50 Family Goal Setting Ideas [Examples and How-to Guide]
When it comes to family life, everyone seems to have an opinion about what’s best. But one thing that nearly all parenting experts agree on is that family goals are important. Family goal setting helps to strengthen family bonds, teaches children about teamwork and responsibility, and provides a roadmap for achieving greater happiness as a family unit.
In this article, we will discuss how to set family goals, give some examples of popular family goals, and explain why they are so important. Let’s get started!
The Importance of Family Goals
Running a household while raising a family can be compared to managing a small business.
(Or maybe even a major corporation depending on how many kids you have)
That’s because they are similar. Your family is like it’s own company with individual employees who have different:
- strengths
- weaknesses
- interests
- talents
- opinions etc.
But ultimately everyone needs to work together for the business (or household in this case) to run smoothly.
It’s no secret that the most successful businesses with the happiest employees meet regularly to discuss:
- plans
- objectives
- and upcoming events.
They also provide their employees a time to share their ideas and accomplishments.
This encourages everyone to work together toward a common goal and creates an environment where everyone feels included, appreciated, and recognized.
And your family is no different.
The process of setting family goals will give everyone a sense of purpose, belonging, and responsibility.
Having a shared vision also provides opportunities to celebrate your collective successes.
Lauren @simplywellbalanced
If you want to raise well-adjusted and confident children who feel as if their opinions matter, a family goal-setting session is the perfect setting for them to acquire these skills.
When children are involved in the creation of family objectives, they not only learn how to function and contribute to society, but they also learn a measure of independence and self-discipline.
Other benefits of family goal setting include:
- Increased family bonds
- Improved communication
- Greater family happiness
When everyone is working together toward a common goal, it can make even the most chaotic household feel more manageable and less stressful.
Through goal setting, you and your family members can bond as you work toward a common purpose and rely on each other to accomplish it.
When kids are included in the creation of family goals they are given the opportunity to learn about:
- self-discipline
- collaboration
- and the importance of thinking ahead.
They will also be more motivated to accomplish the goals because they were part of the planning process and were allowed to have input and share their ideas.
They will also learn that no matter their age, their opinions and actions matter and have an impact in the world.
Family goals are also important because they contribute toward creating a happy home that everyone can enjoy.
And let’s face it, just because y’all live together doesn’t mean that everything always runs smoothly.
Clarifying and establishing family goals will help everyone learn how to work together and come up with a clear pathway to success – while having fun along the way.
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How To Set Family Goals
There are many ways to set family goals, the most common is by establishing a family meeting; typically weekly or monthly.
Depending on the number of people in your household and their ages, the way that you run your meeting will look different for each family.
The basic idea is to get together and have everyone jointly commit to one or more objectives.
The first step is to decide what you want to accomplish.
For most families their goal setting plans fall into two categories:
- Solving or correcting a problem or issue.
- Accomplishing a task or objective.
When you are figuring out what your family’s goals will be, it’s important that everyone’s opinions and input are considered.
If everyone has a chance to share potential ideas, then you can brainstorm a goal to match.
This is a great opportunity for kids to learn productive methods for participating, discussion and disagreement.
Schedule A Family Meeting
Since your family’s goals will fluctuate based on immediate needs and our ever-changing world, a regularly scheduled meeting time is the perfect place to decide which goals to prioritize.
Family meetings are a great way to celebrate your progress or offer suggestions when facing a roadblock.
There three steps to go through when selecting family goals are:
- Brainstorm
- Evaluate
- Prioritize
Step 1 Brainstorm
What do you want to accomplish?
Begin by creating a list of the ideas with input from everyone – kids included.
This should be a fun and creative time where anything and everything is considered.
This approach will encourage participation and increase the fun factor.
It’s vital to get the ideas flowing at this stage, so don’t say no to anything. You will have a chance to modify the list in the next step.
Tip: For families with older children you could ask one of them to create a Google Doc where everyone can add their agenda items for the upcoming family meeting. Then during the meeting they can take notes so that everyone is able to contribute and remember what was discussed.
