New Year’s resolutions are something most adults are familiar with. From weight loss to saving money, we all have things we want to improve upon or accomplish within the coming year. But what about your kiddos? Do they have goals they want to set? Do they want to become better at something? Setting goals is important in a child’s development because it teaches them responsibility. When your child makes a goal, they will learn how to follow through with a commitment that they made.
New Years is the perfect time to help your children set goals that they want to work on throughout the year. There are many fun New Year’s resolutions that you can help your kiddo set that they can work toward all year long. At Yellow Brick Road Early Childhood Development Center, we understand the importance of goal setting and how it can help children develop. That is why we wanted to help you give your child ideas for their own New Year’s resolutions. In this blog, we are going to give you some ideas for New Year’s resolutions for your kids!
Read More
When your child is young, reading is extremely important. The more your children read and are exposed to books, the better language skills they will develop at a young age. In a previous blog, we discussed the importance of reading to your child, but when they learn to read themselves, help them make a goal to read even more!
If they want to read more in the new year, help them set an achievable goal. If your child is almost ready to read their first chapter book, make it a goal that they read a chapter book by the end of the year. If they are still reading picture books, have them make it a goal to read one book a week. This will keep them actively reading throughout the entire year without putting too much pressure on their goals.
Master Something
This is a great goal for young children. Whether they want to master their ABCs or count to 100 by the end of the year, this is a great way to keep them learning and engaged in what they are learning. While they are likely to master the alphabet or counting before the end of the year, it will give them something to work towards. Once they master these, you can push them a little further. If your kiddo wanted to master the alphabet and does, have them start learning how to spell one new word a week. If they wanted to master counting to 100, have them count to 150, then 200, then 250. Setting mini-goals within their goals can help them keep achieving!
Maybe your child wants to master something that isn’t academic. Maybe your child wants to master a handstand or a cartwheel. Maybe they want to improve their soccer skills. Whatever it may be, this is a great goal since they can always improve their skills!
Learn Something New
Your child will learn more than just one thing during the next year because they are always learning at this young age! But making this a goal can help them seek learning opportunities that appeal to their interests. You can help them find something to learn, like the piano, how to sing, how to knit, how to ride a bike, or anything else that they can practice all year long. Whatever it may be, helping your child learn something new can be a fun and exciting way for them to find a new hobby or skill.
Be More Active
While your five-year-old is not likely to tell you they want to work out or be more active in this coming year, it is something you can suggest and help them with. In today’s day and age, technology makes it hard to get kids outside and active. They can spend hours sitting in front of the TV, playing video games, or playing on a tablet. A good goal for them is to be more active. If this is a goal of theirs, you can help them by making sure they go outside for an hour a day, you could go on family bike rides regularly, you could do yoga with them, or sign them up for a sport! Not only is this a great way to keep your kiddo active and healthy, but the whole family can get in on it and you can all be more active and healthy!
Make New Friends
Some kids can be extremely shy, which makes it hard for them to make friends or talk to anyone besides family members. Setting the goals of making new friends can help your child expand their social skills and learn how to better communicate and interact with others. While you can tell them that their goal is to make new friends, really the goal is to help them break out of their shell and become more outgoing and engaging.
If your child says their goal is to be less shy, you can help them by “forcing” interactions. If they want to know where their favorite cereal is, have them ask the store employee instead of asking for them. Have them order their own meal at dinner. When you make them talk to these strangers, they will realize that talking to others isn’t as scary as they once thought and soon they will work through their shyness.
What to Keep In Mind
While you are making goals New Year’s resolutions with your kiddo it is important to remember that they are young and are a new concept to them. While you can set difficult goals for yourself, you want to make sure that your child is able to accomplish their goals and help them to accomplish them. Depending on your child’s age, the goals they set can be more or less difficult. Even if you know your child can read three books a week, set the goal at one, so that they are not stressed about accomplishing this. Goals are important when it comes to teaching them responsibility and how to stick with it, but if it isn’t achievable, it may make it hard for them to want to set goals in later years.
Get ready for the new year and help your child set goals to better themselves as they learn, grow, and develop. Be sure to learn more about Yellow Brick Road and enroll your child in our early childhood development center today! Schedule a tour of one of our locations today! Have a happy New Year and be sure to make goals that benefit you and the family!