Give your children a head start this 2010. Encourage them to create New Year’s resolutions they can do at home or in school. According to Angela Palacio, School Director of Toddlers Unlimited in Alabang, Muntinlupa, goal-setting is a good way for kids to learn responsibility.

However, before you introduce New Year’s resolutions to a child, keep in mind that he must be old enough to already understand the concept of time. Palacio says the ideal age for children to start setting goals is around 4 to 5 years old.

Getting started

Introduce the idea of goal-setting by showing them a calendar and pointing out that January is the first month of the year. Describe how people celebrate the coming of the New Year through fireworks and a midnight meal that most families share when the clock strikes twelve on the night of December 31st. You may also tell a story on how you got started making your own New Year’s resolutions when you were still their age.

Next, invite children to share things that had happened or what they did the previous year. A resolution can result from a past experience. Ask them what things they would like to improve on this new year.

Then, explain what the word “resolution” means. You can tell kids that a resolution is a promise that they make to themselves, something that they would try to do diligently all through out the year. You can give them some examples of simple resolutions to make it easier to understand.

“Assure them that it doesn’t have to be big. It can simply be related to how they behave, what they eat, or how they relate with other people,” clarifies Palacio.

Making Resolutions

Palacio shares simple ways to getting kids to make their own New Year’s resolution. Here they are:

1. Limit the number of resolutions

Let the ideas come from the children and allow them to choose just one or two top things they would like to improve in themselves. Stop them from making a long list of resolutions as this can become too overwhelming. This is probably one reason why even adults have a hard time keeping their own resolutions. Very young children can focus on just one thing while older children should limit theirs to two or three.

2. Go for specifics

A child who says he wants to do better in school would find it easier to attain his goal if he picks a specific area to concentrate on. A good example would be, “I will try to raise my grade in Math from a C to a B.”

3. Don’t set them up to fail

Help kids set achievable parameters. “If you know that your child really hates eating vegetables, don’t oblige him to set too high a goal that would be really hard for him to accomplish,” says Palacio. For instance, let him modify a resolution from ‘I will eat veggies everyday” to ‘I will try new foods at least two times a week.’

4. Create visual reminders

At Toddlers Unlimited, students 4 years old and up make badges on the first day of school. Written there are their names and one goal that each child would like to accomplish for 2010. Some of the goals the kids want to undertake include being better at packing away toys, listening to the teacher, sharing toys with more friends and no more fighting with classmates.

“Make concrete examples at home, too,” suggests Palacio. You can print a poster in a certificate format that says, ‘This 2010, I promise to ….’ and have your child sign his name at the bottom. To make it more encouraging, add a photo or your child’s drawing of the activity he wants to accomplish.

Another idea is to create a chart where you can affix stars at regular intervals to affirm your child’s diligence in following his resolution. You can post this somewhere visible, like your child’s room, where he can see it regularly and be reminded of his objective.

5. Do some follow-ups

Once or twice a month, ask your child how his resolution is coming along. “Remind them without nagging and don’t use a negative tone of voice,” cautions Palacio. Expect that there will be lapses but you have to remember that you have to give him praise and encouragement for the efforts already exerted. You can moreover give incentives such as bringing him to a movie or his favorite fastfood place if he has been consistent in reaching for his goal. This will inspire him further to continue.

Let your child know too that January is not the only time he can make resolutions and that, in fact, he can set another goal anytime within the year once he is already doing well with the first one.

6. Be a good example

Children learn by imitation and it is very hard to teach them something if they see that you are not practicing what you preach. As you help them set their resolutions, share with them your own. Together, you can remind and encourage each other to stick to your goals so you can follow through with what you both would like to accomplish this year.