As the new year approaches, it’s time to start thinking about your resolutions! If you’ve wanted to learn Chinese or finally take that overseas trip, why not make it a family endeavor? A common goal can unite a household, helping everyone work together and succeed as a team. Here are some New Year’s Resolutions that can bring your family together throughout the year!
1. Discovering a New Language
If your kid is part of a world language learning program at school, try tackling the lessons together as a family; this helps their grades while giving parents quality time with their kids. Whether a child is being taught Spanish or the family wants to learn Chinese together, there will always be someone around to practice with and make the experience more than just educational!
2. Family Fitness
Sometimes it feels like kids have limitless energy reserves. Shrewd parents can use that to their advantage by making this year’s resolution physical fitness! Some of the ways you can exercise together as a family include:
- Bike Everywhere: In both rural and urban settings, bikes are a great source of transportation and exercise. Just make sure everyone wears a helmet!
- Weekly Hikes: Getting away from it all and walking through nature gives your family a chance to reflect as well as get their muscles moving.
- Seasonal Sports: While joining a team as a family may not work out, you can still participate as your own private team.
When exercise is a family goal, it’s easy to get everyone motivated to do their best!
3. Reading Together
Even though we all know it’s important, many people just don’t have the time to sit down and read. Making it a family activity may help you to make room in a busy schedule for quiet story time. If you’re learning Chinese or another language, it’s also a great time to practice those skills by reading aloud.
4. Planet-Conscious
If children are the future, they’re going to need some place to live! Having an environmental goal as your family resolution will have everyone thinking about how to make better decisions for the planet. Younger kids can learn about recycling, while teenagers can volunteer with their parents for local cleanup activities. Showing your kids how much you value the Earth will also illustrate how much you want a bright future for them, too!
5. Travel Adventures
Many people learn Chinese or Italian looking to make their way overseas to those exotic locales. Making a big family trip a year-long goal not only creates a schedule for you to follow but also builds anticipation for the event.
6. Family Journal
Journaling is something a lot of people struggle to do. If the family is in on the task together, it can turn what used to be a boring chore into a fun nightly event! A family journal tells the story of your own little tribe and may become something you come back to frequently as people inevitably drift farther apart. It may even become a tradition that tells the tale of your clan for generations!
7. Mindful Eating
If junk food is the primary item in your pantry, a resolution about mindful eating may be just what your family needs. The family can practice better consumption habits while teaching kids how important it is to know what they put in their bodies. There are many ways to practice mindful eating as a family, such as:
- Less Sugar, More Fruit
- Grow Your Own Vegetables
- Drink More Water
- Practice Gratefulness
- Family-Chosen Healthy Meals
A great tip for mindful eating is to practice the three Ss: Sit down to eat, Slowly chew your food, and Savor the flavors!
8. Family Game Nights
One of the hardest things for families to do is make time for each other. Scheduling a family game night guarantees that kids and adults plan around it and makes it an event to look forward to. Parents can introduce their children to some old favorites, helping them to learn Chinese Checkers and Dominos. You can also bring new titles into the fold and explore them together!
A Time for Family
Your New Year’s Resolution should reflect the goals that your family wants to work towards, but the main purpose isn’t to achieve some unsurmountable task. It represents the time that you dedicate to your loved ones as you work together. The dawning of another year is the chance to have new experiences and make memories that will last a lifetime, a resolution that anyone can get behind!
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