New Look 915 40 Denier Tights in Black, Kickers Boys Tovni Scuff Lo Leather School Shoe, Clarks Youth Daze Step 2 Triple Strap Leather School Shoe, Clarks Youth Loxham Walk School Shoe, Hype Graffiti Iconic Backpack, Eastpak DAY PAKR Star Wars Backpack and Accessorize Alex Tote Bag in Navy. All available from Very.
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