#FamilyGoals: 3 Family Resolutions for the New Year {And How to Keep Them}

Posted Dec 28, 2018 Just For Fun Parenting

At the start of every new year, it’s important to sit down as a family and brainstorm a list of impossible goals you’ll give up on by President’s Day.

Sound familiar? If you’re anything like us, you’ve made quite a few resolutions with the best of intentions, but within weeks, you realized you couldn’t keep up. Look, it’s not your fault. (Well, not completely your fault.) You’re human! And if there’s one thing all humans have in common, it’s our uncanny ability to fail.

But that doesn’t mean we stop trying. We just have to try in a smarter, more successful way. We’d like to share with you the worst-kept secret in successful goal setting: “SMART” goals. SMART is an acronym. It stands for:

Specific. State exactly what you want to happen, and who will do it.
Measurable. How will you know that you’ve accomplished the goal? How much? How many?
Achievable. Be realistic. Is this something you can accomplish? Consider your available resources and how much time you can devote to the goal.
Relevant. Why are you making these resolutions? To bring your family closer together? To be healthier or happier? Be sure that you choose these resolutions for a reason, and that reason is something that your entire family can get behind.
Time-bound. You need a deadline, and interim deadlines too. When do you want to see these resolutions come to fruition? How often will you check in to be sure you’re on the right track?

Family Resolutions You Can Stick To

Let’s take a look at a few fantastic ideas for resolutions that your family will love, and hopefully keep!

Focus on Experiences Rather Than Things

In recent years, researchers have devoted quite a bit of journal space to the idea that experiences make people happier than possessions do. It makes sense. When you take a fantastic trip or see your favorite musician in concert, you’re creating memories that not only last, they define your personal passions.

And experiences are social. You can share them with your spouse and kids, all of you enjoying them at the same time. You can laugh and reminisce about them later. It’s fun to say “Remember when Dad got knocked over by that big wave at the beach?” Everyone else remembers too, and the memory connects the whole family to the feeling of being back there in the ocean. Nobody ever says, “Remember that seashell necklace I bought on the boardwalk? The one that’s still sitting in my jewelry box?”

{Helping families create incredible memories together is what CertifiKID is all about. Check out our family-friendly deals and coupons to find great things to do as a family on a budget.}

Make it SMART: “In order to have more happy moments together, the whole family will take a “fun field trip” at least six times a year. A fun field trip can be a: concert, play, amusement park, zoo, swimming pool, playground, restaurant, roller skating, or any place similar. We’ll check in every two months to see how we’re doing.”

Eat Dinner as a Family More Often

Researchers have found many benefits to family dinners. In families who share an evening meal, all family members are more likely to eat healthful foods and maintain a healthy body weight. There also tends to be fewer eating disorders, fewer behavior problems, and less use of drugs and alcohol in these families. Kids who regularly eat dinner with their parents also tend to have better self esteem and less depression.

Make it SMART: “Our family wants to get healthy and spend quality time together. We will eat a home cooked dinner as a family at least three times a week. Mom will cook, dad will wash dishes, and the kids will set the table. We’ll check in once a month to see how we’re doing.”

Volunteer Together

We just can’t say enough about families volunteering together! There are so many advantages. When you volunteer for a charity, you, your spouse, and your kids will learn the value of generosity and service to others. You’ll teach your children how important it is to care for other human beings, and help them realize and feel grateful for their many blessings.

You’ll also be learning new skills with hands-on experience. Through volunteering, kids and families can learn to cook, build houses, care for wildlife, clean up public water sources, and a host of other life skills that might come in handy one day. Check out our article 7 Kid-Friendly Service Projects for some great ideas.

Make it SMART: “We want to help others in our community and spend more quality time together as a family, so we plan to volunteer together for the local food bank. We will sign up as volunteers at the next orientation on (DATE). We will work a shift together on the third Tuesday of every month. We’ll check in once a month to see how we’re doing.”

Make Your Resolutions Stick

January is the perfect time to set goals for the year ahead. If you’ve had trouble keeping your resolutions in the past, try these SMART goals to help keep you on track this year.

This is the first installment in our New Year's health and wellness series for kids and parents. Keep an eye on the blog next week for the next article in our series!

Tags: Family New Year's Resolutions

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