Step 2 Evaluate
This is where you begin to edit.
Take some time to review the list of ideas to decide if they are practical, relevant, and attainable.
Give everyone a chance to provide feedback and input before dismissing anyone’s contribution so that they are encouraged to participate in the future.
You can decide to cross off, delete or delay some of the goals for a later time.
If you have younger children, you will want to keep things short and focused.
Allow them to vote with a thumbs up or a thumbs down to make decisions.
Step 3 Prioritize
Family goals work best when your concentration is focused on one or 2 objectives.
Trying to focus on too many goals at once can create a situation where your effort is too diluted to make real, noticeable progress.
Instead, take a look at the list you have put together and try taking a vote within the family to see which goals are most important to everyone.
Focus on just 1-3 goals for now and rank them in order of importance. This will help when deciding how much time and effort needs to be taken to act on these goals.
Once you have completed these phases, you can make some final decisions about your family goals and create a prominent display or sign to hang somewhere in the house.
FREEBIE: Download the Family Goals Setting Guide in our FREE PRINTABLES LIBRARY
Put Your Family Goals On Display
This is an important and often overlooked step.
The last thing you want is for these goals to be out of sight and out of mind. Here are some ideas:
- Make a poster or flier to hang on the refrigerator.
- Create a family calendar with goal-setting deadlines and activities.
- Use a chalkboard or dry erase board as part of your family command center to update current family goals where everyone can see.
The following section will list some examples of family goals for you to start with.
Family Goals: Examples and Ideas
We want to help you get the brainstorming process started with this list of family goals examples.
Feel free to modify them to fit your needs and circumstances, or completely ignore them and come up with your own.
Spend Quality Time Together
One constant complaint of busy modern families is that everyone is always going in different directions and there’s no time to slow down and connect.
Making quality family time a priority is a great way to reconnect and bond with one another.
You can start with:
1. Eat Family Meals at the Dinner Table
2. Weekly Family Hour
3. One on One Time
4. Family Movie Night
5. Dinner Time Conversation Starters
6. Family Game Night
7. Plan A Stay-cation
8. Start New Family Traditions
9. Do a Family Project
10. Play Truth or Dare
11. Screen-Free Sundays
12. Start a Family Book Club
13. Express Appreciation
Health and Fitness Goals
Making healthy habits and fitness a priority can help ensure that everyone in the family stays strong and avoids preventable illnesses. It’s also a great way to have fun together while doing something that will benefit everyone for years to come.
Here are some family health and fitness goals to get you started:
14. Cook Family Meals Together
15. Evening Family Walks
16. Do a Family Fitness Challenge
17. Go on a Scavenger Hunt
18. Create a Weekly Meal Plan Together
19. Learn How to Meditate
20. Try a Group Fitness Class
21. Start a Family Garden
22. Weekly Wii Tournament
23. Spend Time Outdoors
24. Join a Gym or Local YMCA
25. Take a Mental Health Day Off From School and Work
Household Responsibilities
The responsibility of household chores should not be shouldered by one family member.
Setting a goal to involve the entire family in the care of the house and yard is a great way to teach kids to take pride in their home while developing important life skills and understanding the power of teamwork.
26. Make a Family Chore Chart
27. Yard Work Day
28. Wash and Detail The Car
29. Create a Weekly Cleaning Schedule
30. Do a Declutter Challenge
31. Donate Hand-Me-Downs
32. Spring Clean
33. Cleanest Room Contest
Financial Goals
Teaching your children about budgeting and finances is a great way to set them up for lifelong success. Teaching kids how to calculate a family budget or set a savings goal is a great way for them to develop financial literacy.
