A new year means new possibilities. For you and your family, this could mean taking the opportunity to form good habits or begin learning new skills. In today’s blog, we’ll discuss a few different resolutions you can work towards with your children, regardless of their age!

It’s important to set realistic goals with your kids and give them something to work toward. Providing your kids with fun and innovative ways to track their goals, such as a sticker chart, can provide motivation when targeting these goals. This can allow an avenue where kids can earn rewards for each goal reached,such as time for them to do more highly preferred activities, depending on their age.

Collaborate on Goals With Your Kids
By sitting down with your children and including them in the process of choosing some goals to work on, your children will feel more involved and will help increase their willingness to work on achieving those goals.

Reward Positive Behavior Change
A great way to encourage your child to work towards meeting their goals is to use motivation by pairing a preferred item or activity with the completion of a goal. If your 4-year-old puts their toys away every day, they can choose a treat to eat after dinner” or “they can choose an extra book to read at bedtime. If your 10-year-old has met their reading goals for the month, maybe you can take them to get that new game they’ve been talking about. Seeing that their behavior is being rewarded for meeting their goals will make your child much more likely to work hard to meet other goals in the future.

Below are some healthy and attainable ideas for goals you can suggest to your children, broken down by age group:

Ages 3-4

• I will put my toys away every day before dinner.
• I will wash my hands with soap and water after using the bathroom and before eating.
• I will try to eat new foods, including more vegetables.
• I will brush my teeth twice a day, and let my parents help if I need it.
• I will always hold someone’s hand when I cross the street.
• I will use nice words when I am talking to my friends.
• I will talk to my parents or another trusted adult if I’m scared or need help.

Ages 5-12

Teenagers and Young Adults

Thank you for reading! We hope you found this post enjoyable and informative. If you are currently receiving services with Gateway, and you would like to discuss options that you feel may be good to focus on, please reach out to your child’s clinician so you can work together to create a plan tailored to your child’s strengths and needs.