The New Year is the time for making resolutions and, rather than making the same old promises to actually use your gym membership or only drink on weekends, why not get the kids involved this year and make some resolutions together? Here's everything you need to know about making New Year's resolutions for kids!

The new year is the perfect time to make some healthy changes in our lives. Many adults make new Years Resolutions for this purpose, but have you ever considered doing the same thing with your kids?

Resolutions? Kids? Maybe you can’t imagine how those two things will actually go together. After all, kids are notorious for losing interest in things pretty quickly!

It IS possible to help your kids set constructive and realistic goals and then keep them motivated enough to actually stick with them. Here are some great ideas to help your family make realistic New Year's resolutions for children (as well as some great ideas for children's new year resolutions).

Why Set New Year's Resolutions For Children

Goal setting is an important part of any child’s development as it teaches them how to be responsible. They learn how to make commitments, how to follow through with commitments and how to strive towards something that's a challenge.

Setting a New Year’s resolution is a prime example of setting an important goal, and it’s even more effective when you start this habit from a young age.

Family Resolutions

That’s right, it’s time to get the whole family involved in making some resolutions. Younger kids, in particular, are much more likely to stick with their promises if they see mom and dad doing the same.

Here are some great ideas for resolutions you can all set and work on together as a family!

Family Mealtimes

Making family mealtime a priority can seem like a big ask nowadays. Everyone is busy, especially if you work long hours, have other commitments…or you’re the parent of moody teens.

Make it a priority, though, because it’s a great way to touch base with the whole family and talk about your day.

Sit down as a family and decide on a time for dinner that you can all commit to. Make sure to have rules, like no mobile phones or screens, so everyone is really present in the moment.

You could even try “hot seat” dinners where, rather than everyone talking at once, each person gets a day to talk about their week or things they want to ask for help with.

Get Active

Probably one of the most made and broken resolutions the world over, keeping active can be a difficult habit to make. Getting kids to love being active as young as possible will be a huge benefit to them as they grow.

Exercise doesn’t have to be a chore, especially when the whole family does it together – it can be super fun! Ask the kids which park is their favorite and make a resolution to get there at least twice a week. You can even take a basketball or a soccer ball to play with. 

The kids will love getting out and burning some energy and you’ll be exercising without even thinking about it!

Less Screen Time

Screen time is a hot topic. Screens are everywhere and it can be a struggle to get the kids away from them at times.

Sit down as a family and make a deal on how much screen time is allowed each week or what needs to be done before screens are allowed. Don’t just enforce the rules on the kids either, adults are just as guilty of spending too much time on phones or in front of the television!

New Year's Resolutions For Kids To Make On Their Own

If you’re looking to teach your kids a bit of independence, or you have slightly older children, getting them to set their own resolutions is a great idea. They will still need some guidance from you, but you might be surprised to find how seriously some kids will take their new responsibilities and goals.

Here some great ideas to get you started but make sure to sit down with them and ask what they think would be good resolutions, they could come up with something you would never think of.

New Year's Resolutions For Kids Ideas

Sit down with your child and come up with a few New Year’s resolution ideas that are both realistic for them and appropriate for their age and stage of development. if you need a few ideas for New Year’s resolutions for kids, here are some by age group:

Toddler New Year's Resolutions: 2-4 Years Old

• I will listen to my mom and dad.
• I will make my bed.
• I will clean up my toys and tidy my room.
• I will brush my teeth every morning and before going to bed.
• I will wash my hands after going to the bathroom and before eating.
• I will learn how to help clear the table when I am done eating. 
• I will try new foods.
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• I will not hit.
• I will be friendly to all animals and will learn how to ask the owners if I can pet their animals first.
• I will do my best to be nice to other kids who need a friend or look sad or lonely.
• I will talk with my parents or a trusted adult when I am scared, something is bothering me, or I need help.
• If I need help I will ask for it.

