First things first – Happy New Year!
We’re excited to kick off this year with a popular topic that’s on many minds: New Year’s resolutions. Although making these lists is usually a grown-up activity, we at B. believe that kids can also set little goals to strive for growth throughout the year. And to help you move from an adult to a kid-friendly mindset, here are some tips and tricks on how to make new year’s resolutions for kids!
Individual Resolutions
The first step is to help the little ones in your family come up with their own resolutions. Setting goals independently can give children a sense of autonomy and boost their confidence! Just remember that suggesting is key (instead of imposing!) – knowing that they’re the ones who set the goals is sure to motivate them even more!
Keep age in mind
To set goals accordingly, we recommend choosing resolutions based on age. For preschoolers, resolutions such as putting toys away after play time, tasting new fruits, and being kind to pets are great ones to try out. For kiddos a little older, such goals as putting on sunscreen before heading outside, trying a new sport, and reading more can also work very well.
In addition to choosing age-appropriate resolutions, it’s also key to make sure that they’re achievable. Reaching for the stars is wonderful, but it’s important for children to accomplish their goals and experience success!
It’s also best not to go overboard on the number of resolutions, especially for the little ones. We recommend sticking to the 3-to-5 range and keeping it simple on the first round!
Lead by example
Although kids and adults generally have different New Year’s resolutions, showing children how to set goals, work towards them, and achieve them can double as a fantastic example for kiddos to follow. Children learn a ton by watching their parents and family members, so it’s a great opportunity to inspire them as they set out on their own motivational adventure.
Acknowledge success
As kids work on their resolutions, don’t forget to acknowledge the successes – both big and small! Whether it’s one of many baby steps or they’ve accomplished the goal entirely, staying positive and giving them these little boosts along the way is sure to spark a sense of pride.
Family Resolutions
Resolutions can apply to an entire family too! Not only will having family resolutions make kids feel like others are also working towards goals, but these can lead to a whole lot of family bonding.
There are many ways to go about family goals, but here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Playing more board games or organizing family game nights
- Watching kid-friendly documentaries as a family
- Attending a music class together
- Going on hikes and exploring the outdoors
- Volunteering to pick up trash at the local beach or park
- Baking sweet treats together
- Learning a song and performing it as a family
- Starting a family book club
Displaying Resolutions
Our final tip when it comes to New Year’s resolutions for kids is this: after coming up with a lil’ list of goals, display it in a fun and crafty way! Take out the pencils, paint, paper, glue, and fun decorations to create a big board that features individual or family resolutions (or both!). The process of creating a colorful resolution board will make the prospect of these goals more exciting!
At the end of the year, we recommend circling back to the resolutions made at the start to assess how and if these goals were met. The trick here is not to B. disappointed in case some (or maybe even all) goals weren’t achieved! These resolutions are simply guides and any effort made by little ones to accomplish them is definitely something to celebrate!
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