As a New Year begins, our minds turn to resolutions. The goals you set will depend on the things that you’d like to achieve and improve upon. But what if you want to include the whole family? What family New Year’s resolutions could, and would, work?
I don’t make personal New Year’s resolutions. Not because I don’t feel there’s any room for improvement, or that I don’t like setting goals. It’s more because I find the idea of committing to a year too overwhelming and I inevitably find that some months are more focussed than others. I also hate the feeling of failure when I have an off month. So instead I set monthly goals and have my vision board in my eyeline throughout the year.
However, I’m all for setting family New Year’s resolutions, because I think that working together to improve family life can also be positive. If you fancy doing it too, then here are some ideas:
1) Involve the kids and create something together
If you want to make a family New Year’s resolution then you need the kids to get on board with the idea, so involve them by getting them to help create your plan. Ask them if there’s anything they’d like you to do more of, or less of as a family. Talk to them about how you can implement the change and work out a plan.
2) Think of a bugbear and tackle it
Does it annoy you that the kids always do their homework on the dining room table? Maybe you’re sick of things being left on the stairs. If your pleas for change have fallen on deaf ears in the past, then perhaps New Year is the time to tackle one of your bugbears.
3) Focus on family time
In 2020, a lot of us spent more time than usual at home. We’re expecting things to get back to a new normal in 2021, which will mean that social commitments and work commitments could intensify. But what will that mean for family time? If, like me, you’ve quite enjoyed spending more time with your family, then perhaps you should make a resolution to keep it up into 2021 and beyond.
4) Make a resolution to eat together more often
How many times do you eat as a family? We are all running around and sometimes eating together isn’t a priority. But perhaps you could aim to do it once per week?
5) Explore a hobby together
Sharing an interest with your family is a great way of spending quality time together. So you could aim to explore an established, or a new hobby with your family in the New Year. Myself and my partner have agreed to do more hiking, as this is something we enjoy doing together.
6) Communicate more it could help you all
Families can be complicated and often, communicating can be tricky. If that’s the case, then maybe you could do things to improve it. You could do this by committing to spend more time together, or you could actually attempt to do some communication exercises. By learning to explain what you’re thinking and feeling, family life may improve.
7) Increase one-on-one time
Family time is important, but so is one-on-one time. If you don’t spend time alone with your kids, or you tend not to see much of your partner, then maybe you could make ‘increasing one-on-one time’ a New Year’s priority.
8) Commit to a day trip
If there’s somewhere, or something, you’ve enjoyed doing as a family previously, then why not make a commitment to repeat it? This could be something simple, such as enjoying an ice cream at the beach, or something bigger, such as a day out at a theme park.
9) Make a home improvement
If there’s a cosmetic or practical improvement that you could make within the house that would improve family life, then maybe you should commit to making it. We spend a lot of time in the house, so it’s important that our homes are comfortable and work for us.
10) Volunteer as a family
Perhaps you could brainstorm how you could help others within your community and make a pact to volunteer together. You could help out at your local foodbank, contact a charity to see what opportunities are available, or simply declutter and donate items to a good cause.
11) Visit friends and family
If you haven’t been able to see much of your extended family over the past year, then perhaps you could try to do that more. Ask each family member who they’d like to see more of and go from there.
12) Exercise together
Exercise is a good thing and it’s an activity you can enjoy together. Each family member could suggest a different activity each month. This will also enable family members to share their skills and interests. It may also help members of the family that perhaps aren’t as fit as others.
It’s just the beginning
Of course, setting family New Year’s resolutions is just the start. You have to then stick to them together. To do this, come up with resolution ideas together and make sure that everybody wants to work together to achieve them. You could also check in each month to monitor your progress and make plans to get back on track if you find you’re drifting away from your goals.
Do you set family New Year’s resolutions? How do you ensure that everybody stays motivated? I’d love to hear your tips in the comments below.
If you enjoyed this article then check out my Christmas and New Year’s section for more festive hints, tips and ideas.