Parenting and Prevention
New Year, New Goals
The start of a new year is a perfect opportunity to create family resolutions. Setting new routines as a family can strengthen bonds, improve communication, and establish a sense of shared purpose. Here are some ideas to help guide you in creating meaningful resolutions and routines that work for everyone in the family. These will help your family get on the path to a productive, unique, and fulfilling year ahead.
Spend More Quality Time Together and Create a Family Adventure List
Goal: Plan a weekly family activity like: board games, a bike ride, exercise together, movie nights, coloring, playing with Legos, or cooking together. Plan and complete one family adventure or trip each season. It could be as simple as a weekend hike at a local State Park or a visit to a museum.
Why: This helps create lasting memories, fosters teamwork, encourages family bonding outside of everyday routines, and encourages open communication.
Commit to Positive Parenting
Goal: Set one parenting goal that encourages a deeper connection with your children, such as becoming an active listener, fostering emotional intelligence, or establishing consistent routines.
Why: Positive parenting supports healthy emotional development in children and improves family dynamics.
Family Home Improvement Projects
Goal: Set a goal to organize the house together, redecorate a room, create a garden, or organize shared spaces. Working together is key.
Why: These activities teach teamwork and problem-solving, and give the family a sense of ownership and pride in their living space. Shared tasks build teamwork and responsibility while creating a clean, comfortable environment.
Encourage Family Health and Wellness
Goal: Start a family fitness challenge like taking daily walks, biking, doing family yoga sessions, or even training and completing a 5k!
Why: Being active together fosters a healthy lifestyle and motivates everyone to take care of their bodies. It also reduces stress, enhances emotional regulation, and promotes mental well-being.
Create Family Traditions
Goal: Start a new family tradition like a yearly vacation, monthly “gratitude jar” activity, themed dinner nights, or a date with your child. If you have more than one child, set aside individual time with each, even if you don’t leave home.
Why: Traditions help create a sense of stability and connection, enriching family life.
Learn Something New as a Family
Goal: Choose a new hobby or activity to learn together. Maybe learn to cook a new meal, play a musical instrument, learn a new language, or start a garden.
Why: It builds family collaboration, enhances creativity, and provides opportunities for growth and learning.
Practice Digital Detox Time
Goal: Set aside one tech-free hour per day and/or one day per week, like “Screen-Free Sundays”, where everyone disconnects from screens and enjoys face-to-face interaction.
Why: This reduces screen time dependency, improves communication skills, and encourages more meaningful interactions.
Establish Personal Development Goals
Goal: Help each family member set one personal development goal whether it’s learning a new skill, improving time management, or practicing a new behavior. Check-in regularly to support each other.
Why: It encourages individual growth, supports goal setting, and teaches kids the value of self-improvement.
Unplug and Reconnect with Nature
Goal: Dedicate one weekend a month to outdoor family activities, pack a picnic for the park or go to the beach.
Why: It is important to connect the family with nature and while doing so, it reduces screen time and improves physical health and well-being.
Create a Family Vision Board
Goal: Create a vision board together that represents the family’s goals and dreams for the year. This can include personal goals, family vacations, activities, and even values to focus on.
Why: By setting clear, attainable goals for the new year, you can create a sense of purpose and direction, fostering both personal growth and stronger relationships. Whatever goals you choose, make sure they resonate with your family values to ensure a fulfilling year ahead!
Creating family resolutions and setting routines can be a great way to strengthen bonds, improve communication, and establish a sense of shared purpose. The most important thing to remember is that we, the parents, do not choose all the goals. We must work as a team within the family. Here are some ideas to help you get started:
Involve everyone in the process by having family discussions. Be sure to listen to everyone’s input. Create realistic and achievable goals by breaking them down into small steps. Display visual reminders, especially if you have young children. Meet as a family to discuss the goals; remember, it is ok to make changes along the way. Also, don’t forget to celebrate small wins- it helps with motivation…progress not perfection. Children often do what we do, not what we say! When you see a family member struggling to stay focused, model the behavior you want to see. Lead by example.
This doesn’t have to be time-consuming or expensive. Start small, pick one or two of the above ideas, work towards completion, then set new goals. Remember, the idea is to strengthen your family bond by working together throughout the year. Happy New Year!
Elizabeth “Lizzie” Sierra is a passionate and dedicated Parent Educator with over 15 years of experience working with Parenting Matters in Florida. Originally from Puerto Rico, Lizzie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and was licensed as a drug and alcohol addiction counselor in Puerto Rico, where she spent seven years working in various rehabilitation programs for both women and men. She also served as a trainer for the Transtheoretical Model workshop with the Certification Board for Professionals in Addiction and Alcoholism of Puerto Rico.
Upon moving to Florida, Lizzie initially felt overwhelmed, but her connection with Parenting Matters not only helped her adjust to her new life but also sparked a new career path. Embracing the challenge to teach parenting classes in both Spanish and English, Lizzie sought support from Manatee Literacy to improve her English language skills, which she now uses to empower local families. In 2016, Lizzie earned certification to facilitate the “Mind in the Making – Seven Essential Life Skills” modules, further enhancing her ability to support parents. Her work focuses on coaching parents in effective parenting techniques, providing support, and helping them access essential resources to create safe and healthy homes. Lizzie’s commitment to parent education stems from her belief in its crucial role in shaping strong families and communities.