December 31, 2020 5 years ago leave a comment 744 Views Likes:
The start of the new year is a great time to make new year resolutions, which can help your kids focus on working on a new skill or forming good habits. If you are concerned about your child’s diet, new year’s resolutions are a good opportunity to encourage healthier eating habits.
New year’s resolutions are not meant for adults only.
Kids that are old enough to think about what a New Year’s resolution is and to make their own should learn how to make resolutions but they still need your help to guide them.
Here are ways to help your kid make New Year’s resolutions and also stick with them.
As parents/guardians, resolve to become a better role model by practicing what you preach. If they see you frequently doing what you ask them to avoid, they will surely want to try it.
No matter what age your child is, he or she is more likely to understand the value of goal setting if you take the lead. Just as with everything else you do, your child is watching.
Reflect on last year and set goals for the new year. You can guide and suggest general areas of change for your child, help to clarify your child’s goals, and make sure they’re age-appropriate. Kids can come up with resolutions themselves – have them think of things they should be able to do now that they couldn’t do last year. By doing this, they can take ownership of their goals and learn to plan by themselves.
Parents can help kids break up their resolution into smaller steps to make it easier and less overwhelming. Let your child work hard toward the goal. If your child doesn’t achieve it, you can still make sure that the struggle is motivating, by making it worthwhile. Talk through the steps in attaining such goals together.
Progress charts and regular check-ins can help kids keep their resolutions on track.
Also, avoid making a long list of resolutions – keep the task realistic by setting just three to five reasonable resolutions.
You can always check in periodically with kids on how they’re doing. If there are lapses, do not nag, it will only discourage them. Try to ask questions to analyze and know what is causing delay and provide a solution.
Resolutions can help to bring families closer and the best way to make new year resolutions fun for kids is by making it part of the family tradition. Sit down, reflect on the past year, and set goals for the new year, discussing your accomplishments and goals, as individuals and as a family. During the talk session, you can each talk about what worked this year, what didn’t, new goals to be attained, and steps to achieve each goal.
You can also compile your family new year resolutions into a master list and hang it in a public spot as a reminder. Take time to acknowledge the successes, along with reinforcing the resolutions that need more attention when going over the list later in the year.
Even if your child doesn’t reach the goal, setting it and working toward it can be a meaningful experience.
