The beginning of a new year is the perfect time for every member of the family to propose positive changes to adopt in their daily lives. The child development professionals at Celebree School present resolutions to consider when starting the New Year.
The holiday season is a welcomed break from the frenzy of work and your child’s recreational obligations. As such, it is an excellent time to come together and find ways in which you can improve in the new year as a family.
Although not all members of your family will likely share your personal goals, creating them can be an educational experience for your child. Encouraging children to think about how they could improve their own behaviors and habits will help them develop their critical thinking skills, and promote self-evaluative thinking in future years.
Resolutions for Parents
Set limits for work. It can be tempting to check or respond to work correspondences even after you have left the office for the day. But this habit can take your attention away from your family. Taking small steps like removing your work email from your phone after work hours can help to reduce the impact of work on your home life.
Strengthen friendships. While developing traditions and maintaining routines at home is important, maintaining the relationships you have built outside of your family is too. Close friends provide irreplaceable support and companionship. Dedicate yourself to improving these relationships by setting regular gatherings. Doing this will help your child learn the importance of a familial and non-familial support system and keeping a healthy balance between the two.
Resolutions for Children
Begin daily chores. The concept of a new year’s resolution can first be effectively introduced when your child is preschool age. Small task-oriented commitments are often appropriate for children of this age. A preschooler could conceivably adopt a policy of cleaning up toys for 10 minutes every day. For children who are comfortable with these chores, a more challenging resolution may be appropriate.
Be a better helper. Tasking preschoolers with becoming a better helper will support their development of critical thinking skills. Adding an additional level of complexity to their regular tasks and chores will also make them feel useful, and may eventually reduce your workload. This resolution will also encourage your child to develop their listening skills as they will need to consult with you on how best to become a better helper.
Resolutions for the Whole Family
Reduce screen time. Screen-based technologies and tools can be habit-forming, and take away from family time. Commit to reducing screen time throughout your household by setting time limits on tablet, phone and TV use. This resolution can be challenging, so modeling the wanted behavior will be crucial to its success.
Improve listening skills. Although you may think of listening as a skill for your child to develop, parents can also benefit from practicing better listening. As a family, commit to a policy of respectful consideration while others are speaking. Make a promise to one another that when you have conversations, you will take turns speaking, listening to understand and focusing on the other person while they speak.
Become bigger bookworms. Reading is a wonderful way to connect with your child while teaching them critical language acquisition and processing skills. Make a plan to read to your child for a certain amount of time every day. Adopting this plan will not only improve your child’s understanding of language, it will strengthen your relationship and provide an entertaining and fun activity for both of you.
For more information on developmental activities for your family and your child, contact Celebree School today.