Is it worth making New Year's resolutions for children, and which ones should you choose? A practical guide for parents.
The approaching New Year encourages reflection on changes that can positively impact the daily lives of the entire family. More and more parents are wondering whether it's worth including their little ones in this process, and what New Year's resolutions for children can truly support their development. Do such goals make sense, or are they just a passing New Year's fad? In this article, we'll suggest how to ensure that New Year's resolutions for children become inspiring motivation for the entire year, not just a short-lived January outburst.
The Beginning of the Journey: New Year's Resolutions for Children and the Tradition of Setting Goals
Setting new goals at the turn of the year is a tradition embraced by millions of people around the world. From a psychological perspective, this phenomenon utilizes the so-calledfresh start effect"(fresh-start effect), which is strongly associated with milestones in time [1]. The beginning of the year is the largest of these milestones, motivating aspirational behaviors and changes in life.
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This time symbolizes the opportunity to start something "fresh." This is why people express a desire to eliminate undesirable traits, improve their health, or acquire new skills. This tradition is a great opportunity for children to make New Year's resolutions a first, conscious step towards self-development. That's why it's so important to know what New Year's resolutions to consider for children, because in this context, New Year's resolutions become part of the learning process of pursuing their goals.
Is it worth making New Year's resolutions for children?
Many people are skeptical about the idea of New Year's resolutions, assuming they'll be quickly abandoned. "A large-scale experiment on New Year's resolutions: Approach-oriented goals are more successful than avoidance-oriented goals" (2020) researchers have found that as many as 55% surveyed adults maintained its resolutions after a year of observation[1]. Furthermore, people who made New Year's resolutions at the beginning of the year had higher success rates after six months (46%) than those who planned to change later (4%).[1]
This may suggest that New Year's resolutions can be an effective strategy for changing one's behavior.
Transferring this to the children's context: if these provisions come from a real need and they are properly implemented, make sense. New Year's resolutions for children have many positive aspects:
- They help you understand the time perspective and the process of achieving your goals.
- They create an opportunity to reflect on what is most important to the child.
- They increase self-awareness and are a positive stimulus for self-development.
The key to success, both in New Year's resolutions for children and adults, is the way they are formulated.
The study participants who determined action-oriented goals (e.g., "I will exercise twice a week for 30 minutes"), were significantly more effective (58,9%) than those who focused on avoidance (e.g., "I will stop eating sweets/snacks") (47,1%) [1]. Therefore, when deciding what New Year's resolutions to implement for children, always aim for positive action — striving for something, not for prohibition.
From what age do New Year's resolutions for children make sense?
New Year's resolutions can be valuable for children, but the key is maturity of toddlers.
Children aged from approx. 8 – 10 years are usually ready to embark on the adventure of creating New Year's resolutions for themselves—they can already formulate goals and work towards achieving them independently, and their habits aren't yet as ingrained as those of adults. Ultimately, however, it's up to the parent to assess whether their child is mature enough to understand and implement the idea of New Year's resolutions.
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Note: Parents should absolutely not use New Year's resolutions for children as a form of criticism or pressure, suggesting that the child resolve to "be nicer," "not hit their sister," or "improve their grades at school." While topics related to child behavior are important areas of parenting, they can be discussed on a daily basis—the idea behind New Year's resolutions for children should primarily revolve around their own aspirations and goals, not adult expectations. Goals must be positive and address the child's real needs (not the parent's), increasing their sense of joy and competence.
What New Year's resolutions for children are worth considering? Smart goals that develop
Instead of imposing goals on your child, create the conditions for them to discover their needs and dreams. Only then will New Year's resolutions for children be authentic and motivating.
New Year's Resolutions for Children Are Born from Dreams - Create a Map for Them
To engage the child in creating meaningful New Year's resolutions for children, start with the "big picture." A great tool for illustrating your vision and desires is Map of Dreams and/ or Bucket List. What New Year's resolutions for children worth considering? Give yourself and your child some time to fantasize freely:
How would you like to spend your time next year, for example, during your vacation? What places would you like to visit? How would you like to feel? What dreams would you like to fulfill, and how would you like to achieve them (a specific path to your goal)?
Together, create a board (e.g. cork/magnetic) to which you will attach photos, newspaper clippings, write down words and quotes that reflect this visionSuch a board, hung in a visible place, will help name, organize, and clarify goals, while also giving the child the motivation to turn them into real action.
This is an excellent exercise that demonstrates New Year's resolutions for children in a broader, inspiring context.
Specific and Positive: What New Year's Resolutions for Children Should You Choose? Examples
Let's remember the principle goals oriented towards striving — action. Instead of prohibitions, focus on what what the child wants to achieveWhat New Year's resolutions for children will be effective and developmental?
Examples of positive New Year's resolutions for children include:
- Learning new skills: skating, mastering origami or Rubik's cube folding, mastering the multiplication table.
