Once the hectic holidays are over, it’s time to reflect on what the new year will bring. We’ve all made promises that we’ve never kept, but have you ever thought about making resolutions as a family? If the whole family makes them together, everyone will work harder to keep them.
Here are 8 New Years’ resolutions that as a family, you’ll find it easy to keep. And since they’re made as a family, your children will be very quick to remind you that they need to be remembered.
Tip #1: One family meal a day
We all know that it’s easy to sit in front of the TV and eat dinner. But the one thing that sitting together at the table does is: conversation. When there’s no screen in front of us, and you’re at the table looking at each other, conversations start. There might even be some laughter. And if the conversation is lagging, make everyone bring one joke to the table each meal. Some of the most laughter is at the expense of the worst jokes.
Tip #2: Create a family savings goal
Sit down together (maybe at the dinner table?) and decide as a family what you all want to save money for. Is it a weekend getaway or a vacation? Or a game console? Maybe a special outing? Whatever the goal is, everyone can contribute. This is one decision that everyone will work hard to make happen. You all want the “special” treat.
Tip #3: Practice gratitude
Whether it’s at the dinner table or at bedtime, stop for a moment and share something you’re grateful for. Every one shares. It can be something small like a sunny day or a funny moment or something big. You can make a gratitude jar or journal and reread what’s written later. Some of the most grateful thoughts can be the funniest when they’re read later.
Tip #4: Start a weekly family walk
Increasing physical activity is a standard New Year’s Resolution that everyone has made at one time or another. Some people make it every year. If your family makes an effort to take a weekly walk together, around the block, at the park, around the house two or three times, this opens time for conversations, laughter and fresh air and exercise. It might even lead to taking walks more than once a week!
Tip #5: Establish a weekly family night
It can be the same night as the weekly walk or a different night. But you’re getting together as a family, where before, you might not have. It can be simple things like watching a movie together or playing a game. It can even be cooking dinner.
Tip #6: Bedtime rituals
If your children are young, you might already have bedtime rituals in place. Just make sure that you continue to follow them. The difficulty comes when your children are older. Tween and teenagers don’t get bedtime stories anymore and are usually too busy to want any parental rituals.
(I have to tell you that as teenagers, my girls asked for an occasional bedtime story. They enjoyed the time together and reminiscing about being young. Plus, they liked remembering their favorite bedtime stories.)
Doing simple things like establishing some simple rituals before they retreat to their rooms for the night won’t be easy, but over time, gets easier. It can be as simple as specifying that everyone say goodnight to each other. You might even share something you’re looking forward to the next day.
RELATED: Sweet Dreams: How to Establish Bedtime Routines
Tip #7: The year in photos
Sounds like a lot of work? You take pictures on your phone all the time. What’s so difficult about taking a family photo once a week? Getting everyone together might be a chore to begin with, but once the routine is established and enforced, you’d be surprised how those moments aren’t so difficult anymore. Some primping and preparing might start happening.
Tip #8: Send notes
Buy some sticky notes. Get a whole stack. Set a family rule that everyone has to leave each member of the family a note once a week. It can be a cheeky “hi” with a smiley face, an ‘I love you’ or even a “thanks for not eating the last cookie’. You’ll be surprised how those little notes lift spirits. And those notes might get more frequent as the year goes by.
These New Year’s Resolutions are not about working on perfection—they’re about making connections. With your family. Let go of the pressure of trying to keep your resolutions for yourself. Get your family together and make resolutions that everyone wants to keep. The moments you share with your family throughout the year will make memories that last forever. And that year of photos will never be forgotten!
