6 Ways to Involve Your Child in New Year's Resolutions

As we step into the New Year, it’s the perfect time for fresh starts and new beginnings. For many families, this often means setting New Year’s resolutions. While adult resolutions tend to focus on things like fitness or career goals, toddlers and young children can also be involved in this exciting tradition—helping them learn valuable life skills, build a sense of responsibility, and, most importantly, have fun!

Setting goals with your family can be a wonderful way to nurture their development, teach them about teamwork, and create meaningful traditions. But how do you make this process child-friendly? Let’s dive six some simple and practical ways to include your child in New Year’s resolutions that will benefit your family and your toddler’s growth.

1. Keep It Simple and Age-Appropriate

As a busy parent, the key is to keep your resolutions achievable for the whole family. Young children are still learning the world around them, so resolutions need to be clear, simple, and achievable. Focus on small, everyday goals that fit into your routine. This helps make the goals feel more manageable and less like another task on your to-do list.

For example:

“Let’s spend 10 minutes outside every day.” This doesn’t mean a long outing or big activity; it could be a quick walk around the block or playing in the garden. It’s a small, achievable goal that benefits both you and your child without taking too much time.
“Let’s read together every night.” You don’t need to read a whole book every time—just one short story or a few pages. It’s a simple way to bond and set a calming routine, even on hectic days.

2. Create a Visual Tracker for Quick Wins

Many toddlers love visuals, and they can be a powerful tool to keep them motivated. A simple tracker, like a sticker chart, can help you keep track of progress without a lot of time investment. It’s also an easy way for your child to see their achievements, which makes them feel proud.

Sticker Chart for ‘Morning Routines’ – Have a chart with simple tasks like ‘brush teeth’, ‘get dressed’, and ‘put on shoes’ to track your toddler’s participation. Each day they complete a step, they can place a sticker on the chart. This visual goal helps your child feel involved without needing extra time in your day.
Post-it Goal for ‘Healthy Snacks’ – Write down a goal on a Post-it (like “try a new fruit”) and put it on the fridge. Every time your child tries something new, they can check it off together with you. It’s quick and easy to do while prepping meals.

3. Involve Your Child in the Goal-Setting Process

When you include your toddler in the goal-setting process, even in a small way, it can help them feel more involved and excited about the goals. Ask them what they want to accomplish or change in the New Year. Let them have some say, and you might be surprised by their ideas! Keep it light-hearted and be open to their suggestions, even if it’s as simple as “more hugs” or “more snacks” (which is a toddler classic!).

Examples of toddler-driven resolutions:

“What should we try to do today?” – On a busy day, ask your toddler to choose one simple activity to focus on, like drawing a picture or playing with a favourite toy. It gives them a sense of control and excitement without any added time.
“Let’s help each other!” – Toddlers are starting to understand the importance of helping others. Create a family goal around kindness and helping each other with simple tasks like feeding pets, picking up toys, or putting away clothes.
“Let’s clean up toys together!” – Toddlers love to feel involved. So, instead of making it a chore for them, turn cleaning up toys into a goal you can work on together. Make a game out of putting things away and celebrate when the job is done.

4. Make It Part of Your Routine

Working parents often have little free time, but the beauty of setting family goals with toddlers is that they don’t need to take up extra time—just a little adjustment to your routine. Look at what you’re already doing and add small goals to it.

For example:

“Let’s tidy up together every night.” Rather than making cleaning up feel like a chore, turn it into a shared goal. At the end of the day, set a timer for 5-10 minutes and tidy up together. Even toddlers can help by putting toys back in their bins. It’s quick and easy and teaches responsibility.
“Let’s practise saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ more.” Instead of focusing on a big behaviour change, make small goals like using good manners more often. You can practise this while eating meals or during other moments in your daily routine, making it simple and effective.

“Let’s practise putting on shoes independently.” A small goal like this can easily be worked into your morning routine and helps your toddler develop self-confidence and independence.

5. Be Flexible and Adaptable

While setting goals is great, toddlers are still learning to regulate their emotions and behaviours. Some days will be easier than others, and that’s okay!

While achieving goals is great, the process of working towards them is just as valuable. Instead of focusing too much on the result, encourage your toddler to enjoy the journey of working together as a family. Don’t be afraid to adjust your goals as needed. Maybe there’s a rainy day when going outside isn’t an option, or perhaps your little one is teething and a goal like ‘helping to clean up toys’ might be harder to achieve. Flexibility is key to keeping things positive and stress-free.

For example:

If your family goal is to spend more time together playing board games, celebrate the fun moments and the laughter, even if you don’t finish the entire game.

If you’ve set a goal to do more physical activities, but it’s a cold, rainy day, you can switch it up by playing indoor games. Our ‘Play and Learning at Home Activities’ have plenty of fun, enriching and low-effort activities to keep your child energised at home!

6. Celebrate the Little Wins, Even on Busy Days

Celebrating the small milestones is crucial—especially when your days feel hectic. You don’t need big rewards; simple praise and positive reinforcement go a long way. When your toddler achieves a goal, celebrate it in the moment, even if it’s just a high-five or a quick “Well done!”

For example:

After a successful ‘tidy-up time’, give your toddler a big cheer or a fun sticker on the chart.
Celebrate sticking to your goal of ‘reading together every night’ by making it cosy with a special blanket or reading in a fun spot.

Final Thoughts

Setting family goals with your toddler is an opportunity to connect, share experiences, and teach them important life lessons. By making the process fun and interactive, you help your child feel like an active participant in family traditions while building their self-esteem, emotional resilience, and understanding of teamwork. Remember that it’s not about perfection—it's about the little moments of connection and growth you share as a family.

Happy New Year, and here’s to a year of small steps and big memories!

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