Long-Term Goals for Teens

Teenagers benefit from a vision of the future because it helps them stay focused on more than just what to wear to school or who said what in a text message. Although long-term goals may seem remote, by encouraging your adolescent to think about the future, you help her learn how to work at bigger goals over time.

  1. Long-Term Goals

    • Long-term goals are the achievements, wishes, projects and plans that take more time and effort to make happen. Generally, a long-term goal takes weeks, months or even years to accomplish; whereas a short-term goal may take a day or a couple of weeks at most, according to Neag Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development. Examples of a teen's long-term goals might be graduating on the high school honor roll, attending a specific college or earning enough money to buy a car.

    Breaking Goals Down

    • To make long-term goals manageable and achievable, a teen needs to organize the goal by breaking it down. For example, the goal of attending a specific college may seem general and even overwhelming on a goal list. The key to working toward a long-term goal is to define the main goal and then list the short-term goals connected with the overall goal, advises the Northern Illinois University College of Education. When listing the short-term subgoals, place them in a prioritized list to ensure that the teen works on the most pressing and important short-term goals first.

    Working and Achieving

    • With a plan of action, your teen can feel motivated and energized to work toward the overall goal, simply because the clarified direction usually feels empowering. Where long-term goals feel overwhelming or burdensome, short-term goals nested inside a long-term goal can feel invigorating and exciting. As the teen works and achieves short-term goals, suggest setting target dates for these goals to maintain his momentum, advises the Huntington Tutoring Center. Your youngster can cross goals off his list as a clear indicator of progress he's made toward the main goal. For example, with the goal of acceptance at a specific college, some of the short-term goals might be to complete standardized testing, tour the campus, submit an application and explore financial aid assistance.

    Analyzing and Reassessing

    • It's common for long-term goals to be a work in progress that may require adjustments and restructuring over time. Sometimes plans change, priorities shift or new issues occur. Encourage your teen to stay connected with her long-term goals by checking her progress and making adjustments as necessary. Resourcefulness, tenacity and resilience will teach your teen valuable lessons about working toward important goals.

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