Have you heard the news?! Our Brand Ambassador and friend Ryan Murphy has o-FISH-ally qualified for the biggest swimming competition of the year! We are so proud and so excited to see him take on such a big challenge again, and can’t wait to cheer him on from our Goldfish Swim Schools across North America! We know this was one of Ryan’s GOLDen goals and we are celebrating him every step of the way! 

Watching Ryan go for his goals has inspired us to, with the help of our Goldfish friends, share some of our favorite goal-setting tips to help kiddos reach their goals, big and small! 

Tip #1 – Work from Right to Left

From Ryan Murphy himself, our first tip is to work from right to left to achieve a goal. Help your little one determine their end goal (the right!), then set checkpoints (as Ryan calls them!) along the way that help them make progress from where they are started (the left!). Giving kiddos smaller tasks that help them get to their big goal can help them understand each step they need to take to make their dream a reality!

Tip #2 – Set Your Goal with Positive Language

Our friend and board-certified Pediatrician Dr. Molly shared this goal-setting tip with us, and we love it! She recommends kiddos (and parents!) set goals that are about STARTING something, rather than stopping something, so that they are positively worded and help us stay in a positive mindset while we work to achieve our goal. We couldn’t agree more! Staying positive makes it easier and more fun to work towards goals and stick to them!

Tip #3 – Let Your Kiddo Choose Their Own Goals

We know it can be tempting to help our kiddos brainstorm and to lead them in the direction of a goal we’d like to see them achieve. But, setting goals on your own helps you stay motivated to do everything you need to do to achieve them! This also helps to fuel your kiddo’s passions (big and small!) as they focus their goals around things that make them happy and excited.

Tip #4 – Celebrate Progress

When you set up little goals along the way to achieving a big goal like Ryan suggested, you give yourself lots of chances to celebrate – take them! Maybe we’re a little biased, but we never miss an opportunity to CELEBRATE! Celebrating the big and small accomplishments encourages kids to keep moving in the right direction and gives them a chance to recognize their hard work! 

When you set goals with your kiddos, the most important thing is that you stay positive and encourage them! Kiddos are capable of anything – big and small, they just need a little motivation and celebration from the adults around them. And, sometimes they just need to add water! Summer is the perfect time to set goals like learning to float or strengthening swim skills, and we can help! Learn more about swim lessons and how your kids can achieve their swim goals on our website!