- Regularity and responsibilities: Making the bed every morning, doing homework right after returning from school to have more time for pleasures, systematically feeding pets that the child would like to have.
- Social/Emotional Development: Say one nice thing to everyone in your household every day.
- Finances: Raising money for a specific purpose (e.g., your dream game or a new bike).
- Health/Hobbies: Joining a sports club, taking art classes, reading more books.
It's important for parents to actively participate in planning New Year's resolutions for their children, setting an example. Parents can pledge to dedicate more time to their children (e.g., a weekly weekend walk, a monthly trip to the cinema, or putting down their phone when the child calls them) as their New Year's resolution.
How to stay motivated so that New Year's resolutions for children are not abandoned at the end of January?
One of the most common reasons why adults fail to achieve their New Year's resolutions is that the goals are too ambitious or vague, there is a lack of regular monitoring of progress or simply their existence is forgotten.
To prevent this, use proven strategies when making New Year's resolutions for your children.
From Big Visions to Small Steps – The SMART Model for Kids' New Year's Resolutions
If you want your New Year's resolutions for children to last not only through January but also into the following months, it's worth breaking them down into: small, everyday habitsRather than starting with an ambitious "100 percent," it's better to gradually increase your effort. James Clear, author of Atomic habits, emphasizes that lasting success comes from regular, small actions, and not from one-off, spectacular changes.
Even a 1% improvement each day adds up to a big difference in the long run.
When you are wondering together what New Year's resolutions to choose for your children, use model SMART:
- S (Specific) – Specific: The goal must be clearly defined (not: "I will be more organized", but: "I will make my bed every day before going to school").
- M (Measurable): It must be expressed in numbers or dates (e.g. "I will read one book a month, which means I have to read about ... pages a day.").
- A (Achievable) – Attainable: It must be realistic and within the child's capabilities.
- R (Relevant) – Important: Important for the child and consistent with his or her lifestyle.
- T (Time-bound) – Time-bound: With a set deadline (e.g. "I will learn to roller skate by the end of July").
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For large goals, such as saving for a new bike, it's worth breaking them down into smaller steps (so-called interim goals) that are closer in time and help motivate your child to take action "here and now," rather than putting off the effort until later. You could agree, for example, that I want to have at least 300 PLN by the end of March, and another 500 PLN by the end of August—and then figure out together how to achieve that. Do I save some of my pocket money, the money I'll probably get for my birthday? Or maybe I'll ask if I can do small jobs for which I'll get paid, like mowing my aunt's lawn or walking her dog after school when she comes home late and needs help? Maybe I'll tutor my neighbor's daughter in a subject I'm really good at, like teaching her the multiplication tables or a few songs in English?
When you are wondering what New Year's resolutions to choose for your children, think together about small steps that bring the child closer to achieving each goal.
Support and Rewards – The Key to Sticking to Your Kids' New Year's Resolutions
To ensure that New Year's resolutions for children are not forgotten after a month, it is necessary support i monitoring progress.
- Social support: Ask your child to choose a specific person to support them (e.g., a parent or older sibling). Informing others, what new year's resolutions for children were undertaken, may increase the effectiveness of their implementation.
- Sense of effectiveness: Belief in success strengthens motivation.
- Celebrating Success: Instead of focusing on failures, celebrate small victories. If a child consistently achieves their goals, they deserve a reward – this sustains motivation over time. Sometimes, a small act of recognition (praise, going out for ice cream) is enough to prevent discouragement. Research on self-control has shown that people who reward themselves while pursuing their goals (for achieving small steps) achieved higher success rates [1].
New Year's Resolutions for Kids: Small Steps to Big Changes
New Year's Resolutions for Children to a valuable tool for learning planning and self-development, as long as they are formulated in a thoughtful and positive way. What New Year's resolutions for children should you choose?
Set goals that are specific, realistic, and action-based. Parental involvement strengthens motivation and makes New Year's resolutions for children a reality. become a shared, developing adventure.
Ultimate success is not a jump into deep water, but the result of small, everyday habits, so let's support and celebrate our children's progress all year round.
Bibliography:
- Oscarsson, M., Carlbring, P., Andersson, G., & Rozental, A. (2020). A large-scale experiment on New Year's resolutions: Approach-oriented goals are more successful than avoidance-oriented goals. PLoS ONE, 15(12), e0234097. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0234097
- Rössner, S. M., Hansen, J. V., & Rössner, S. (2011). New Year's Resolutions to Lose Weight – Dreams and Reality. Obesity Facts, 4(1), 3–5. doi: 10.1159/000324861
- Woodruff, T.K. (2019). New Year's Resolutions—New Year Reviewers—New Year of Review (Editorial). Endocrinology, 160(1), 36–37. doi: 10.1210/en.2018-01003
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