How To Make Family New Year’s Resolutions Stick

New Year’s resolutions are a fantastic idea… in January. Then you hear of that one person – it’s always a friend of a friend – who kept it up. It’s August and they look amazing. And there’s the guilt. No matter, there’s always next year. *Hits repeat* How could you even consider doing this with your whole family? Are you nuts?!

But then again, setting resolutions as a family brings with it one huge advantage over every resolution you ever set for yourself. That’s the unwavering and unconditional support. Here are a handful of tips to keep everyone on track… as best you can.

1. Simplify

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’re sure you know exactly what we mean. Make change easy by breaking goals down into achievable steps.

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!

2. Gamify

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… anything? That’s already gamifying the task. You can keep the whole family engaged by turning your resolution challenge into a game.

This could be as simple as a leaderboard to track everyone’s progress. Decide on rewards together at the start, and do your best to keep them up.

Top tip: Is your resolution to spend more quality time together as a family? You can try out the DinnerTime app (it’s free) for uninterrupted meal times. It suspends all activity on phones for the time set for zero distractions.

3. Identify

It’s 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’s shoulders.

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.

4. Justify

Why did you choose this resolution as a family? Your ‘whys’ motivate you, but what about the others? Instead of simply telling the family what changes will be made, help them to understand the ‘whys’.

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 themselves.

5. Glorify!

Family life is not often described 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.