By Adrian Kohrt
New Year’s resolutions are a positive and healthy way to change our lives and our family. Resolutions can teach children that adults need to work to become better individuals. It is important to remember that the more involved children are in setting family goals, the more likely they are to take ownership and work toward achieving them. When making New Year’s resolutions with your family, don’t forget to make them measurable, specific and realistic.
It is helpful to have family members accountable for reaching your goals. The family can have a monthly meeting to discuss progress toward the goal. If you have young children, using a calendar and stickers to mark completed tasks can assist in making a goal more accurate for your children.
Everyone has challenges meeting New Year’s goals. It is a learning opportunity to find out what is going wrong and to change the goal as a family. There is nothing wrong with redoing your New Year’s resolution in March. The best goal is remembering that your family is still working toward bettering themselves. Remember that rewards such as more time with friends or extra screen time can assist in motivating family members. Here are some suggestions for family New Year’s resolutions:
For the whole family
Have at least one meal a week at the dinner table with the whole family. This can occur any night of the week and may last less than 30 minutes. Short conversations may lead to bigger ones later. Remember, no phones at the dinner table.
Get 30 minutes of some type of exercise every day. Exercise together. Exercising together can be very simple. Go for a walk when the weather is not too cold outside. Another option is to pick an exercise video on YouTube. There are all sorts of fun exercise videos available.
Have more home-cooked meals instead of eating takeout. Set your goal based on how often you eat takeout meals a week. If you eat out four times a week, cut back to two times a week.
Make time for regular family time together just for fun. Determine a time every week when you can turn off the phones, reconnect and reset with your family. Try an activity such as playing a board game.
For younger children
With young kids, don’t get caught up in targeting growth achievements. By setting goals, you begin a conversation about chores and why they are important. Remember, young children will need assistance from you to accomplish their goals.
Brush teeth two times daily.
Read for 20 minutes each day. Reading together is another opportunity to spend time together as a family.
Wash hands before and after meals.
For teenagers
Teenagers want to be independent. When setting goals, talk about areas where they think they can improve and where you can assist as a parent. This helps them feel more invested in the goals they set.
No cell phones at the dinner table.
No cell phones at bedtime.
Plan your days to get at least eight hours of sleep at night.
Exercise in some form — dancing, playing sports or walking — for at least 30 minutes per day.
Family New Year’s resolutions can bring families closer together. You and your family will achieve great things by working together to create goals and accomplish them throughout the coming year. Remember, if a goal is not working, return to the drawing board and rewrite a more obtainable goal. Happy New Year to you and your family.
Adrian Kohrt is a family nutrition coordinator for the Cooperative Extension Service, a part of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, which works in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For questions, she can be contacted at amkohrt@alaska.edu or 907-474-7930.
