If you’re like me, you’re having calendar-shock – it’s January!! But just below the surface of that shock is the exciting sense that – it’s January! A fresh calendar, a clean slate, an entire 12 months full new possibilities!
I’ve always appreciated the fact that the New Year comes part way through the “school year.” It is the shot in the arm just when the motivation begins to wane and just before we bravely face the long winter. In the spirit of the New Year, we can look back on the beginning of the school year and determine what has worked well, what needs some tweaking, and what needs to be pitched out like the forgotten egg nog in the back of the fridge!
How many Januarys have I said, “This year were going to do this!” or “This year were going to do that differently!”? If only merely declaring it made it a reality!!
An essential tool for turning January enthusiasm into mid-year actuality is to set goals. There is an effective goal-setting tool from the world of business and has great applications for homeschool families. Here is how you can set some S.M.A.R.T. goals for this New Year.
Specific “We’re going to read more this year!” That’s noble, but what does that mean? Reading every night as a family? Each person reading a book a month? The more specific you are, the more likely you are to succeed.
Measureable Similar to being specific, setting measureable goals makes good intentions less abstract and more concrete. If you want your kids to be more consistent with their chores, quantify it. For example, each child will do one job each day.
Attainable I know in my enthusiasm I can imagine accomplishing way more than is humanly possible. Yes, it’s good to aim high, reach for the stars, and all that, but we should have goals for our families that they can realistically accomplish. Set your family up for success!
Relevant What your child needed to learn last year is likely very different from what they need to learn this year. Be sure your goals for our child is relevant to their current emotional, physical, and educational needs.
Timely I’ve heard somewhere “A goal is a dream with a deadline.” Putting what you hope for into a timeframe puts you one step closer to accomplishment. Also, you can take a big goal (like memorizing all the multiplication facts) and break it into smaller, time-oriented goals (“Let’s learn the 4 times tables this week.”)
Of course, family life doesn’t always go according to plan! But having SMART goals written out and holding one another accountable could make 2015 a great year of learning and growth for your family.
Happy New Year!