5 Ways to Help Kids Make New Year's Resolutions

New Year’s Day is typically celebrated as a time for new beginnings. If you have children between the ages of 6and 10, then you might be wondering if they can make their own special resolutions this year. At Right Steps Education, we’ve got a few simple ideas you can implement to help your kids be more involved with New Year’s resolutions.

Children are still young enough to make changes because their habits aren’t fully ingrained yet. At the same time, they are also old enough to think about what it means to make a New Year’s resolution and work to achieve their goals. Parents can help guide them in their resolution-making process to make it a memorable and meaningful experience for everyone involved.

At younger ages, children are learning to be mindful and to understand how other people feel. Making New Year’s resolutions together can be a fun opportunity for bonding and change and we’ve got the perfect ideas to help you get them started.

• Come up with your own New Year’s resolutions and use them as a guide to help your children come up with their own. Kids learn by watching from our own examples, so give it a try and see what happens.
• Make it a celebration. Raise an apple juice toast with your children and talk about your resolutions. Explain the importance of working hard to reach your goals and talk about how to make responsible choices to get there.
• Focus on the positives. It’s important for your kids to feel like they can make healthy choices on their own. Focus on some of their past accomplishments and encourage them to do the same this year. Talk about the pay-off that results from effort.
• Guide your children in making their goals. Make a few suggestions, but try to leave the final decision up to your kids. They will feel more empowered with their decisions. A few suggestions are friendship goals, personal goals, and school goals.
• Help your children make specific and achievable goals. If they come up with ideas that are not realistic, you can encourage a healthy dialogue to help them create more attainable goals.