Setting a goal will teach your child about the rewards of delayed gratification. What is delayed gratification? It is the ability a child has to control their impulses and wait for a payoff sometime in the future as opposed to right now. Here is the link to the Stanford Marshmallow Study which vividly demonstrates just what I am talking about: http://www.msgen.com/downloads/Marshmallow.pdf
Realizing a goal they set will boost their self-esteem. This success will encourage your child to set goals again and again. Repetition itself will imprint the goal-setting habit in your child. This becomes oh so important when they are adults and want to buy a car, put money down on a home or save for retirement. These early successes in achieving a goal are guaranteed to prepare your children to deal successfully with life’s longer-term wants and needs. If you would like a goal-setting template to use with your child, here is the link: http://www.msgen.com/downloads/goal_sheet.pdf
Leave a Comment