Personal Goals for Children and Yourself — You Can Start Again Any Day
Whether your goal is big or small, what matters most is that it’s personal to you. Falling off track isn’t failure — you can start fresh any day, and so can our children.
How Small Steps Help Children Achieve Meaningful Goals
Why New Year’s Resolutions Often Fail
Every January, many of us approach the New Year with hope and good intentions. We promise ourselves that this will be the year we eat healthier, save more money, exercise regularly, or become a better version of ourselves. The start of a new year can feel like a clean slate, a reset button that encourages reflection and growth.
Yet, for many people, New Year’s resolutions don’t last long. By February, those well-meant goals have often faded into the background. Sometimes this happens because the goals we set are too vague. Other times, one small slip-up can feel like failure, leading us to abandon the goal altogether. And often, we simply expect too much of ourselves, setting targets that are unrealistic or unsustainable.
Setting Meaningful and Achievable Goals for Children
These reflections are not just relevant to adults, they are deeply connected to the work we do every day with the children and young people we support in our homes and schools.
In our practice, we regularly support young people to work towards goals: attending education more consistently, reducing risky behaviours, engaging in activities, or developing positive ways of interacting with others. These goals are important, but they also raise an important question: How do we ensure that the goals we set are truly achievable, relevant, and supportive for each individual child?
Equally important is how we respond when progress isn’t linear. Children, like adults, will have off days. They may be late, disengage, or struggle to meet expectations. What matters most is not perfection, but how we help them respond to setbacks and how we show them that a single stumble does not mean failure.
Focusing on Habits Instead of Outcomes
One useful way to rethink goal-setting is to focus less on outcomes and more on habits. Outcomes are often the end result we want to see, but habits are the small, repeatable actions that make those outcomes possible.
For example, instead of setting a goal like “eat more healthily,” a more effective approach might be “help to plan and cook dinner at home three nights a week.” The habit of planning, cooking, and engaging positively with food can be far more valuable and more sustainable than focusing solely on the end result.
The same principle applies when working with children and young people. Small, manageable actions, supported consistently over time, can build confidence, routine, and a sense of achievement. When goals feel achievable, they are far more likely to be sustained.
Allowing Room for Reflection and Compassion
Progress is rarely perfect. Success doesn’t always look like completing everything flawlessly. Sometimes, success is recognising that a goal needs to change, reflecting on what didn’t work, or learning not to be overly self-critical.
In our work, these moments can be especially powerful. When a child experiences a setback and learns that they are not given up on, that mistakes do not define them, it reinforces trust, resilience, and self-belief. It shows them that growth is a process, not a pass-or-fail test.
Starting Fresh Any Day of the Year
New Year’s resolutions don’t need to be rigid or overwhelming. Small Steps Help Children Achieve Meaningful Goals. They can simply be a commitment to show up a little better than before. Goals don’t have to begin on the 1st January, and they don’t end when things go off track.
Whether your goal is big or small, the most important thing is that it’s personal to you. And if you fall off track, remember you don’t need a new year to begin again. You can start fresh any day, and so can our children.
As we move forward into the year ahead, small steps, taken consistently, can lead to lasting change. Every day is an opportunity for growth, reflection, and achieving goals one step at a time.
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Inspired by a thoughtful weekly update from our CEO, Katie Walmsley, shared with colleagues across the organisation.
