Many people like New Year because it is a chance to set resolutions for the year ahead. Normally people set quite a huge resolution like losing weight, giving up smoking or cutting down on drink. It’s usually something that is personal to them which will be a major lifestyle change. Not many people think about the smaller things that they could change that would be easier to adopt and stick too. Hence, their resolutions may not succeed. When it comes to children, I think they are far too young to be making resolutions for this very reason. They are not very committed to change on this scale. So instead of resolutions talking to children and embracing change could be a good thing and that a new year gives us a chance to make a change for the better. The change that they can make does not have too big and where children are concerned it shouldn’t be a big change anyway. It should be something that is achievable for them. They should choose a something that they can drop into their life that makes it better, or is a change to their thoughts, feelings or actions. There are many ways to behave and think more positively. What they choose will depend on the child, but have a good think about what small, positive changes could be made.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
Embracing Change And Making Just One Positive Change
- Children could resolve to be kinder to their friends or siblings.
- They could make sure they say sorry when they hurt someone or to someone they have hurt before.
- They could help out at home more without being asked. They could take on responsibility for a daily task like loading the dishwasher after dinner.
- It could be that they simply smile more. Smiling is great for lifting our mood.
- Children could aim to read for half an hour a day before bed, instead of watching TV or playing computer games.
- They could also do more exercise or join a weekly class or group.
These are all small changes that of course will take time before they become routine. But they are manageable and will lead to positive change if we can get them embracing change.
What change for 2019 could your child do? I’d love to hear about it. Please leave a comment below or via my social media channels.
