Kids can learn from setting achievable new year's resolutions
MINNEAPOLIS -- Maybe you've got some new year's resolutions in mind, but don't leave kids out of the equation. It's a great time of year to help children form good habits.
Pediatricians say it's critical to set healthy, realistic goals, because kids love having something to work towards.
Some ideas to try, by age:
- For preschoolers, trying new foods (especially veggies) or cleaning up toys.
- For kids 5 to 12, drinking more water every day and always wearing a helmet when bicycling.
- And for teenagers, limiting screen time and not trying alcohol or vaping.
If you've made a New Year's resolution, your plot for self-improvement probably kicks into gear sometime on Jan. 1, when the hangover wears off and the quest for the "new you" begins in earnest.
But if research on habit change is any indication, only about half of New Year's resolutions are likely to make it out of January, much less last a lifetime.
As experts in positive psychology and literature, we recommend an unconventional but more promising approach. It's called the "old year's resolution."
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