Well, happy 2022! Every year that comes and goes I end up saying the same thing. “Where did the year go?!” And it’s true! Time seems to go by faster and faster every year. But with each passing year, life changes, more blessings come our way and we grow as people.
Maybe your family is growing this year. Or maybe your professional career is changing. Or maybe you are working through some things that are carrying over from the year before. Either way, no matter how much we try to slow it down, time keeps on moving.
Personally, I love the fresh perspective of a new year! It gives us time to reflect, recharge and renew for the new year! As much as we as adults use the “new year” to set some new goals, the young adults and children in our lives do as well. They feel the changes and simultaneously pivot, change, and grow along with us.
Do you share your new year goals and aspirations with your children? I think you should and here’s why:
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Our kids benefit from seeing us set goals.
Just as they benefit from seeing us parent and navigate through life, they also learn from seeing us set goals and watching us work towards them. Will we reach all our goals? Surely not. But will we give it our best effort? In most cases, of course! And that is what is important for our children to see. So many lessons can come from our children watching us set our goals, make a plan for working towards them and eventually reaching them! Don’t be afraid to share some scary goals with your children or goals that seem so far out of reach. Like we tell our children “… shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you will land among the stars”. How amazing is it for our kids to see us practice what we preach?
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Set family goals and work on them together as a team!
Many friends and acquaintances I have, spend valuable, intentional time sitting down as a family at the beginning of the year and coming up with what they want their year together to look like. Some spend the time getting into a positive mindset and set individual goals that the family then writes down in a place where all can see so they can cheer each other on throughout the year. Others set goals specific to the family (spending more nights at home together around the dinner table, planning a family vacation they want to take that year or reviewing their current activities and adjusting as needed to spend more time together as a family). Having time to sit down as a family and just think and dream is not only fun but is a skill that will benefit your children into adulthood.
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Help your children set plans and goals for the new year
This is one of my most fun things to do with my children each January! It is so fun (and usually eye opening and rewarding) to talk to my children about what THEY envision for themselves in the new year. Guiding them as they dream and encouraging them to keep dreaming is my pleasure as a parent. We start with some of the smallest goals they want to set. Get up on time everyday for school, stop fighting with my sibling (that’s a fun one! :) learn how to ride my bike without training wheels, etc. But then we move on to bigger, broader goals such as read my devotional bible 4 times per week, start saving part of my birthday money/allowance/chore money to put into savings and use the rest to help someone in need, and start to learn a new skill this year. As my children get older we help them set goals like start looking into colleges and universities for what my extended education might look like, volunteer an hour per week at my church, local shelter, etc. I also help them set some really fun goals for themselves as well! My personal favorites over the past couple of years have been, read the entire Harry Potter series from start to finish this year and learn how to use a yo-yo (because this is definitely a skill we all need!:)
Make it fun and encouraging and don’t forget to write the goals down so you can remember them and cheer them on as they accomplish them! Need some help getting started? Just type “family goal setting worksheet” into your browser and a TON of free templates will pop up. Just download, print and get to work!
We hope this new year brings you happiness, health, and blessings! Share some of your family goals with us in the comments! We would love to cheer you on.
Happy New Year!
Team Simply Blessed Kids