Creating New Year’s Resolutions with Your Child: A Guide for All Ages

Start the Year with Intentional Connections

The New Year is the perfect time to reflect, dream, and set meaningful goals—and children can join in too! Even toddlers can participate in creating age-appropriate resolutions, fostering early skills like self-awareness, decision-making, and responsibility.

At The Sunshine Academy, we believe in nurturing lifelong learning habits starting at the youngest ages. Here’s how you can make New Year’s resolutions a fun and engaging tradition for your family.

Why Set Resolutions with Your Child?

Resolutions help children:

Build Confidence: Achieving small goals boosts self-esteem.
Learn Responsibility: Encourages accountability and follow-through.
Foster Emotional Growth: Teaches them to reflect on behaviors and identify areas for improvement.

Parent Tip: For toddlers, focus on simple and attainable goals that promote positive habits, like cleaning up toys or practicing saying “please” and “thank you.”

How to Create Resolutions for Young Children

Reflect Together

Sit down as a family and talk about highlights from the past year. Ask questions like:

“What was your favorite thing we did last year?”
“What is something you’d like to do more of this year?”

This helps toddlers and older children identify what they enjoy and want to improve.

Keep Goals Simple and Fun

For toddlers, resolutions should be short, achievable, and tied to everyday actions. Here are a few examples:

“I will help feed the dog every morning.”
“I will clean up my toys after playing.”
“I will brush my teeth with Mommy or Daddy.”

Preschoolers can try slightly more complex resolutions, like:

“I will learn a new song every month.”
“I will say ‘thank you’ to my teachers every day.”

Involve Them in the Process

Let your child come up with their own goals. For toddlers, you can guide their choices by offering options:

“Would you like to help set the table or water the plants?”

Giving them ownership makes resolutions more meaningful.

Make It Visual

Create a resolution chart or poster to track progress. Use stickers, drawings, or photos to make it exciting for your child.

Parent Tip: Place the chart where your toddler can see it daily, like on the fridge. Celebrate each milestone with a hug or a high-five!

Focus on Positivity, Not Perfection

Resolutions should feel empowering, not overwhelming. Celebrate efforts, and if something doesn’t go as planned, encourage your child to try again tomorrow.

Family Resolutions to Inspire Connection

In addition to individual goals, consider creating family resolutions that everyone can work on together:

“We will read a bedtime story together every night.”
“We will spend one weekend each month exploring a new park.”
“We will say one thing we’re grateful for every day.”

These shared goals strengthen family bonds and model teamwork for your child.

Tips for Success Throughout the Year

Lead by Example

Children learn by watching you. Share your own resolutions and talk about your progress.

Keep It Age-Appropriate

For toddlers, keep goals short-term and tied to everyday actions. For older kids, discuss longer-term goals and the steps to achieve them.

Celebrate Progress

Acknowledging small wins keeps children motivated. For toddlers, this might mean a sticker or a special clap for completing their task.

Revisit and Adjust Goals

Life changes, and so do priorities. Check in every few months to see how goals are going and adjust if needed.

A New Year Filled with Growth and Joy

Creating New Year’s resolutions with your child is more than just setting goals—it’s about building meaningful habits and celebrating growth together. By involving toddlers in this process, you’re teaching them valuable life skills and starting a tradition they’ll cherish as they grow.

At The Sunshine Academy, we’re here to support your family in every milestone. Together, let’s make this New Year a joyful, intentional, and fulfilling one.