When people think of New Year resolutions, they often do not consider goal-setting with children. Children are always achieving new milestones each year. Making resolutions as a family can be a great way to help young children learn about goal setting, especially around good habits. Let’s start off the New Year on the right foot by planning some healthy resolutions with your children!
Making New Year Resolutions Together
It is important to sit down with your children and set some realistic and achievable goals to strive for. Ask your child about one or two goals that they would like to set. If your child is struggling to figure out a potential goal, talk to them about things that they would like to do. It is important to make these goals fun and provide good motivation to help your child along.
Fun Resolutions for Young Children
You might be wondering about resolutions that will be fun for children. For younger children, simple goals like ‘eating healthier foods’ and ‘helping around the house’ are easy to implement. You can have your child help with making food as a family and give them small chores that are achievable for their age like picking up toys.
However, older children sometimes need motivation. For example, if you are trying to encourage your child to read once a day, offer a reward. Something like offering them a chance to pick a family movie or plan a family meal, can be a great way to encourage their reading.
There are plenty of healthy resolutions that can be made around developmental milestones like fine motor skills. In addition, getting your child to want to brush their teeth, wash their hands, or other health-related tasks can be tied to new years resolutions. Make developing good healthy habits fun in the New Year!
