With the new year come the inevitable resolutions to guide behavior and choices for your family over the next 365 days.
But studies show that only 9% of people who make resolutions wind up keeping them. Many quit within the first week; by the end of January, about 43% have given up.
Some of the reasons resolutions fail are because they are not specific, measurable, and realistic. It is also best if you have a way to keep yourself accountable.
Setting resolutions as a family helps ensure the new year’s goals are achievable. Involving children in setting those group goals helps ensure they will be willing to do the work.
With each resolution, make sure children understand why achieving the goal will be beneficial. For example, eating fruits and vegetables is good because they make bodies stronger.
To ensure successful family resolutions, parents should also resolve to set a good example. Seeing parents make positive choices will encourage kids to do the same.
To set up resolutions for success, ask children what they want to achieve and then break them down into smaller, short-term goals. For example, if the overall resolution is to eat more fruits and vegetables, the short-term goal might be to eat fruits or vegetables as an afternoon snack.
Resolutions can be as unique as your family. The bonus? Setting goals and resolutions with children help build confidence, responsibility, teamwork, and habits, as well as excitement about possibilities for a new year.
Here are a few suggested goals for families in the new year.
Connect and learn at the table
Plan at least one family dinner together a week without screens. Eating together is more than just meals. Family meals help create stronger bonds and improve emotional and mental well-being, language skills, and diet quality. Short conversations will make the big, sometimes hard conversations easier. It is a time to share triumphs and challenges of the day and practice gratitude.
If you are already living this healthy practice, focus on home-cooked and healthy meals, and involve the kids in planning, shopping, and preparing meals. The more kids are involved, the more you can teach them about healthy eating. Have the kids think of dishes, look up ingredients, check the cupboards, and make shopping lists.
When activities have your family away from home for meals, consider taking some time on the weekends together preparing healthy food for meals on the go.
Plan regular family time
Any time together, like family game night, an evening walk to the park, reading a book together, gardening, or other activities helps strengthen families.
Turning off screens on a regular basis to connect benefits everyone.
Plan a family adventure, which can be as simple as exploring the back yard or visiting the nature center or planetarium. Involve the family in suggesting and planning activities, for vacations.
Volunteer as a family, which helps to instill gratitude in children, which in turn increases emotions like joy and contentment while decreasing anxiety and depression.
Intentionally acknowledge one another
With the rise in social media, face-to-face interactions have declined, hindering the ability to read non-verbal cues, communicate, and function in real-life social situations.
Acknowledgment strengthens personal relationships, enhances emotional bonds, fosters trust, and encourages openness and understanding.
Start by resolving to warmly greet and say goodbye to family members. This means doing more than looking up from games, homework, books, and devices when family members come and go.
Strive to always say “please” and “thank you,” recognize accomplishments, and apologize for mistakes.
Building these habits at home can translate into successful social encounters at school, work, and in the community, while improving the overall atmosphere at home.
The beginning of a new year is a good time to set positive intentions for the family. You can start by asking, “Are there things you want to learn or to change this year?” Then remember that learning means being okay with mistakes, asking for help, and trying again. In time, resolutions can turn into healthy habits.
Dr. Douglas Halbert is a board-certified pediatrician and the director of population health at Healthcare Network. For more information visit HealthcareSWFL.org.