The new year is a time when we all start to think about new starts and positive beginnings. It’s a time a lot of us think about resolutions and changes in our lives, and these ideas of positivity are perfect to share with children.
New year’s resolutions can be brilliantly positive for kids, encouraging them to nurturing new habits, hobbies and mindsets. They may not always be huge life changes, but they do present a chance to sit down together and talk through what we might like for the year ahead.
Here we have some ideas for making resolutions with children, to write down on a big piece of paper and stick on the wall for the year ahead…
1. Be Mindful
Being thoughtful of other people’s feelings and thankful for what others do for us might feel like a small change but this can have such a positive impact on our lives. Mindfulness can be a slightly more difficult concept to teach to younger children, but beginning with simple steps like being thoughtful and thankful is a great introduction.
For slightly older children, thinking about how we manage challenging feelings like frustration, or anger can be very useful skills to have in day to day life. Our Zen Den series introduces these ideas in simple and easy-to-understand ways, with perfect coping strategies for kids to use day to day.
2. Get Active
As the Christmas period comes to a close it always feels like the great time to get active and try something new. Nurturing our children’s interests whilst staying fit and healthy is a perfect new year change!
This could be any number of physical activities, but for kids who don’t naturally lean towards the competitive aspect of sport, the inclusive nature of yoga can be a brilliant alternative. Building core strength, flexibility and confidence, kids’ yoga can have a wonderfully positive effect on children’s confidence and wellbeing. Whatever the activity, try and find something fun and engaging that your child will enjoy! And if you fancy trying yoga, we release a new yoga adventure or mindfulness video every week and have videos especially designed to build confidence, concentration, for calming and more…Take a look at our playlists on Youtube!
3. Encourage Passions
A hobby need not necessarily be what we’d traditionally think of for kids – although learning an instrument or taking swimming lessons are of course fantastic to encourage! Nurturing a child’s passions can be a great way to develop knowledge, skills and confidence. If your child loves nature, why not go for a long walk every week and look out for new birds, trees or insects to learn about. If you have a child who loves baking, set aside a time each week to learn a new child-friendly recipe together. Any passion can be nurtured and this in turn builds confidence as children grow.
4. Be Happy!
We can sometimes feel like resolutions must be serious, but really their aim is to bring positivity and happiness into our lives! What would make you and your kids happy? Family resolutions are a great way to make positive changes in the new year and can work for children of all ages! You might want to spend more quality time together or even do more for each other each day. Why not take the time to sit down as a family and talk about what you’d like change together and what you’ll do each week to make that happen. Then see how this time, no matter how small brings you together!
