4 Kid’s New Year’s Resolutions That Can Be Incredibly Inspirational 

Ringing in a new year is fun and exciting, especially as a parent when a new year means another round of birthdays and family vacations.

As an individual, the new year is a time we reassess the previous year’s goals and define new ones that better suit our ever-changing lives.

But no one changes faster than children, so helping our kids make resolutions to stick to the next 12 months can be educational and a journey that you wouldn’t want to miss. 

Aiming for goals that help your child succeed, and not feel defeated, is key here. 

Dr. Kristen Eastman, PsyD, a pediatric clinical psychologist at Cleveland Children’s Hospital, says to Parents, “start by explaining what a resolution is and give examples of ones they have set in past years.”

Keep resolutions framed positively, as to reinforce optimism and desirable behavior. Saying things such as “I will share my toys”, instead of “I will stop snatching my toys from others.”

Try your best to not make the conversation imply that you think they need to change who they are to be better or more loved, but that a situation could be improved by taking a different approach. 

Here we have four great New Year’s resolutions for kids that will help them focus on beneficial areas in life, and that are attainable for children as young as three.

I will eat a vegetable with every meal.

Healthy resolutions are always a good start to the year. Empowering your child to set their own health conscious goals will make it more likely they will stick with it. 

Write their goal down and place it in the kitchen so they can be reminded of it at mealtimes, which is every couple hours for most kids. 

The goal can be tweaked to better suit your specific needs. For example, if your child has a problem with incorporating fruit, you can change the resolution to “I will eat a piece of fruit with breakfast and dinner.”

I will ride my bike for 20 minutes every day after school.

Childhood obesity is an epidemic with the detrimental Western diet and the lack of physical exercise required of kids these days.

Whether your child is naturally active or stationary, you can’t go wrong encouraging your child to set goals for themself that gets them moving. 

Maybe your child has been debating on joining the soccer team and is ready to take the plunge, or they have been wanting to build a fort in the backyard but just needed proper motivation. 

Help them set up an active New Year’s resolution that gets them in the healthy habit of moving after a long day of sitting. 

I will spend my morning drawing instead of watching cartoons.

Spending hours on a screen has been proven over and over again by experts to be detrimental to a child’s mind and body. 

Be incredibly specific with this goal so your child can formulate new healthy habits consciously, and with purpose. 

Breaking away from screen time can be difficult, but in the end they will feel and behave better for it. 

I will unload the dishwasher every day after school to help the family.

As kids get older it becomes more important that they get a sense of belonging and purpose in the family. 

Chores are not just a way to get the essentials done in a home, but a way your child can feel needed and accomplished. 

Discuss with your child where they think they could make a difference in the home, and then help them set a specific goal to achieve that. 

New Year’s resolutions give us focus in a hectic world, and provide easy ways to ensure we are always trying to make life better for us and those around us. 

Please let us know if you have a way you like to include your children in the New Year’s resolution process.