It is never too early or too late to help children make SMART goals for themselves. This will help them be pro-active, self-motivated and accountable for their goals.
Discuss goals that your own child wants to set for himself. It can be as simple as doing homework every day and gaining more friends.
Then help them set SMART goals:
S - Specific.
State what you are going to do and be as specific as possible. Example, “I will do my math drills every day” is a better goal than “I will get a high grade in math.”
M - Measurable.
Devise a measure for your target. “I will finish 30 math drills every day” is measurable, unlike “I will do better at math drills.”
A - Attainable.
Help your child set targets they can actually reach so that they will be motivated to work toward their goal. For example, if you know that finishing 30 drills a day is not attainable, start first with just 10.
R – Realistic.
This means the goal is “do-able”. If it’s highly unlikely that your child will achieve his goal of “getting an A in Math”, such as passing all the math quizzes. Raise the bar as he develops his math drills.
T – Time bound.
Set a time frame for achieving the goal. One week? One quarter? The deadline should be clear to make it easier for your child to be accountable for his goal.
Source: “8 Simple Secrets to Raising Entrepreneurs”, Mary Joy Canon-Abaquin, Ed.M