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Six tips to help parents and kids achieve their New Years Resolution, as picked by researchers
Researchers offer six helpful tips on how parents and kids can set and achieve their New Years Resolution together in 2024.
2024 is just around the corner, which means that millions of families will soon be having conversations around New Years Resolutions and their goals for the next 12 months. This week, a new report from the University of Michigan is offering helpful advice to parents and kids on how to set and achieve their resolutions together.
Why parents and kids should set New Year’s Resolutions together
In a survey of over 2000 American parents, almost half of mothers and a third of fathers wanted to change something about their parenting approach.
More than three-quarters had set goals of having more patience with their kids, whilst more than half wanted to spend less time on their phones during family time.
Setting goals to improve parenting can help parents define their values and priorities and have positive effects on the health and well being of the whole family,” said Sarah Clark, co-director of the new article from the University of Michigan.
In fact, taking New Years Resolutions seriously is a great way for parents to show their support and confidence in their child. However, actually getting the entire family involved in traditional goal-setting remains tricky especially for those families with teenage children, who tend to avoid family activities as much as possible.
“We all know how commonly people set New Year resolutions that fade as the year goes on. [But] If families are serious about sticking to resolutions, it’s essential to set specific and realistic targets and schedule time to take necessary steps to reach them.”
Six helpful tips on supporting your kids New Year’s Resolutions
Thankfully, researcher Sarah Clark has offered six helpful tips to parents looking to support their childrens New Years Resolutions:
Take baby steps Instead of setting broad New Years Resolutions like exercising more or giving back to the community, parents should set smaller and more specific goals, such as ride a bike twice a week or volunteer once a month at school.
Parents can engage children in setting resolutions and promote specific strategies to enhance their chance of achieving those goals.
Remove the pressure If a child fails to meet their New Years Resolutions because of something not completely within their control such as a low test score or not being selected for a sports team, thats alright. Lessons can still be learned even when a specific goal hasnt been met.
Its important for parents to help their child find the learning experience in the situation by talking about what strategies were most effective and emphasizing the childs growth and improvement. A key strategy for parents is to link celebrations and rewards to the childs effort whether or not they fully achieve their goal.
Dont take over It might be tempting to take over New Years Resolutions from a parents point of view but offering too much support can be as unhelpful as not setting one at all. Here, parents should keep the ball in their kids court, encouraging positive conversations and even brainstorming ideas together to make them feel like they have control.
An overly enthusiastic parent may undercut their childs opportunity to learn from goal setting. Having the child own the responsibility and effort is more important than meeting the goal.
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Make healthy habits a collective decision If a New Years Resolution is either family-orientated or a collective decision, it can be helpful to include suggestions from every member of the family.
From choosing healthier snacks from the grocery store to group exercises, its important to make sure that each family member feels included and that their opinion has merit.
Limit distractions and plan for family time Quality time away from work and/or mobile phones is vitally important to keeping New Years Resolutions on track for families. Setting specific schedules for family time throughout the day can lead to more positive outcomes, especially if the children know that this time is family time.
Using technology more mindfully and increasing engagement with kids requires conscious effort and planning.
Record what works and what doesnt Parenting isnt easy, and it shouldnt be, but parents must reflect on what helped the family and what didnt. Keep a list of activities or ideas that supported your children in their New Years Resolutions and dont be scared to change strategy if you think they need a boost of motivation.
This type of reflection may reveal differences between what parents value and what they actually do, providing motivation to make improvements.
Good luck with your New Years Resolutions and heres to a fabulous 2024!