New Year's Resolutions for Elementary Students: 5 to 12 Years Old

• I will do my homework every day.
• I will do my chores every day.
• I will eat a good breakfast each morning.
• I will eat at least 3 servings of fruits and veggies each day.
• I will drink reduced-fat milk​ and water on most days. Soda and fruit drinks are only for special times.
• I will take care of my skin by putting on sunscreen before I go outdoors for long periods of time.
• I will try to find a sport (like basketball or baseball) or an activity (like playing tag, jumping rope, climbing trees, riding a scooter or riding my bike) that I like and do it at least three times a week!
• I will always wear a helmet when riding a Strider bike, bike, scooter, ripstick, or skateboard.
• I will wear my seat belt every time I get in a car. 
• I will go to bed on time every day.
• I’ll be kind and inclusive to other kids.
• I will do what I can to keep people safe and will tell an adult about bullying that I know about. 
• I will not share my name, home address, school name or telephone number on the Internet. I will only do things online that my parents say are safe. 
• I will try to talk with my parents or a trusted adult when I have a problem or feel upset.
• I promise that I'll do my best to follow our household rules.

New Year's Resolutions For Kids: Teens

• I will do my chores every day.
• I will try to find a sport or activity that I like and do it at least three times a week!
• I will eat 5-7 servings of fruit and vegetables every day. 
• I will help make dinner at least once a week.
• I will drink sodas only at special times.
• I will be kind to my siblings.
• I will do my best to take care of my body through fun physical activity at least 30 minutes a day.
• I promise to respect our household rules for videogames and internet use.
• I will do my best in school.
• I will give some of my time to help other people in need.  
• When I feel angry or stressed out, I will take a break and find healthy ways to deal with stress: exercising, reading, journaling or talking about my problem with a parent or friend.
• When faced with a difficult decision, I will talk through my decision and about my choices with an adult I can trust.
• When I notice my friends are struggling, being bullied or making unsafe choices, I will look for a  trusted adult and attempt to find a way to help.
• I will be careful about whom I choose to date. I will treat the other person with respect and not force them to do something they do not want to do. I will not use violence. I will expect to be treated the same way in return.
• I will resist peer pressure to try tobacco-cigarettes, drugs, or alcohol. I will not use e-cigarettes. 
• I agree not to use a cell phone or send text messages while driving and to always use a seat belt.
• I will limit the time I spend in front of a screen.
• I will be respectful to my parents, teachers, and elders.
• I will get some fresh air every day.
• I will do something scary every day.
• I will read new books and keep learning.

Try letting your child come up with their own New Year’s resolution ideas, guiding them to be most realistic as you see fit. They will be on their way to better habits in no time!

Keeping Kids Motivated To Work For Their New Years Resolutions

You may be thinking it’s all well and good making resolutions but your kids will NEVER keep them. Well, I promise you that it is achievable with just a little work from you.

It’s your job to keep the momentum going and here's how:

Reward/Progress charts

If you’re a busy family, having a chart up on the wall could really help. Especially if you think you’ll struggle to remember everything yourself!

It could involve milestones and rewards for each but, if you’d rather teach kids some internal motivation, there doesn’t have to be rewards involved at all. A visual reminder is just much easier for kids in a world full of distractions.

Daily prompts and reminders

If you have a good memory, just make it one of your own resolutions to give your child daily prompts and reminders. They don’t have to be blatant instructions like “dont forget to xxx” Subtle hints could work just as well.

If you think you might forget stick little notes or visual cues places where they are likely to see them daily. If their resolution is to take over feeding a pet, small photos of the animal on their bedroom door or the fridge could be enough to jog their memory.

Modeling Behaviors

It’s time to practice what you preach! You can’t expect kids to keep up with resolutions if their parents are acting in totally the opposite way. Screen time is a good example – if their resolution is to reduce it you can’t be sat on your phone in front of them all the time.

Try to be mindful of your own actions, we all know how kids love to copy their parents!

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