Goals That Stick

What your kid learns

• Savings has three jobs

  Savings does three jobs: goals, surprises and the future. Give each job its own pile, so one doesn’t raid another.

• SMART, made simple

  What do you want? How much does it cost? By when? What’s your weekly step? Those four answers turn a wish into a goal.

• Do the weekly math

  Divide the price by the number of weeks you have. That’s your weekly step.

• Picture it, adjust it

  Picture the goal and celebrate milestones, like halfway. If plans change, adjust the date or the weekly amount. Don’t quit.

The story: Jade’s someday headphones

Jade turns a someday wish for headphones into a goal with a weekly step.

1. Helper: Jade keeps saying, “Someday I’ll get good headphones.” Someday never comes.
2. Jade: Every time I save a little, I spend it on snacks.
3. Helper: Savings has three jobs: goals, surprises and the future. Give each one its own pile.
4. Jade: OK. What: headphones. How much: $60. By when: 12 weeks from now.
5. Helper: Weekly step? $60 divided by 12 weeks is $5 a week.
6. Jade: Week 6, and I’m halfway! I can already picture them.
7. Helper: Wish plus number plus date equals goal. If life gets in the way, adjust. Don’t quit.

The game: Goal builder

Sort each pretend wish into its savings job: a goal, surprises or the future.

Games use pretend money and work with taps or a keyboard. Nothing is timed.

New words

SMART goal

a goal with a what, a how much, a by when and a weekly step

deadline

the date you want to reach a goal by

milestone

a checkpoint along the way, like halfway

short-term vs long-term

soon (weeks or months) vs far away (years)

Questions at the end

• Savings does three jobs. Which list is right?
• Which one is a SMART goal?
• A pretend $90 game in 9 weeks. What’s the weekly step?
• You miss two weeks of saving. What’s a good move?
• Which one is a vague wish, not a goal?

Remember this

Wish + number + date = goal.

Talk about it

What’s one thing you’d save for, and how long would you wait for it?

Try it at home: Write your goal down

1. Pick one thing to save for.
2. Write what, how much, by when and your weekly step.
3. Put it where you’ll see it.

Write the goal down.

School standards

• Grades 6–8
• National Standards for Personal Financial Education: Saving
• Common Core Math 6.RP.A.3