What's Your Goal? Meaningful & Memorable Student Goal-Setting

Students setting goals can be powerful, whether it be for a New Year's resolution activity, back-to-school activity, or anytime during the school year. But goal-setting can also be challenging for students, so let's make the process meaningful and memorable, with built-in ways to help them follow through and reach those goals. 

Enter... Goal Blocks! 

It's a goal-setting approach where the process is broken down into meaningful chunks, with eye-popping, memorable ways to display it.

Both the 2-D and 3-D display options are bold and fun to make!

Let's dig into what students do in each part of Goal Blocks...

Part 1: Plan Out Your Goal

Students use the letters of the word "GOAL" to break down the goal-setting process. They identify the Guts of the goal, Obstacles, Action Steps, and then Look Ahead.


 G     represents the Guts of the goal, which includes choosing a topic, writing a goal statement, setting a standard for success, and setting a time frame. 

O     represents the Obstacles that stand in the way of reaching their goal.

A     represents three Action Steps students plan to help them move toward their goal.

L     represents Looking Ahead to life afterward, where students visualize how they will feel upon reaching their goal and think about what they might strive for next.

A handy goal-planning booklet (shown above) guides students in developing their goal.

Part 2: Create a Stunning Display

After students have developed their goal, what better way to capture it than with a cool display piece! Whether it be the 2-D or 3-D version, students literally fill the G-O-A-L block letters with their goal.

Lots of detailed instructions and step-by-step visual guides are included in the resource for putting together the final displays.

Check out the video clip below of a full demo of creating the 3-D display.


When students finish their goal display, find a place to keep them in easy view, like a bulletin board for the 2-D version or on a windowsill for the 3-D version. They'll act as reminders for students as they begin working towards their goals.

Part 3: Follow Through!

Once students complete their goal display, the real work begins! An update booklet is used to help students track their goal progress and make adjustments when necessary.

Each week or two, students update their goal progress in their booklet, and then have a... GPGT!

What's a GPGT? That's a "Goal Partner Get-Together," of course! Having a goal partner can help each student stay with their goal and fight to reach it. Using the GPGT guide, goal partners get together and chat about each other's goals, giving a healthy dose of encouragement and accountability. Small groups of 3-4 also work well. Just change the GPGT to a GGGT (Goal Group Get-Together)!

Meeting consistently with goal partners or groups can really build trust within the students involved, and these relationships themselves are worth developing, on top of the outcomes of students' goals.

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Interested in the full resource of Goal Blocks? Find it HERE, or tap/click the image below.

The resource includes all the materials and templates I've talked about here and that you've seen in the photos.

Happy goal-setting, everyone!