Haley’s Goal Setting

Guide

WWW.VIRTUALLABSCHOOL.ORG

ACTIVITY ID: 22306

Name

Certifier

Date

Breaking goals into manageable steps can help school-age children meet their goals. Review the steps below and think about other ways Haley could accomplish her goal. This handout will be a helpful example when writing and breaking down goals in the Goal Worksheet activity.

Step 1: Decide on a goal.
Pick a goal that is specific and realistic.

Step 2: Pick a goal timeline.
Pick a time in the future that the goal should be completed by.

Step 3: Organize into manageable steps.
Smaller, short term goals can be easier to accomplish. Set steps toward making the goal happen.

Step 4: Set your reward.
Pick a reward that matches the importance of a goal.

Step 5: Check your progress.
Check your progress regularly throughout the timeline of the goal.

Step 6: Reevaluate.
If needed, reevaluate the goal to see if the goal is realistic or too easy, or if it could be changed.

Haley's Goal

Haley is an 11-year-old child who has come to you with a problem that she would like to fix. You decide to work with her to help her with setting a goal. Read through Haley’s information and review Haley’s Goal Worksheet. Pretend that you are sitting with Haley and helping her to talk through each step of her goal setting.

I would like to feel better about myself by becoming more physically active. I’m not sure how to get started. I do like to play basketball and dance. I really don’t like the exercises we have to do in gym class though. I would like to be more physically active by the end of summer because I am thinking of trying out for cheerleading next school year. It is March now, so I think I have enough time. I could record my progress in a notebook.

Haley's Goal Setting

My goal is: To become more physically active
I would like to complete my goal by this date: August 15^th (today’s date is March 20^th)
To make my goal easier, I will break it up into the following steps.
1. Attend the aerobic dance class twice a week.	2. Join a recreational basketball league.
My reward for completing this goal will be: A you-can-do-it certificate from my after-school program. And a gift certificate for cheer supplies.
I will check my progress 5 times throughout the timeline of my goal. I will record my progress here:
April 5 - I found an aerobics dance class and have attended twice weekly. I am looking for a basketball team to join.	May 10 - I recruited friends to play basketball twice a week.	June 7 - I dropped down to once a week for aerobics dance. My friends don't like basketball as much as me, so I found a league at the YWCA.	July 8 - I love my basketball league!	August 10 - Basketball is great, but only once a week. My aerobics dance class is really expensive and it's hard to travel there too. Need to think about another activity to add.
If I am having a hard time completing my goal, I will see if I can make changes. I will record my ideas here and if needed, set a new goal. April 8 - I haven't found a basketball league--I wonder if my friends might want to play basketball too? I will ask them. May 13 - Basketball is fun! We laugh a lot! But we don't play as often as I thought we would. I will continue to look for a league. August 12 - I am so glad I joined my basketball league, but I need to drop aerobics and add another activity. I heard I can join the indoor pool at school for a small fee. I now plan to swim on Saturdays. I feel great about sticking to my goal!