Kid – Sized Resolutions

With new beginnings often come new resolutions for most of us, but what about the kids? Should they even have resolutions? Why not? If this is a big part of your household each January, then absolutely include the younger generation. This will teach them how to set goals and work to achieve them, but just as for all adults, it’s crucial the resolutions are age-appropriate and realistic.

Talk to your kids and discuss your own resolutions, action plans and most importantly WHY you are doing this.

Help them write out a SMART Goal that is clear, concise and realistic. Get creative here, it can be health related such as eating more veggies or exercising more. It could also pertain to school and homework or getting onto a team or something near and dear to them such as a new bike, phone or video game. Let the resolution be theirs (not yours). If you want them to stay committed they have to really want it.

Develop an action plan to help them achieve this resolution and determine the resources they will need.

Implement rewards along the way. Even the best of us get low in spirit if things take too long to happen and despite best efforts, your child’s enthusiasm may quickly wane without some external motivation. It could be material rewards for reaching certain “goal points”. If they are trying to earn money for something, consider matching or donating to their funds once they reach a certain dollar value.

Keep a progress report. This doesn’t have to be anything more than recording on a calendar their physical activity, the number of fruits and veggies they eat daily, how many glasses of water they drink, weekly gains in funds, school grades, etc. It’s important to be able to visually see where they started, how far they’ve come and how far they have to go. Also, pre-mark the deadlines on this calendar so your kids can see how close they are to the next goal. They may need to step it up if they are running out of time.

As a family working on resolutions together, you provide support and camaraderie for each other and you’re teaching your kids valuable life skills they can use for any goal setting situation. This may also help keep you committed as you “set the example” for your child.