All of us at Blessed Beyond a Doubt hope that you had a very Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukah.
December can be a very busy month for all of us. So, as the new year approaches, I have created a fun way for your children to create and keep their New Year’s resolutions.
Magnets Can Help Children Keep Resolutions
On New Year’s Eve, my kids and I like to reflect on our New Year resolutions for the past year. More often than not, our resolutions did not last much beyond January. This happens because it is easy to forget about our resolutions and fall back on old habits. Well, this year, I came up with the idea of making New Year’s Resolution Magnets that we can stick on the fridge to help us not forget the resolutions we made.
Materials
These high-quality do-it-yourself magnets are so easy to make. All you need is a little inspiration, creativity, and imagination, as well as the following supplies:
- White or colored paper – I recommend card stock
- Crayons, colored pencils, or markers
- Glitter a
nd/or other decorative materials for added creativity
- Scissors
- Glue
- Ruler
- Magnets
Most of these supplies are easily available at your local dollar store, and the magnets
Get Kids To Make Their Own Magnets
Creating these great resolution magnets is as easy as 1, 2, 3 using my free download.
Step 1: Write down your resolution
While helping your children come up with practical and meaningful resolutions, simply use the free pdf file that I have created for you for them to write them on below.
Step 2: Color in the images
These fun templates come in various styles for your children to color.
Step 3: Cut out the resolution
Once they have a resolution and have decorated the card, simply cut it out.
Step 4: Place it on the magnet
Next, have them stick the resolution card onto the magnet.
Step 5: Hang the magnet on the refrigerator
On New Year’s Day, hang their magnet on the refrigerator for everyone to see.
How to Explain New Year’s Resolutions to Children
New Year’s Resolutions may appear like a foreign language and could be lost on younger children. Therefore, it may be recommended that you introduce the concept to children around 8 years old. Grab this FREE New Years Activity Pack for Families.
The best way to help your child see the importance of making a meaningful resolution is to make it a family activity. A good time to do this is during Christmas break; and, if you have a fireplace, it may be fun to sit by the hearth and discuss the past year. Start the conversation by talking about the past year’s accomplishments and try to identify any areas of potential growth.
You can use an opening statement such as “Tonight we are going to reflect on the past year, and each of us is going to comment on a few things that we want to continue to do and those that we want to change that make us feel good about ourselves.” Give each family member time to share what they are proud of and something they want to improve.
To help your children understand how to make a good resolution for themselves, it may be a good idea to make a family resolution first. Five suggested family-friendly resolutions may include:
- Going for a walk every night after dinner – this is a great time to walk your fur babies
- Start a family game night
- Start a family movie night rotating who chooses the movie
- Exercise together
- Find a volunteer opportunity where everyone can contribute
After you decide on one or two good family resolutions, help your child think about what resolution(s) they may want to make for themselves. Keep in mind that different resolutions may benefit children at different stages of life and that the resolution should be practical and achievable. Ask your kids what is important to them and what goals they want to accomplish in the coming year. This makes the resolution more meaningful for your child when he achieves it.
Once you and your children have developed and written down your resolutions, I suggest that you have them on display for all to see, such as the refrigerator magnets. For day-specific resolutions, such as family game nights, it is a good idea to write each resolution on the specific day of the week on a monthly wall calendar so that you commit to that resolution.
Look for my annual printable monthly calendar to track your resolutions. My owl calendar is a calendar template saved as a pdf document with one page per month. These calendars make great gifts and are a great way to track major holidays, important dates, and New Year’s resolutions.
Also, don’t forget to be a role model for your children by following through on your own resolutions.
For more information on making New Year’s resolutions with your child, you can visit the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) website.
Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions for Kids
Helping children develop New Year’s resolutions can be very enjoyable. It is important to teach them about why resolutions help develop good, new habits, as well as ways to break some old habits. Some good kid-friendly resolutions include:
- Getting unplugged – spend time outdoors and with the family playing games or making puzzles
- Eat healthily – add more fruits and vegetables to your diet
- Exercise – again, get outdoors
- Read – escape into a good book
- Do chores – keep your room clean
- Be good to others
- Save money
- Do well in school – increase your grades in at least one class
- Make new friends and work on hospitality
- Learn something new
<<Related Article: FREE New Year’s Activity Packet for Families>>
We created this free printable for our email subscribers. Simply fill out the form below and you will instantly receive the PDF via email. Please check your spam folder. Please download the PDF version as soon as possible because the download link will expire.
In addition to these free New Year’s Resolution Magnets, please look for my other fun and free activities to entertain your children as they count down to midnight and 2022. Also, don’t forget to download my free printable calendars providing 12 calendar pages in a pdf format. This blank calendar is a great way to track your child’s progress throughout the year and make deadlines for certain resolutions.
Make sure to schedule this fun activity on your to-do list for every New Year’s Eve!
Thank you for visiting my site and enjoying all that I have had to share this past year. I truly appreciate your patronage, and I hope that you and your family have a healthy, safe, and happy New Year!
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