January is here. It’s time to plan for the year ahead. Around 30% of Americans make New Year’s resolutions to improve their lives. Typically, New Year’s resolutions are for adults making goals about their health, finances, hobbies, or personal relationships. But have you ever thought about helping your kids set family goals or make family resolutions? Involving children in yearly goal setting strengthens your family unit and means your kids are more likely to strive for and reach those goals. Seeing a resolution through the end of the year also helps children understand how hard work pays off. Goal setting can help kids develop into strong adults, dream big, and plan. It can also help them build confidence and learn how to prioritize. Here is how you can help your kids make resolutions for a great 2025!
1. |
Look back and see what worked.
Ask your kids to think back to their highs and lows of 2024. What made them happy? What challenged them? What would they enjoy doing more of? Did they love playing soccer? Did they wish they scored more goals? Did they make a new friend at school? Are they saving up to buy something special?
As parents, think about what works for your family. If you’re battling a busy schedule with little downtime, think about goals you could set to help resolve that. If you notice your kids complaining or being short with each other, think about setting a kindness goal. Consider what activities make you feel like a cohesive family unit and set goals to foster those things.
2. |
Have a growth mindset.
As parents of adults will tell you, the end goal of parenting isn’t to make your kids happy all the time. Few children will feel happy learning how to do the dishes, but learning that skill will serve them well as adults with their own homes and families. Parents should consider goals and resolutions to help their children grow and be more independent. Nurturing independence is especially important for children transitioning from toddler to elementary and elementary to teen. Toddler goals can be as easy as learning what every letter of the alphabet sounds like, while elementary goals can be learning to cook breakfast or keeping their room clean. Teens can set goals like attending a CPR class or a babysitting course.
Growth doesn’t only look like doing chores or going to school. Maturity can also come from hobby goals. If your child received a camera for Christmas, his goal could be to learn how to use it and edit the photos in time to take next year’s family pictures. If you have a kid interested in baking, a goal can be to learn how to bake a loaf of bread or find the best chocolate chip cookie recipe. Each kid will have different needs, but there is always room for growth.
3. |
Don’t forget about having fun.
While growth and improvement are common New Year’s resolutions, they don’t need to be the only goals you set. As your family thinks back on 2024, think of the fun things you did. Did you find a new favorite restaurant? Did you see a play or a musical? Fun resolutions are about broadening your child’s horizons, and Austin is a great place to accomplish this. If your kid loves pizza, your resolution can be to find the best pizza in Austin via weekly family dinners. Families who want to spend more quality time together can resolve to spend Friday nights playing board games, or Saturday mornings exploring Austin’s many trails.
4. |
Keeping your resolutions.
Giving up on a New Year’s resolution is almost as common as making it in the first place. How can you help your family keep your resolutions in 2025?
- Be a role model. Set a personal goal. Discuss the challenges you experience in meeting your goals. Ask your kids for help and support, and offer guidance and assistance, as they work towards their goals.
- Make your goals visible. Encourage kids to write down their goals in places where they will see them frequently. Multiple visual reminders will help them be mindful of what they are working towards and if they are making progress. Help children create a plan for how to meet their goals, including a timeline for implementing the steps. Assist them with designing ways to monitor progress and regularly update their goals. Display a family wall calendar so your kids can see what is coming and get excited. Fill in the calendar with things that will help you reach your goals, for example: “Family Game Night” or “Family Hike” on weekends. If your goal is something more consistent, like making your bed every morning, write a daily to-do list for your kid and put it in a prominent place.
- Make it fun! It is easy to give up on a goal if that goal is no fun or doesn’t offer a reward. Adults understand the benefits of long-term goals like eating better and exercising regularly, but kids don’t comprehend delayed gratification. Give them something to look forward to by making it a game. For example, if their goal is to keep their bathroom clean, create a cleaning reward chart. Every time their bathroom is clean at the end of the week, they get a check, and for every five checks, they receive a special treat.
- Don’t take on too much. Set realistic goals. Break big goals into smaller, more manageable steps. If you try to take on too much, your kids will feel discouraged and give up on their goals. You want your kids to reflect on 2025 and feel proud of how they met their goals, not overwhelmed and disappointed because they tried to do too much.
- Remember, habits take time. Encourage your children to keep trying at their goals and resolutions, even if it feels difficult. Good habits take time and effort to develop, but seeing the results of your hard work is always worth it. When your kids fail to keep their rooms clean, or your family is too busy a few weeks in a row to keep up family game night, that’s ok. It is a lesson for your kids. When things are difficult, or they feel like they have failed, it is never too late to try again and succeed.
Throughout the year, help your children notice where progress is made and ask they think and feel about meeting a goal. Help children acknowledge progress, reflect on learnings, and nurture self-motivation as a lifelong skill for success.
Posting your goals on Instagram can be a fun way for your friends and family to celebrate your progress throughout the months ahead. Posting your goals would be a fun way for your friends and family to join you in setting a goal. Austin Family can’t wait to hear about your family goals and 2025 resolutions. Share today and tag @atx-family, so we can encourage your family along the way.
Catherine Michalk is a native Austinite, writer, and mom of three. You can follow her family’s adventures at www.catherinemichalk.com
