Why Your Kids need to Learn Goal Setting

Good parenting is a task fraught with responsibilities. In between all the bustle, we sometimes come up for air long enough to ask ourselves, “Just what do I need to be teaching my child?” Because of course it isn’t enough to cook, clean and chauffeur. We need to pass on values and skills that will help our kids lives happy and successful lives, both now and as adults.

One of the skills that children need to learn somewhere along the road of life is goal setting: how to turn a vague desire into a committed ambition and how to then take action that will achieve their dream. Imagine if you had this kind of success training as a young person, how different your life would be today. So many adults meander through life, wishing for this thing and that, never understanding the principles that turn a wish into a goal that then can be achieved and experienced. Without the skill of goal setting, so many things we could have had slip right through our fingers.

That’s why kids need to learn how to set a goal, how to create strategies to reach it, how to make a commitment to their dream, the importance of rewarding themselves along the way, and how to track their own progress. When kids learn these techniques as steps toward achieving something they genuinely want to work for, they not only attain the object they desired but they learn the skills of success in the process. They then carry those skills in their experience bank, to be drawn on next time they want to achieve anything.

Success, for kids or adults, is not a random occurrence. It is had by applying principles that successful people have used as their own personal guiding stars down through the ages. Children need success tools as greatly as any coping tools we can teach them. Learning how to goal-set can make the difference between a random life for children in their adult years versus a focused and fulfilled one.

25 Fun things to do with your kids. (That are free or cost very little)

Do you spend enough time Playing with your Child?




Many people’s lifestyles are so hectic that they seem to either run out of time, or forget how to connect with their children. Here is a reminder of how important it really is to play with your child, and some fantastic, fun and simple activities you can do together.

In these busy times, when parents and children have schedules packed to the max, family closeness can fall by the wayside. Most of us have to make an effort to guarantee that work, school, sports, and chores don’t swallow up the very relationships that make those things important.

When is the last time you played or goofed around with your child? Can you remember back that far? Many parents can’t. Life has made us so serious, so focused, that we’ve lost the joy of the simple things, and play was one of the first to go.

But as any child instinctively knows, play is essential to life. It brightens the heart and lightens the spirit. For kids, who live closer than we do to nature, play is as spontaneous as breathing. Sadly, most grown-ups have lost that skill. Our children can be our refresher course.

Playing with your child brings you back to the present, reminds you of what matters, and slows you down long enough to smell the roses. It also connects you emotionally with your child, rebuilding the closeness that the fast-paced, boring routines of life are all too quick to strip away.

Playing together is even more important for your child than it is for you, because she needs to feel close to you to feel loved and happy. If you’ve neglected time together for long enough, it may appear that your child isn’t interested in your attentions. She may even tell you as much. But that’s just bluster, hiding the fear that you will disappoint her again if she lets herself wish for time alone with you. If you initiate playing together, and do it at frequent intervals, even the most aloof pre-teen will start to look forward to it and, in time, throw herself into the fun.

What kind of playing should you do? Pay attention to the activities your child engages in: his idea of enjoyment. If these things seem boring to you, try hanging out nearby, observing as he does them, with words that express your curiosity. You just may find you actually develop a genuine interest. If your child is a couch potato, take up your perch on the couch beside him, but after you’re allowed “in,” initiate some play that might be more pleasant than TV.

Think back to what you did as a child that was memorable, especially activities you did with your parents that stay with you still. Think about things that are free or cost little, that involve experiencing life together. Start a list of ideas as they come, and add any of the following that you resonate with:

Here is my list of 25 Fun things to do with your kids. (That are free or cost very little)

• Raking stacks of autumn leaves, then jumping or rolling in them
• Taking a hike through the forest preserve
• Skating at the roller rink together
• Walking the dog, taking turns with the rope
• Reading comics or joke books together (or books of poetry or stories)
• Making cookies, pizza or a cake
• Building a fort out of snow or chairs and blankets
• Playing hide and seek, hide the thimble, cards or board games
• Lying on a blanket looking up at the stars
• Sitting in front of the wood stove in a dark room, telling stories
• Making shadow figures on the wall with your hands and a flashlight
• Having a treasure hunt
• Roasting marshmallows over a fire
• Watching a parade
• Going to the aquarium, zoo or museum
• Making and flying kites together
• Building something
• Making a scrapbook
• Making up a silly poem or song
• Watching a movie, with popcorn and no interruptions
• Playing a memory game, like “I’m going to Grandma’s house, and in my suitcase I’m going to pack …”
• Getting up early to watch the sunrise from a hill
• Playing games of pretend
• Going somewhere special, like the beach
• Having a pancake picnic in the snow

Playing together is different than finding entertaining activities for your child. Play involves you, while entertainment excuses you from the picture. If you find yourself saying, “But my schedule is too busy for any of the things on that list,” consider whether your schedule needs some pruning. After all, who’s going to remember in 20 years if you stay late at work or not next Tuesday? But will your child ever forget the Tuesday you ride the rollercoaster together?

Closeness with a child cannot be taken for granted. Like any other relationship, it will slip away unless it’s made a priority. Nothing builds trust and bonding with a child like sharing a moment of silliness and laughter. Come together for light-hearted play, and you just may find your child opens up about serious subjects. The relaxed atmosphere of play helps us let our guard down and reveal more of ourselves.

When you play together, let your child feel like the most important person in your world. Give him your undivided attention: no cell phones, no interruptions, no slipping into your own private thoughts. Be present – body, mind and spirit. Then let yourself do whatever comes naturally, with the abandon you felt when you yourself were a child. Your instincts will be your guide.

Growing closer through play is easy. It just takes dedicated moments, given on a fairly regular basis, so your child begins to count on having time with you.

Let your child re-teach you the wonderful secrets of play. You both will feel more secure and peaceful – and a whole lot happier, as the reason you do it all for, starts to come back to you.

At Last! Law of Attraction and Goal Setting FOR KIDS!

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Lessons from Children

Have you ever watched children -- around the age of 2 or 3 -- come together in a park, or play area, or wherever children happen to be?

Have you noticed that they simply don't play any ridiculous, stupid "politics" with each other? That they don't try to evaluate each other based on social ranking or financial this or career that, or who looks better or (gasp) who weighs more than someone else.

Instead, if you've simply watched children, you've noticed how amazingly inclusive they are; how accepting they are. Yes, they may even cry or not like something -- perhaps another child has taken their toy -- but even that crying is so authentic; it is so honest. There is no attempt to mask it or suppress it. An upset child cries; a happy child laughs.

As adults, we learn how to be false. And we spend so much time doing this, that we eventually start to believe our own deception. Hence, this is why relationships among adults are so needlessly strained and politicized; how they are overloaded with drama and deception (if not now, wait a few months...).

We've forgotten how to be open. And we're afraid that if we open, we'll be attacked, deceived, hurt, or whatever.

If you want to learn how to live, watch a bunch of little children. That's the essence of who we are, before we "grew up" and became shadows of our real selves.