It’s a brand New Year and perhaps it’s time to get our children on board with their very own New Year resolutions, an excellent way to teach them how to set goals. Most importantly though is to remind them (and ourselves) that while having goals are important, more often than not, it is the journey that helps build character and teach us valuable life lessons.
Tips for Setting New Year Resolutions for Children
You can start by sharing with them your own experiences and explain what you learnt. After all, life is a constant learning process. What we want to achieve is to make this a positive learning experience.
Dr Kristen Eastman, PsyD, a pediatric clinical psychologist at Cleveland Children’s Hospital explains that you wouldn’t want your child to think that there’s something wrong with them. Dr Eastman encourages us to evaluate the options together and lists them as “I’m going to …” instead of “I’m not going to …” That way they start their journey to achieving these goals in a positive note. Guide them into giving themselves achievable goals instead of something that’s too far fetched. You wouldn’t want them to give up so easily or lower their self-esteem. To make things a little bit more interesting, why not make it a family affair?
Wondering what are some achievable and specific goals for them? You can start with these:
Being Eco-friendlier
Saying we need to be eco-friendlier is merely a statement. Put words into action by incorporating an eco-friendly lifestyle. Start by shortening bath-time or if your little one enjoys playtime in the tub, try reducing the frequency. Replace tissue papers with towels, stop using disposable plastic straws but bring your own instead.
Read also: 5 Children That are Changing the World
Going Unplugged
It can be easy to schedule your kids’ telly time but when they see you on your gadgets, that’s just not fair, is it? Set some gadget-free time and enjoy some time outdoors or introduce game nights and indulge in some family fun with board games. It will do everyone some good while bonding over a game of charades or Monopoly.
Eating Well
This is going to sound dreadful but cookies and chocolates may not be the best snacks for adults, let alone children. Use the New Year as an excuse to start eating healthily as a family. If cookies are a must, perhaps bake some together. That way, you get to control the amount of nasties that go into your cookie and spend time together.
Remember to lead them by example. Setting resolutions is the easiest part but sticking to it is another story altogether. So how to help them stick to it? According to Dr Eastman, it’s easy, just make it fun!
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