How to restart a goal after the target changes

Goals shift. Maybe your child was saving for a bicycle but now wants a football kit for the school season, or the price went up after checking Jumia and the original KES 3,500 target no longer covers it. Restarting a goal in KiddyCash doesn’t erase progress — it resets the direction so the numbers actually mean something again.

This guide assumes you already have at least one active goal. If you’re starting from scratch, see how to create a savings goal for a child first.

When to restart vs. when to edit

You don’t always need a full restart. If only the target amount changed slightly, you can edit the goal in place. A restart makes more sense when:

  • The goal purpose has completely changed (different item, different motivation)
  • The deadline has passed and progress stalled
  • Your child wants a clean slate to build momentum again — psychologically, a fresh 0% bar can be more motivating than a stale 34%

Steps to restart a goal

  1. Open your goal. Go to your goals dashboard at https://kiddy.cash/kiddy/account/goal/:goal_id — replace :goal_id with the ID shown in your goal’s URL. You can also navigate there from the Savings tab in your KiddyCash account. To review what’s currently saved and how much progress exists before making any changes, view the goal details first.

  2. Tap the goal options menu. On the goal detail screen, tap the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner. Select Restart goal.

  3. Confirm you want to reset progress. KiddyCash will show you a summary: current balance, progress percentage, and days remaining. You’ll be asked to confirm. Note — restarting does not remove money from the wallet. Saved funds stay in your KiddyCash wallet; only the goal tracker resets.

  4. Set the new target. Enter the updated goal name, new target amount in KES, and a revised deadline. Be specific — “Football kit + socks + shin guards” is more useful than “Sports stuff.” If your child earns a weekly allowance, the app will show an estimate of how many weeks it will take to reach the new target at the current rate.

  5. Choose a contribution method. Decide whether contributions come from automatic allowance splits, manual top-ups (including M-Pesa transfers from a parent), or a combination. If you’re using a kiddy business account and revenue flows into the wallet, you can also allocate a percentage of business earnings toward this goal.

  6. Save and confirm. Tap Save goal. The tracker resets to 0% and your new target is live.

Tips for setting a target that sticks

  • Anchor the goal to something visible — a photo of the item set as the goal image keeps motivation high between savings milestones.
  • Involve your child in the maths. Knowing that saving KES 200 every week for 15 weeks gets you to KES 3,000 is a real lesson. Families who make financial decisions visible tend to raise more financially confident kids — the idea behind using the family budget as a teaching tool.
  • If the goal is tied to a family purchase contribution (say, a child covering 30% of a school trip cost), align the deadline with the school’s payment date and run a simple visible family budget so the child can see how their savings fit the bigger picture.