20 Back to School Goal Setting Activities for Elementary Students

There’s something about a fresh school year that makes goal setting actually click for kids, way more than it ever does on January 1st, in my experience. New backpack, new grade, new teacher, it just feels like a natural time to think about what they want this year to look like.

Goal setting with kids doesn’t need to be complicated. Most of these are simple enough for a first week activity and don’t require anything you don’t already have lying around the house or classroom.

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1. Goal Setting Jar Write down a few goals for the year, fold them up, and tuck them into a jar to revisit in June. Reading them back at the end of the year is honestly half the fun.

This gratitude jar works perfect for this activity.

2. “This Year I Will…” Poster A simple poster where kids fill in the blank with a goal, then decorate it however they want. Hang it up somewhere they’ll actually see it.

3. Vision Board Craft Cut out pictures and words from old magazines that represent what they’re hoping for this year, then glue them onto a poster.

4. Goal Setting Tree Draw or cut out a bare tree, and add a leaf for each goal a kid sets. Watching the tree fill in over the year is a nice visual for how much they’re working toward.

5. Simple SMART Goals Worksheet A kid friendly version of SMART goals, specific, doable, something they can check off, works surprisingly well even for younger grades once you break it down into plain language.

6. Goal Ladder Draw a ladder with the big goal at the top and a few small steps leading up to it. Great for helping kids see that big goals are really just a bunch of small ones stacked together.

7. “One Word” for the Year Instead of a list of goals, have kids pick just one word to focus on all year, kind, brave, focused, whatever fits them. Simple, but it sticks with them in a way a long list sometimes doesn’t.

8. Reading Goal Tracker A chart to track books read or minutes read toward a goal for the year. Watching the tracker fill up is its own little reward.

9. Kindness Goal Challenge A goal that’s less about “me” and more about how they treat others, one small kind act a week, for example. A nice one to pair with any classroom community activities you’re already doing.

10. Goal Setting Bookmark A bookmark with a spot to write a personal goal, so it’s a little reminder every time they sit down to read.

11. Class Goal Bulletin Board A shared board where the whole class works toward one big goal together, along with everyone’s individual goals posted around it.

12. Personal Goal Journal A simple notebook to jot down goals and check in on them throughout the year. Doesn’t need to be fancy, a plain notebook works just as well as anything store bought.

13. Reach for the Stars Rocket Craft Make a little paper rocket with a goal written on it, and display them all “launching” up a wall or bulletin board. A fun one for younger grades especially.

14. Family Goal Setting Night Bring the goal setting home and have the whole family set one goal each for the school year, big or small. Kids love seeing that grown ups set goals too.

15. Goal Check-In Buddy System Pair kids up to check in on each other’s goals every couple of weeks. A little accountability goes a long way, even for eight year olds.

16. Growth Mindset Goal Cards Cards with prompts like “something that’s hard for me right now” and “how I want to grow this year” to help kids think past just the easy, obvious goals.

17. End of Year Goal Reveal Envelope Write a goal, seal it in an envelope, and don’t open it until the last week of school. The reveal is genuinely one of the sweetest parts of the whole year.

18. Progress Star Chart A chart where kids add a star every time they take a step toward their goal. Visual, satisfying, and a nice motivator for younger kids especially.

19. “Fill the Jar” Visual Tracker Similar to the goal jar, but this one fills up with a small object each time progress is made toward a shared goal, watching the jar fill up becomes its own kind of celebration.

20. Celebrate Small Wins Chart A spot to jot down small wins along the way, not just the big goal at the end. Helps kids notice progress instead of only measuring themselves against the finish line.

However your class (or your own kids at home) set their goals this year, I hope it’s a year full of small wins worth celebrating. And if you’re looking for an easy way to celebrate hitting a goal together, our Back to School Game Bundle makes for a fun little reward night.