The following exercise in the Dream Catcher workbook is all about setting goals: the Next Mission.

Starting with noting the date, as this keeps track of the progress.
Followed by space to note which superpowers the child would like to improve on, how the super powers will be improved and how these improvements will strengthen the child.

How do you determine the goal?
An easy way to explain ‘goals’ is to link the term to a type of sport the child is familiar with. The goal is a target or something you shoot for in soccer for example.
Goal setting often starts with ‘I will’ + WHAT you want to achieve + WHEN you expect to achieve this by.
In this exercise we’ve got the WHEN covered by the date at the beginning. The WHAT can be filled in the first column, by writing or drawing of course.

Identifying a goal is a great way to continue a conversation with your child about their dreams and aspirations. The goal in this exercise should however be within the child’s reach, so define the goal within reason to keep it achievable and realistic.

Next up is the HOW.
HOW to achieve the goal? It is important to help the child think this through, the steps that are needed to achieve the goal. Once the steps are defined talk to your child about who or what would be needed to help him/her achieve their goal?
HOW is also included in the third column of the exercise, as having defined how to achieve the goal will also help define how the improved superpowers/ goals will help and improve other goals.

Succeeding at a goal they’ve set out for themselves can be huge achievement for kids, make sure that the goal success is tracked and success is celebrated, no matter how big or small. Should you find that at any stage, the goal is too great of a challenge, simply revise and make it achievable for the child.

Remember to have fun!     -x- Muriel