Every New Year, adults makes resolutions, or goals as I like to call them, on what they want to achieve during that year. This year, I shook things up and asked my son to sit down and create a list of goals for himself to work at in the upcoming New Year. After firmly telling him that no, becoming a transformer is not an achievable, nor realistic, goal, we finally came up with a list of a few easy New Year resolution for kids that he set for himself.
For the adult check out Ways to Promote Positive Change the New Year
Easy New Year Resolution for Kids
It got me thinking that others may want to do the same so I decided to share with others what we came up with for his goals as well as a few added ideas from mom (and one’s that Hayden vetoed for himself).
Less Screen Time
This is a huge thing that we are working on in our home. According to THIS article from The Washington Post that kids between 8-12 spend a little under 5 hours a day on screens while teens averaged just over 7 hours a day. The crazy thing is, is that this time does not include screens used for school and homework.
One great goal to set with your child this year is to lessen the amount of time they spend on devices whether it be tablets, phones, video games, tv time.
Healthier Snack Choices
One simple, yet important goal to set with your kids is to chose healthier snack choices. Help them meet this goal by getting rid of unhealthy snack options that offer no nutritional value and sugary juices and replacing with fruits, veggies and minimally processed options.
Make a new friend
Or make a few friends. May son personally struggles with putting himself out there so this year we are focusing on him trying to make new friends at school. I encourage for him to sit next to someone new at the lunch table or join a new group of peers on the playground.
However he goes about it, in the long run it’s helping him with better communication and understanding others around him. Or at the very least he’s making a new friend and you can never have too many friends.
Try a new activity
This can be in the form of a sport such as soccer, basketball or even tennis. It could also be taking a hike that you’ve never been on, learning to play chess or learning how to computer code. Getting out there and trying out different activities while help your children find something they really enjoy doing.
Read 25 Books
Honestly for my 8 year old, we doubled this goal. He loves to read and can sit and read a book like Harry Potter in 2-3 days. Now if your child isn’t big into reading a small goal to read 10, 15 or even 25 books throughout the year is a way to encourage them to read just a little bit more. And hey, they may discover a series they love or even that they enjoy reading more and more.
Start Writing
Another goal that I am setting with my son this New year is to start writing. Writing about his day, the people he meets, trips that we take or even just about what he is feeling at any given time. Kids have pretty large emotions for such little people and writing things down can help them process and decide what it is they are actually trying to express.
Become More Independent
Now I’m not saying that they need to take on full independence but becoming more independent in little things like taking out the trash, making their bed in the morning, or picking out their clothes is a valuable part of learning responsibility as a kid. Two things that we are setting as “independent” goals for my son this New Year is to initiate doing his daily chores and taking care of his own personal items (books, LEGO sets, etc) before they get lost or moved by mom.
Learn about Money
It is never too early to start saving and becoming more responsible with money. Whether it is through an allowance or earning money for doing chores around the house, encourage them to put it away in a bank account.
Get Outside More
This goes a long with less screen time. Get outdoors more, ride bikes, go for hikes, build a snowman, take little adventures. Whatever it is you want to do, just get outside more and enjoy that fresh air.
Have more Fun
Yes structure and routine are important for kids but the ultimate goal for them should be to have more fun. Children are only children for a little bit of time and they should be encouraged to have as much fun as they possibly can. This is one resolution I know I will be encouraging my son to meet this year and for many years to come.
Now I want to know what New Year resolution for kids that you have or if you don’t have kids, what goals have you set for yourself this year?
I don’t have kids yet but I’ll definitely recommend this list to my little cousins! One thing I noticed is that kids these days tend to spend so much time on their phones or iPads inside the house. My cousins hardly talk to each other when I see them because they’re too busy watching YouTube or tapping away on the screen! When I was a kid I used to spend a lot of time reading books, playing (videogames or otherwise) with friends and family, and discovering new things on my own. Hopefully my own kids grow up the same way!
I absolutely agree that kids these days are spending way too much time on a device. I strongly encourage all parents to limit their child’s screen time and encourage other activities such as reading, playing outside, sports, etc. It is certainly a different time then when we grew up.
I loved reading this so much. It’s so original, very simple in a good way, and great tips
Thank you so much.
These are such great ideas!! I’ll definitely share with my parent friends!
Please do!
Great resolutions! Indeed these are very applicable in all ages of kids!
I think so too!
Ooooh this is a good idea!! I didn’t think about goals for my kids and I love the ones you have written about
This will be the first year we are doing it but I thought it would be a cool idea!
These are great suggestions. I particularly like making a new friend. I think it can help kids expand their circles and learn about new people. Happy New Year!
I think so too. Thank you for the reply!
These are all good ideas for kids. With my daughter, I have on her chore chart to read for 30 mins, color for 30 mins or do something creative. I want her to be active during the day. This is a very good list.
That is a great idea. I really try to get my son to be more active as well especially right now during the winter where we want to stay inside.
Haven’t really thought of having new year resolutions for kids before. I love these ideas. Will apply these to my own parenting life 🙂
This is the first year that we are doing it and my son is super excited for it!
This is great! I have though resolutions for myself, but not for my kids. I am going to copy some of these. Definitely less screen time. lol
Yes!! Less screen time is amazing for any child!
These are great suggestions! Especially reading more books. I developed a passion for reading as a child (around 8-9) and it has carried on into my adult life. Wishing you all a very happy New Year!
I love encouraging reading with my son and I hope that his love for it continues on throughout his life. Hope you have a happy New Year as well!
Less screen time is a must . Thank you for sharing
I completely agree!
I really enjoyed reading through your post. Very motivational writing. I completely agree with “Become More Independent”. It opens up new goals and targets for your growth.
I think so too and I think that it is especially important for kids to also gain some independence to help them grow.
I strongly agree to the points. Very important steps to follow up through the year for the well-being of the kids.
Thank you so much!
Hooray for more reading! That is a goal I set for myself this year as well. Hopefully with long travels coming up, I’ll have more time to curl up with my Kindle and read while in transit!
I do the same thing! We are also taking trips as a family this year and I will have to get some kid’s books for my son to read on his kindle.