What to do with this activity?

It's good to set goals for your child, and to encourage them to set goals for themselves. Make goal-setting part of every day, and make it fun. With every goal achieved your child becomes more confident, and more motivated to achieve the next goal. Here are some tips.

1) Let your child have a say in what goals to set - listen to them, talk it through, and encourage them to write their goals down. 

1) Set realistic goals and break each goal into small steps that can be aimed for and achieved. For instance, your child might want to be a better footballer. Break that into different skills - ball control, accurate shooting at goal, fitness and running speed. Talk about which skills need the most work.  

3) Help your child work out a plan of action and a timetable that will help them achieve their goal.

4) Let your child know that achieving a goal isn't always easy - it can be hard work, there may be blocks, or the goal might need to be changed.  

5) Don't use threats or bribes. Your child won't learn to motivate themselves that way. 

6) Praise genuine effort even when the goal is not quite achieved, and praise success.

7) Encourage your child to be ambitious for themselves - aim for the sky!

8) Think about setting a family goal - for example, cycling together at least twice a week.