New Year’s Resolutions : Let The Kids Do It Too!

Cheers to the new year and once again we are greeted by the month of January 2014. New beginnings, a new month, and a new school term. The beginning of a year is a great time to make resolutions. It’s good practice and habit which will help children think and reflect on their own goals and directions. Making resolutions with children can be a fun and refreshing feeling and it gives you a chance to get to bond with your child and get to know them well.

Here’s how you can help guide your children on writing resolutions:

1. Teach them the meaning or concept of a resolution.

Explain it to them using the term ‘promise’. In a way, the resolutions made are promises to yourself.

2. Encourage their enthusiasm

Children are enthusiastic and energetic and they might have a loooong list of things they would like to do. Instead of killing their jazz, you could work on their enthusiasm and explain that they could channel that enthusiasm into carrying out their resolution over the whole year.

3. Get them to list their own resolutions

Ah, here comes the tricky part. You could prepare a table or a form on a piece of colored or designed paper with different categories like personal improvement, family and friends and school and the outside world. Let them think and take their time to let them list down what they want to improve. Be patient, and most important of all, resist the urge to set your child’s goals for them. Let them take control and have accountability of their own direction.

4. If their resolutions are too big, help them scale it down. If they’re too simple, help them expand it.

If they end up setting a resolution they cannot adhere to, you can always gently suggest a simpler and easier variation of their resolution. Get them to think about what they plan to do and how they plan to do it.

5. Check and Don’t Nag!

If your child isn’t making progress in achieving a resolution, reaffirm them that it is still possible to achieve. Ask them what is distracting them from fulfilling a resolution and help them get excited about it again.

For Teachers

If you’re a teacher thinking of making this into a lesson, here’s how you can amp it up. The principles are the same and I leave it to your judgement to use this in your lessons. Here’s something I would do :

Just like mentioned earlier on in the article, get your students to write resolutions in different categories ; personal improvement, family and friends, and school and the outside world.

Best resolutions are ones that you are certain you can keep. Get your students to choose three of the resolutions they have listed - one about personal improvement, one about family and friends and one about school and the outside world.

Start by preparing an outline for them to begin drafting. Here’s how it can look like :

1. Write your first paragraph to introduce the topic
2. Describe your personal improvement promise and tell us why you are making it.
3. Describe your family and friends resolution, and tell us why you are making it.
4. Describe your resolution about school and the outside world, and tell us why you are making it.
5. Write your last paragraph and it should restate the topic and sum it up.

Finally, get your students to edit and revise the draft of their new year’s resolution and get them to evaluate their own drafts and getting them to ask themselves some of the questions below ;

• Does your first paragraph make your topic sound interesting? What can I improve on?
• Do your next three paragraphs introduce the topic in an interesting way? Do you clearly explain why you are making these resolutions?
• Does your last paragraph sum up the topic of your whole essay?
• Are your sentences complete? Do the subjects and verbs agree?
• Is your spelling correct?

Finally, complete and write your essay and turn it in.

This plan can be used for upper primary up to lower secondary levels, depending on your student’s abilities. If it doesn’t work out the first time, don’t fret! Be creative! Don’t forget to keep track and don’t nag! All the best!

• Schuman, Wendy. "8 Ways to Help Kids Make New Year's Resolutions." Parents Magazine. Parents Magazine Group, 2 Jan. 2014. Web. 07 Jan. 2014.
• “New Year’s Resolutions.” Teacher Vision.
• Family Education Network, Web. 07 Jan 2014.