Wholesome New Year's Resolutions For Kids

Making and setting new year’s resolutions has become a sort of tradition while anticipating the new year or when in a new year. These resolutions usually include changes one wants to effect or goals to meet in the new year. This period is a good time to bond with your kids. Understand what they want and point out habits they need to adjust to them. Talk to them about setting realistic goals that would be beneficial to them and even those around. Many people forget about and abandon their resolutions in a short while, so you should help your kids work towards consciously achieving theirs.

The first thing to do is to set SMART goals, don’t just set conventional resolutions. Be SPECIFIC, don’t set vague goals, be precise. Set MEASURABLE resolutions, something trackable with how to go about determining if you’ve been successful. Set ACHIEVABLE goals that are possible and within your range. They should be RELEVANT, they should serve a purpose in your life. They should be TIMELY, set a deadline for your goals. After setting these goals, use a reward chart for kids and monitor these goals together.  When they meet up with these goals over a period of time, praise them and reward them. This would serve as reinforcement and encourage them to continue.

Kids of preschool age (3-5) might find it difficult to stick to long term goals. You can help them come with a number of small goals that they can work on each day. Use reward charts for kids to help them keep track of their goals. Resolutions like brushing twice daily, tidying up toys at the end of the day, washing hands before and after eating, not throwing tantrums at the dining table are decent for preschoolers.

For school age children, setting goals for the new year can be a very fun and engaging activity. Through this process, you get to know more about them and have an insight into what their daily activities are like. You can also use reward charts to monitor their progress.

Examples of ideas for school-aged kids resolutions include getting involved in an extracurricular activity, turning off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime, limiting fizzy drinks to once a day or less.

Teenagers might want to work on setting their new year’s resolutions alone as they are old enough. You should still guide them to make sure they’re setting realistic goals. This activity helps you bond with your teenager and understand them and their feelings more. Resolutions like being physically active for at least 30 minutes, volunteering in the community, stopping negative self talk would be appropriate for teenagers.

You should also set family resolutions and include your kids in the process. This would improve communication and help build healthy habits as a family. Ensure that you work on your part of the goals and you are active about the family resolutions. Your kids would see this, learn from you and be motivated to work on their individual goals too.