We began 2023 at PlusKids by learning about SMART goals.
We talked about what a goal is and how it is framed in terms of wish and action, so that at some point the result can actually be measured. Can children do this? Certainly. The difference between "I want to read more" and "I read ten pages every evening" is exactly the difference between a wish and a goal, and children grasp it quickly, because the second version tells them what to do that very evening.
Setting goals teaches children to choose sensibly what they aim for and to get there realistically. That is the most useful part: a goal that is too big gets abandoned in the first week and leaves behind the feeling that you are not up to it, while a well-sized one gets reached and leaves behind the confidence that next time you can do more. That adjustment is precisely what we practised — how to cut a big plan into steps you can check off.
Beyond the result itself, goals work on seriousness, responsibility and motivation. When your aim is clear, motivation follows on its own, because at every step you know where you stand.
At the start of a year we are all more determined to change something for the better. It is worth trying at home too, together with your child: a single goal, written down, with a deadline and a clear way of knowing whether it has been reached.
About the after-school programme: https://pluskids.ro/en/after-school