Setting Family Goals (An Easy Guide With Examples)

In a world bustling with activity and distractions, it’s crucial to cherish moments of togetherness as a family unit. Setting family goals is a heartwarming practice that we absolutely love to do in our family to prioritize the special time that we have together.

We love connecting with one another and being intentional about how we want to share our lives together!

Whether it is promoting an environment of love and learning, or a sense of togetherness that shapes your family’s bright future, family goal setting is a great opportunity to establish important goals for your whole family. 

At Joyful Through It All, we often write about the importance of fostering healthy habits, focusing on gratitude, and living a life that you truly love. Setting family goals is a practice that aligns with our philosophy of empowering families to pursue their dream lives.

I am excited to share examples of family goals with hopes that they inspire you and your family to establish a common goal that aligns with your family values.

Let’s dig into this guide so that you can start bringing your family’s goals and dreams to life!

What Are Family Goals?

Family goals are a collection of goals and dreams that the members of your household want to work together to pursue on a regular basis. Your own goals as a family will be inspired by your family’s dreams and ambitions, as well as the collective values that your family holds. 

Family goals can range from short term goals, like completing household chores or spending more quality time together, to long term goals such as building up a savings account for a family vacation or fostering lifelong healthy habits. 

Unlike personal goals, setting family goals is not just about individual success. Instead, setting new goals as a family is about the success of the family unit as a whole. It involves open communication, shared responsibilities, and the commitment to work as a team. 

Why is it important to set goals with kids?

In our own family, we introduced the idea of goal setting by making our own personal goals visible to our children. For example, our kids know that my husband’s goal is to do 10 push ups morning, afternoon, and night because they see him doing them and immediately jump on his back to make more work for him.

We want our kids to grow up believing that they can do anything they put their minds to. To help make this value visible in our house we talk often about our own individual goals and encourage our children to contribute their ideas to our own family goals.

Setting goals early with young children is important for setting them up for a lifelong commitment to their own personal development. Their own home is a great place for kids to learn the value of ambition, perseverance, and positive self-belief from a young age. 

Involving younger children in a family goal-setting session not only teaches them the importance of working towards their dreams but also encourages a strong work ethic and a sense of responsibility. When families work together on goals it promotes open communication within family relationships, where all members of the family can express their aspirations and contribute to the common goal. 

When children actively participate in setting family goals, they gain a sense of ownership, motivation, and accomplishment, which are essential life skills. Kids also learn that families are a team that can work together to overcome challenges and celebrate achievements. 

Setting goals with kids is an investment in their future. By nurturing their confidence and self-esteem through goal-setting conversations, you help your kids grow up with a strong sense of purpose and belief in their own abilities.

How To Set Family Goals

There are many different ways that you can set family goals. Family goal setting won’t look the same for every family, so take some time to think about the best way for you and your family to set goals. 

In general, these steps can be good starting points when setting family goals in your home.

1. Hold a family meeting. Gather the entire family at the dinner table or your favorite place to have a dedicated family meeting. Making an intentional point of engaging every family member is the best way to initiate the goal-setting process. The goal is to set the tone for open and honest communication, where each family member can have their voice heard.
2. Define short-term and long-term goals. Work together to identify both short term and long-term family goals. Short-term goals are achievable within a year, while long-term goals may take several years to accomplish. Examples of short-term goals could be improving family dinners or spending more quality time together. Long-term goals might include saving for a family trip or developing healthy habits. I’ve shared more family goals examples below!
3. Be SMART. Use the SMART goals framework for setting goals. Each goal should be specific and clear, with a measurable outcome (meaning you should be able to tell when you have reached the goal). Ensure that the goals are achievable and relevant to your family’s values and needs. Lastly, you should all work together to establish a time frame for each goal’s completion.
4. Involve every family member. Encourage every family member, including young children and older children, to contribute their own ideas. It may be hard work to get buy-in from younger children, but you may find it surprising to see just how engaged kids become when they realize that they have a say in the family’s goals!
5. Create an action plan. When setting goals, an action plan is essential to your success. Break down each goal into smaller, manageable steps. Develop a vision map that outlines what needs to be done, who is responsible for each task, and when it should be completed. Remember that this is a group effort, so hold each other accountable!
6. Regularly review and make adjustments. Schedule regular family goal-setting sessions to review progress and adjust goals as needed. This ensures that your family remains on track and adapts to changing circumstances. This is a great opportunity to share the challenges you have faced and encourage each member of your family.
7. Celebrate achievements. One of the main points on this list is to make sure you celebrate your family’s achievements, both big and small. Recognizing and rewarding the hard work and group effort that goes into reaching your family goals will encourage you and your family to keep moving forward!

20 Family Goals Examples to Consider

As a family, we’ve recently challenged ourselves to go for a 90-day stretch without eating out or eating fast food. This goal reinforces the importance our family places on healthy habits while also having us work together as a family unit. 

While it hasn’t necessarily been easy, taking on this challenge has brought us closer, allowing us to appreciate the benefits of cooking together, trying new recipes, and enjoying homemade, nutritious meals (not to mention how much money we have saved!).

It is common to feel overwhelmed the first time you try setting family goals. It isn’t necessarily an easy task to get your entire family together to cooperate and create a shared vision for what you want for your lives! 

That’s why I’ve put together this list of 20 family goals examples to consider. I am hopeful that this list will inspire you to try some new things and start setting family goals together!

