The countdown is well and truly on – 2023 is very nearly upon us and we thought it would be a great idea to put together some New Year’s resolutions which the whole family can get involved with.
Making New Year’s resolutions as a family is the perfect way to brainstorm ideas. It’s not about what to ‘give up’ but more about setting an intention for family life for the year ahead.
It’s important to make sure any resolutions you set are of course age-appropriate and ultimately give your children a sense of self-worth and accomplishment.
Sitting down together to make the resolutions could spark the very first one…
- More family time – We live in a busy world, whether you’re a stay-at-home-mum, or working part or full-time, the hours in the day never seem to be enough and we are all feeling guilty for not spending enough quality time with our children. Simple things such as reading together before bedtime, having a weekly family movie night or letting the kids host dinner one night a week can greatly impact on a family’s overall wellbeing. You could practice mindfulness together by following one of the many videos on YouTube and each take turns to say what you are thankful for.
- Develop confidence – Make it everyone’s aim to try something new on a monthly basis. Whether it’s learning a new recipe, taking up a new hobby or maybe starting drama classes. There are plenty of fun (and free ) activities to really ignite passion into your lives. It’s also great for little ones to see their parents learning new skills and having pride in not only their child’s accomplishments, but in theirs too.
- Team work – Getting your children involved in age-appropriate household tasks will really make them feel like a valued member of the family. Create a fun checklist and hang it in the kitchen with everyones name on it and list tasks for them to complete each day. Simple things such as, making the bed before school, keep the bedrooms tidy, setting the table before dinner and helping to wash the car are all great ways to get everyone helping around the home.
- Household detox – Have a monthly declutter with everyone concentrating on one room in the home. Get the kids to decorate cardboard boxes and label with items for the dump and charity shops. There are plenty of local charity groups that would be only too happy to give toys and books a new home. It is a fantastic way to teach your children about giving back to their community and that simple things such as donating used items can go a long way in helping others.
- Be more eco-friendly – Children nowadays are thankfully very clued in when it comes to the world around them and helping to preserve their environment (possibly more so than some adults!) And so, making it a new year resolution for 2023 shouldn’t be too difficult. Get your children to create a checklist of ways to be eco-friendly in the home. Things such as turning off lights, turning taps off, recycling, making a compost heap, making bird feeders, the list is endless! You could even have ‘no screen time’ at a set time each day for an hour or two. Lots of primary schools now run eco-councils, you could check to see how your child could get involved.
Most importantly, remember to make any New Year’s Resolutions a fun experience for your children. You want them to learn that being committed and setting goals and sticking to them is a positive thing.