Coming up with fun experiences or items to spend money on while motivating everyone to get on board and do their part to stick to the financial plan
34. Plan a Family Yard Sale
35. Save a Down Payment for a House
36. Start a Change Jar or Piggy Bank
37. Set up an Allowance System
38. Payoff Debt
39. Open a Savings Account
40. Start a Family Business
41. Have a Minimalist Christmas
42. Raise Money for Charity
43. Start Saving for College
Short Term Goals
Even if a goal will only take a few days or weeks to accomplish, it is still worth setting. In fact, these short-term goals allow for quick wins that keep everyone feeling successful and motivated. Here are some examples:
44. Plan an backyard party
45. Establish a family reading hour before bedtime
46. Take a class together to learn a new skill
47. Create a weekly to-do list
Long Term Goals
Unlike short term goals, long term goals tend to have multiple steps along the way. These goals should have designated milestones and rewards so that your kids stay motivated to keep up the hard work.
48. Learn a new language
49. Plan a family reunion
50. Visit a new state or country every year
51. Create a yearly bucket list
52. Plan a yearly family vacation
FREEBIE: Download the Family Goals Setting Guide in our FREE PRINTABLES LIBRARY
Family Goal Setting FAQ’s
When it comes to setting family goals, it is only natural to have some questions.
How Do You Write A Family Goal?
There are plenty of ways to establish family goals, but if you want your kids to be involved, you should consider writing down the family goals and putting them up somewhere visible in the house.
Hanging a well-decorated poster or whiteboard of your goals gives your family something a physical reminder to cooperate.
When you work together with your kids to document your family goals, you reinforce the idea that the kids were instrumental in creating them.
When writing a family goal, you want to make sure that it’s in the SMART Goal format.
What Is A S.M.A.R.T. Family Goal?
Peter Drucker came up with the acronym SMART in 1981 to describe the best attributes for a goal that is both realistic and optimistic.
Your exact wording might depend on how old your kids are and how simply you want to convey an idea, but these principles are universal. When you and your family brainstorm ideas for your goals, keep these aspects in mind.
Specific
When your family sets a family goal, it should be specific.
This means that you should have a clear and concise idea of what you are trying to achieve.
For example, “We will eat family dinners together three nights a week” is much more specific than “We will spend more time together.”
Measurable
A family goal should also be measurable.
Meaning there must be a way to track your progress and determine whether or not you have actually achieved the goal.
For example, “We will spend 30 minutes playing a board game every Sunday” is more measurable than “We will have family game night every week.”
Attainable
When a goal is attainable that means it is something that is actually possible for your family to do.
For example, “We will take a family vacation each year” is more attainable than “We will take a family vacation to Europe every year.”
Realistic
A realistic goal is one that takes into account the current circumstances of your family.
If your family wants to focus on fitness, but it hasn’t been something that has been a priority before it may not be realistic to say, “We will exercise every day.”
Instead, you might want to start with something like, “We will exercise at least three times a week.”
Timely
When setting a goal it is important to set a timeframe.
This creates a sense of urgency and encourages everyone to take action and stay motivated.
An example of a timely goal would be, “In 6 months we will save enough money to go to Great Wolf Lodge,”
How Specific Should Your Goals Be?
In terms of vagueness vs. specificity, you should remember that the younger your kids are, the more specific the goals should be.
For example, a vague goal would be something like: Keep the house tidy.
To help young kids be successful, you will need to break that down into smaller, action-oriented steps like:
- Put away their toys when you are done playing
- Make your bed in the morning.
- Follow the assigned chore chart each day
If you lay out specific tasks that contribute to the goal, you can also assign corresponding rewards.
You don’t need to give a reward for completing every job, or the rewards can be something small like stickers or praise, but most children won’t understand why you all need to go to church or keep the house clean for its own sake.
Final Thoughts on Family Goals
Setting goals as a family is a great way to establish family values and create a strong family bond.
When you work together toward shared objectives you have the opportunity to strengthen your relationships and create lasting memories.
What matters most is that you are spending time together being productive and helping your children develop important life skills that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.
And remember that you can create new family goals as your family changes and grows.
So, don’t be afraid to revisit your family goals on a regular basis and make adjustments as needed.
What goals are your family setting this year? Comment below!
FREEBIE: Download the Family Goals Setting Guide in our FREE PRINTABLES LIBRARY
More Family Activities:
How to set (and reach) goals as a family
