New Year's Resolutions- Worksheet For Kids

A search online proved rather depressing. A number of medical organizations suggested lists for children as young as preschool that would have them cleaning their teeth, going to bed on time, and eating their vegetables. This sounds like a new year's wish list for the parents. To me, presenting a list of daily habits, often viewed as chores to children, could result in them developing a very negative opinion of New Year's Resolutions.

Writing a New Year's Resolution list is certainly a topic that people raise in a joking manner. And if you asked many people about their success in making a resolution and keeping it, they could report many failures. That does not mean that they are impossible, but like many things in life, it requires some skill to succeed.
On my blog I have written an article designed to help readers to achieve their New Year's Resolutions. Writing New Year's Resolutions are similar to any other form of goal-setting and need the same techniques to succeed. These include a real desire to achieve the goal, a clear plan, immediate and ongoing action and the right mindset. Each of these steps are skills that are often not familiar to adults, so it makes sense that children are likely to be even less knowledgeable of these techniques. I would like to qualify that statement, by saying that I am very impressed with the skills children are now being taught at school in the area of planning and attitude, and now children may be more knowledgeable than many adults.

There are a number of areas that differ in the way children view goals and resolutions.This includes a child's concept of time, and also how they view themselves in the world. Some children are very aware of their dependence on otthers, and see adults as being more competent than children. Other children do not hold this same view, and feel more competent in dealing with adults and making choices in their lives. I notice this most in teenagers, and in younger children who spend a lot of their time with adults.

There are also different learnings that children would make, and need to be catered for when creating and achieving resolutions. These include the skill of making and working towards a resolution, and also a child's limited knowledge of their capabilities, how to access information and tools they require, and how the world works.

Time is not experienced in the same way. One year is 20% of a 5 year old's life. If you have spent any time with a 5 year old, a week is a very long time, so a one year plan is probably too big a commitment.

Children are constantly learning new things all the time in their lives, but do not have the same view of the world that adults have. They are still developing skills and control over their world that we take for granted. They are still learning how to make and achieve a goal. What would seem a small goal to an adult can appear huge to a child as they are still developing mastery over the process. Learning the process with a very small goal could be most appropriate for your child.


Children with big imaginations may need assistance not to dream too big, but this needs to be done in such a way that they do not feel they are 'just dreamers'. Suggest they break it down into smaller goals and celebrate the achievement of the smaller goals. My son came home with some homework when he was 8 years old. His version of the project was going to cost us $50 and involved an object that moved with the wind. When we suggested changing his idea, he fell apart, sobbing. We had to contact the teacher to find out what she had actually asked them to do, and asked her to explain it to him again. Her version involved a piece of cardboard, such as the inside of a paper towel roll. We were all traumatized by this small task!

Adults and children will get bad days, and need encouragement and rewards along the way. Talk to your child about setbacks and challenges, and help them to imagine what obstacles they might meet on the way. When the obstacles do crop up, you can make light of them, sympathetically, as they are expected and part of the process. Remind them of how great it will be when they achieve their goal.

In my blog article, I encourage readers to choose a goal that is very important to them, rather than something they 'should' be doing, as 'should' does not provide the motivation to succeed. This is just as important with children. That is the reason I see no value in getting children to set goals such as 'cleaning their teeth'. That is a 'should'. One very important part of the process is success in choosing or making a goal, or resolution. If you help your child to make a resolution, you need to set your child up to succeed, not to fail. That is a very important part of the process, as success creates a desire to pursue further success. How many diets have you started and failed? Do you want to start another one?

If your child does not achieve their desired end result, go through the process and see what went wrong.

Was the goal too big for them at this time? Suggest a smaller goal.
Did they lose interest? They may have learned something about their interests, or it may have been too big, or spread out over too long a period of time.
Were the obstacles expected and how did they deal with them? They may need more support, or may need to ask for help as they master the skill of overcoming obstacles.
Was there an unexpected obstacle that would have challenged even the experts? An illness, or family tragedy, or moving house could make it impossible to reach the goal. It is called life, and we all have to change our plans at some time in our life.

Go through what worked and what did not. Creating and achieving a New Year's Resolution is a process with a number of different steps. Remind them of their successes, and celebrate those successes. To ensure some success, be sure to take immediate action as soon as the resolution is made. Keep it positive and when the time is right, try again.

I have created a writing worksheet and instructions to help your child write their New Years Resolutions. The kids printable worksheet is available FREE on my blog and can be downloaded and printed out. You can use the information in this lens, and also the New Year's Resolution article on my blog to assist your child.