As adults we are always looking for things that we want to change or do better at the beginning of every year. When our kids reach a certain age of understanding they are excited to join in on the tradition but do not usually know how. Here are some helpful tips to help them set their new year’s resolutions and succeed at them.
- Be a good example. One of the best ways to teach your kids anything is to do it yourself. Children are big copy cats and learn almost everything they know from their caregivers. When you set your resolutions do it with your kids so they can watch your process and learn from you. If possible, align your goals so that you can work on them together. That way when they see you working towards your goal they will be motivated to work towards theirs.
- Keep the list realistic. If I sat down and wrote down every single thing I wanted to do better in 2018 I could write pages. Unfortunately, those types of list usually get thrown away. Keep it short and to top priorities. Kids do not usually have that many goals so helping them figure out a few important ones will help them stay focused and on task.
- Set some of the same goals. Just like aligning goals so you can motivate each other choosing one or two of the same goals will have the same effect. Spending more time outdoors is a goal that families can do together and mark of other goals such as getting more exercise or spending more quality time with family. It is also a good idea because then you have constant reminders to work on your goal. No alert is better than a nagging kid!!!
- Stay positive. Resolutions can get us down when we are not meeting them like we wanted. Staying positive and encouraging ourselves verbally will help our kids learn to not give up or be too hard on themselves. I can take time to find the best way to be successful at something and when working towards a yearlong goal it can be necessary to change up our approach.
- Finally, but maybe most importantly, do not criticize. It is hard to not helicopter our kids sometimes especially when we can see things that they do not. But, nagging and criticizing their efforts to accomplish a goal will likely result in them losing interest in their own success and feeling like a failure. It is good to follow up and stay involved but allowing them room to figure things out on their own will be good for them in the learning process.
Remember to make the experience worthy of becoming a fun family tradition!! Happy New Year!
About Grace:
Grace was born and brought up in Bessemer, Alabama but has a great love for exploring new places. She has been married for 8 years and has 3 kids, expecting number 4 in December. Having been a student off and on for the last 10 years she is excited to say that she is finally graduating from BYU-Idaho with a degree in Marriage and Family Counseling this year. She loves to learn and share what she learns with as many people as possible. Strengthening and encouraging positive relationships with couples and families is a life goal and passion. Her biggest hobby is her family and finding new and fun ways to accomplish the above life goal in her home.
