One of my most successful New Year activities for kids is to incorporate the holiday into goal setting.  Research shows that when children are involved in setting their own personal and educational goals they are more likely to succeed.  The students are eager to put forth more effort because they don’t want to be the only one who isn’t a team player.

In my classroom, we average our spelling, reading, and math grades to post on large graphs.  Each child also has a graph in his or her binder on which to chart personal progress.  It’s very important to celebrate any success in the classroom, as well.  This can be as simple as extra recess, giving each other a round of applause, or dancing around for a few minutes.

In addition, help each child set up a goal journal.  There can  be pages for personal goals such as being more organized, doing neater work, and cooperative collaboration; educational goals could include an improvement in grades, always doing their homework, or increasing their reading levels; and character goals could be helping others, volunteering, and treating classmates with respect.  In addition, parents enjoy seeing the journals on special occasions or at the end of the school year.

You can’t go wrong with this lesson.  Teaching a child how to set personal goals is a skill that will last a lifetime.  Happy New Year!

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