New Year\u2019s resolutions are a fantastic idea\u2026 in January. Then you hear of that one person \u2013 it\u2019s always a friend of a friend \u2013 who kept it up. It\u2019s August and they look amazing. And there\u2019s the guilt. No matter, there\u2019s always next year. *Hits repeat* How could you even consider doing this with your whole family? Are you nuts?!<\/p>\n
But then again, setting resolutions as a family brings with it one huge advantage over every resolution you ever set for yourself. That\u2019s the unwavering and unconditional\u00a0support. Here are a handful of tips to keep everyone on track\u2026 as best you can.<\/p>\n
Overly ambitious goals are tempting in that New Year haze. Dramatic change to routines and behavior is tough to keep up, especially for kids. We\u2019re sure you know\u00a0exactly\u00a0what we mean. Make change easy by breaking goals down into achievable steps.<\/p>\n
One step to eat a more healthy diet could be one extra daily snack of fruit. Simple. Set these smaller steps as a family, get creative and keep them achievable!<\/p>\n
We see games used pretty much everywhere, and for a good reason. They work. Ever tried counting down from 5 to get your child to do\u2026 anything? That\u2019s already gamifying the task. You can keep the whole family engaged by turning your resolution challenge into a game.<\/p>\n
This could be as simple as a leaderboard to track everyone\u2019s progress. Decide on rewards together at the start, and do your best to keep them up.<\/p>\n
Top tip:\u00a0<\/strong>Is your resolution to spend more quality time together as a family? You can try out the DinnerTime\u00a0app\u00a0(it\u2019s free) for uninterrupted meal times. It suspends all activity on phones for the time set for zero distractions.<\/p>\n It\u2019s enough being parent, teacher, therapist, cushion and friend (feel free to finish this list in your own time) all in one without having to take on the role of motivational coach for the entire family as well. Try taking turns to take the weight off of just one person\u2019s shoulders.<\/p>\n Each week, elect one member of the family to be the one to encourage and check in on everyone else. Perhaps you can make a badge together to distinguish them for that time and remind them of their role.<\/p>\n Why did you choose this resolution as a family? Your \u2018whys\u2019 motivate you, but what about the others? Instead of simply telling the family what changes will be made, help them to understand the \u2018whys\u2019.<\/p>\n An example could be bringing kids to a fun, educational session on why eating healthily is a good choice to make. Often, teaching kids more about a topic motivates them to pursue the goals\u00a0themselves.<\/p>\n Family life is not\u00a0often\u00a0described as smooth sailing… So every small win should be celebrated. Set milestones and celebrate them with activities everyone enjoys (but try not to step backwards! I.e. celebrating eating healthily with junk food). This can be as simple as setting time aside to have a movie night together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" New Year\u2019s resolutions are a fantastic idea\u2026 in January. Then you hear of that one person \u2013 it\u2019s always a friend of a friend \u2013 who kept it up. It\u2019s August and they look amazing. And there\u2019s the guilt. No matter, there\u2019s always next year. *Hits repeat* How could you even consider doing this with…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3238,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[90,132],"class_list":["post-3242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family","tag-family","tag-new-year"],"yoast_head":"\n3. Identify<\/h4>\n
4. Justify<\/h4>\n
5. Glorify!<\/h4>\n