1. Quality family time. Dedicate regular hours to strengthening family bonds. Share meals, indulge in a family game night board game party, and venture into the great outdoors. These shared moments create lasting memories and reinforce the feeling of togetherness and love that is so important in family relationships.
2. Healthy eating habits. Make a conscious effort to embrace a balanced diet as a family. Promoting the idea of nutritious eating teaches children the importance of taking care of their bodies. These habits lay the foundation for a lifetime of prioritizing health and well-being.
3. Limit screen time. Get ready for a tough one! Make a specific goal to reduce the time spent in front of screens and encourage face-to-face interactions. If you have older children, try taking a family social media hiatus. This is a great way to learn to be intentional and use the time you have as a family for building meaningful connections.
4. Save for a family trip. Create a family fund for an exciting getaway. Saving together not only builds anticipation but also models the value of financial planning. The excitement of working towards a common adventure will knit your family closer together. Plus, you get to enjoy the end result of your efforts together!
5. Work on household chores together. Sharing household responsibilities makes everyone feel like a valuable member of the team. Working together to maintain a clean and organized home imparts essential life skills like teamwork and responsibility. This past year our goal has been working hard to leave each room in the state we found it in. This means less time is being spent on major cleaning sprees, which frees up more time for us to do fun intentional things together as a family!
6. Start a community service project. Volunteer as a family to demonstrate the importance of giving back. Actively participating in community service is a great goal that will show your children the power of making a positive impact, while instilling values of generosity and social responsibility at a young age.
7. Personal growth goals. Encourage individual growth within the family. Allow each family member to set their own personal goals, supporting their unique dreams and aspirations. This practice promotes a sense of self-worth and personal achievement within your family unit.
8. Hold a regular family meeting. Make a specific goal to hold regular family meetings to check in with one another. This is a good time to strengthen communication, collaboration, and problem-solving. Intentional family gatherings are a chance to address concerns, express ideas, and show each family member that their voice matters.
9. Achieve better work-life balance. Prioritize family time and ensure a harmonious balance between work, school, and personal life. By valuing time spent with loved ones, you foster a sense of well-being, ensuring that family remains a top priority.
10. Financial stability. Manage your finances together to save for the future and invest in your family’s financial well-being. Teaching your children about financial responsibility from an early age ensures they grow up with a strong sense of financial literacy. If you find it hard to engage your kids in conversations about money, try starting with a conversation about meal planning to cut down unnecessary grocery store trips. This is a simple way to get them involved!
11. Learning goals. As two former teachers, my husband and I work hard to promote continuous learning within the family. Setting educational goals for every family member shows them the importance of being a lifelong lover of learning.
12. Family fitness. It is so easy to dismiss a healthy and active lifestyle as “too difficult” with kids. But here’s a pro tip if you have young children: get your kids’ favorite stuffies out and try doing “stuffy yoga”. This is an easy and fun way to make physical health and a good fitness routine a family affair!
13. Reduce your environmental impact. If you take a look around your house, it’s really shocking just how much is wasted if you aren’t making it a priority. Whether it’s food, electricity, or water, set a family goal to encourage recycling, conserve energy, and reduce your family’s waste. Our focus right now is turning off the lights whenever you leave the room!
14. Mindfulness practice. Incorporate mindfulness exercises and meditation into your family’s daily routine. There are plenty of great mindfulness exercises for kids that can help them learn to prioritize their mental health and emotional well-being from a young age.
15. Support sibling relationships. When kids have strong positive relationships with their siblings, they learn empathy, cooperation, and the value of mutual support. Set a family goal to carve out time where your kids can bond with one another to strengthen their relationships with each other.
16. Maintain a family garden. A shared family project is a great idea that can bring everyone together to focus on growing something together. Start a family garden that helps each family member learn the responsibility of nurturing plants and nature. This is a great way to help your kids learn about nature, growth, and the value of homegrown produce while also instilling a sense of accomplishment.
17. Set some adventure goals. Plan exciting adventures as a family, such as hiking, camping, or exploring new places. These shared experiences not only create cherished memories but also teach children about the beauty of the world around them. In our house, every Friday is adventure day! It isn’t always something big and exciting, but the idea is to set a goal to do something fun together out of the house at least once per week. 
18. Home renovation projects. I know what you’re thinking – renovations with your whole family!? One of our favorite things to do with our kids is tackle home improvement projects as a family. Now I’m not saying that we just hand our kids power tools. Absolutely not! But we love giving our kids the freedom to paint, arrange, and get creative with fixing up their house!
19. Start a family book club. Establish a family book club that promotes a love for reading, critical thinking, and lively discussions. This is a great way to get each family member’s interests represented in conversations.
20. Create and live by a family mission statement. Collaborate to craft a family mission statement that reflects your values, goals, and commitment to one another. Let this mission statement serve as a guiding light for your family to reinforce the shared purpose and direction that keeps you all together through life’s journey.

What Will Your Family’s Goals Be?

Setting family goals is a unique process that looks different for every family. Regardless of how you choose to go about it, there are so many benefits of engaging your entire family in setting up short-term goals and long term goals that you will work toward together.

My hope is that you can use this list of goals as starting points for conversations with your family. Use these ideas as inspiration to create your own goals that inspire a life together full of dream chasing and personal growth.

As you start goal setting with your family, remember that working toward goals is not just about achieving them. Instead, it’s about the journey that you all take along the way and the growth that you experience together as a family.

Don’t forget to share this post with your friends and family on social media! If you know someone who could use some help setting family goals, this blog post could be just what they need!

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