This time of year, many adults are lining up their New Year’s resolutions, but you don’t have to be a grown-up to make them. Kids can set them for themselves or you can make them as a family and it’s a good time to teach them about setting goals. Have a kid who’s interested? This is how you can help them with New Year’s resolutions.
- Take it seriously - Put away your digital devices and talk about why goal setting is important and how good it feels to reach goals, even though it’s not easy to do. Whether you set a family resolution or individual ones, discuss holding each other accountable, supporting each other, and cheering each other on.
- Consider non-traditional resolutions - Kids are more likely to stick to something that feels fun, so get creative. Your family could make a goal to fill a bulletin board with things you’re grateful for each week, or establish a new 30-day challenge every month, or make a bucket list of things the family can do in the next year.
- Help the kids set realistic and healthy goals - Listen to their ideas and tweak them to make them attainable. If they want to become the most popular kid in school, maybe help reframe that to be more in line with your values, like showing kindness to someone every single day.
- Set small, actionable steps - Help kids turn a big resolution into clear steps they can manage. Discuss a start date and make a plan to take action.
- Make it a learning experience - Talk about motivation, goal setting, time management, challenges, and failure. Whether they crush their goals or their resolutions fizzle after a day, you can both learn a lot from the experience.
Source: Business Insider