Returning to school in January can be a fresh start for your classroom and students. Take advantage of this excitement and energy with these engaging goal setting activities. With lessons on goal setting and reflection, growth mindset, and healthy technology habits, you and your students will have the perfect start to the new year. Incorporate these activities into your lesson plans for goal setting to kick off 2023!

How to create interactive goal setting activities for students

Any activity or lesson can be made interactive with Nearpod for free. For example, you can select activities and lessons from our Goal Setting lesson folder. Filter by grade level, subject, or standards to find an activity fit for you and your students. For example, if you’re searching for New Year resolution templates, you can search the lesson folder for an activity that aligns with your students’ grade level. Additionally, you can create your own interactive activities to make any lesson fun and engaging for students. With Nearpod, you can access interactive formative assessments that include gamification, drag and drop, drawing, matching, and collaborative discussion, which enhances classroom learning for all students. Sign up below for free to access the activities and lessons shared in this blog post.

5 Engaging goal setting activities for any classroom

1. Establish new year resolutions and reflections

January is the perfect time of year for students to reflect on the first half of the school year and set goals for the new year. These goal setting activities and lessons are perfect for teaching your students about SMART goals. Do this as a class activity or in Student-Paced mode for independent reflection.

Use these goals setting activities for resolutions and reflections:

• Reflections and Resolutions (Activity: Grades K-12): In this SEL activity, students practice self-management by reflecting on past experiences to create SMART resolutions for the new year. This lesson can be used to infuse social and emotional learning into classroom schedules easily. There are 3 versions of this activity for the following grade levels: Grades K-2, 3-5, and 6-12.

• Goal Setting (Activity: Grades 3-8): In this life skills activity, students will review their understanding of goal setting using Nearpod’s interactive quiz game, Time to Climb. There are 3 versions of this activity for the following grade levels: Grades 3-5 and 6-8.

• Smart Goals (Video: Grades 3-6): In this fun and educational video from Lynn Hefele, students learn how to create SMART goals using specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely language.

• SEL: Growth Mindset (Activity: Grades 6-8): In this life skills activity, students will review their understanding of growth mindset using Nearpod’s interactive quiz game, Time to Climb.

• New Year’s Resolutions for Students (Video: Grades 9-12, Higher Ed): In this video from Socratica, students learn how to make achievable new year’s resolutions and complete them.

2. Practice a growth mindset

There is no goal setting without a growth mindset. Encourage students to adopt a growth mindset for the new year to motivate themselves to accomplish their goals. You can also use these activities during different times of the year when they need a little extra courage. Use these goal setting activities for the new year, test prep season, or before they go on holiday or summer break to reinforce these teachings.

Motivate students with these growth mindset lessons and activities:

• Growth Mindset (Lesson: Grade 3-8): In this Life Skills lesson, students will learn about the opportunity to learn from failure. Your students will be able to acknowledge failure as a positive process and learning opportunity.

• Growth Mindset (Video: Grades 4-12): What if we thought of failure as an opportunity for growth? In this video, students learn about growth mindset. A host explains how a growth mindset reframes mistakes as a sign of potential. Students consider how this can impact their own lives.

• SEL: Growth Mindset (Activity: Grades 6-8): In this 6-8 life skills activity, students will review their understanding of growth mindset using Nearpod’s interactive quiz game, Time to Climb.

• Survey: Growth Mindset (Activity: Grades 6-12): Want to learn more about your students? Use this survey to get to know your students and learn more about how they feel about your subject area!

3. Inspire students with goal setting ideas

Are your students not sure what type of goals they want to set for themselves? Give them some realistic goals they can accomplish in the new year. Whether it’s reading more, exercising frequently, managing their time better, or cultivating healthy social and emotional habits, you can provide your students with the resources they need to kick off a new goal they’re passionate about.

Before kicking off goal setting activities, share some of these lessons with your students to inspire them:

• Mantras (Video: Grades 3-8): Want to feel calmer or more confident? In this one-minute video, students will learn about mantras. A host will explain how mantras can help you focus and manage stress, and students will consider how they can use mantras in their own lives.

• Let’s Breathe Out (Lesson: Grades 6-8): In this Social Emotional Learning lesson, students will learn about the concept of mindfulness and how to cultivate it within themselves.

• Exercise and Fitness (Lesson: Grades 6-8): In this CCP Life Skills lesson, students will learn how to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. They will examine how to calculate BMI, calorie intake, and the physical benefits of exercise.

• Daily Routines and Time Management (Lesson: Grades 6-12): Students learn to organize their daily schedules and manage their time to achieve short-term and long-term goals.

• How to Love Reading (Video: Grades 9-12, Higher Ed): In this interactive video from Socratica, students learn about how to love reading.

4. Encourage healthy technology and media habits

Now more than ever, it’s important to empower students to think critically and participate responsibly in the digital world through digital citizenship skills. Use the beginning of the new year to reinforce digital literacy skills students use daily. These habits can also serve as goal setting ideas they can use in the new year. For example, they can set a goal not to check social media in the first 15 minutes they wake up or to shut off their phones one hour before they go to sleep.

Use these lessons to encourage healthy digital citizenship habits in the new year:

• Digital Citizenship & Responsibility (Activity: Grades 6-8): In this 6-8 activity, students will review what it means to be a good digital citizen and how to take responsibility on social media with Nearpod’s interactive quiz game, Time to Climb.

• Social Media Addiction (Video: Grades 6-12): Is social media designed to be addicting? In this one-minute video, students learn about social media addiction. A host explains how social media is designed to be addicting, and students consider whether social media should be regulated.

• Social Media Behaviors and Cyber Bullying (Lesson: Grades 6-12): Students learn the importance of responsible use of online platforms and how to spot and stop cyberbullying.

5. New year-themed slide templates for your lessons!

This January, use one of our two seasonal templates for Google Slides! With a Nearpod Gold, Platinum, or School account, you can access our Google-Slides Add On to embed interactive Nearpod slides and activities within Google Slides. Perfect for creating January activities for your classroom!

Uploading PowerPoint or Google Slides into Nearpod to create your lessons? Download the template as a .ppt, make a copy in Google Slides, and upload your festive lesson to Nearpod.

Learn more about our Google Slides integration here. However, please note these slide templates can still be accessed for free. Click the links below to download your favorite!

Start using these goal setting activities

These goal setting activities will help you and your students ring in the year smoothly and confidently! You can reinforce the skills taught in these activities year-round with your students. If you’re new to Nearpod, ensure you’re signed up for a free account. You can access all of the lessons, activities, and videos in this blog post by clicking below to sign up!