12 Healthy New Year’s Resolutions for Kids — and 5 for Parents

As any bicultural or multicultural family knows, many Western holiday traditions were borrowed or adapted from other cultures—and the New Year tradition is no exception. Worldwide, it seems, people of many cultures view the new year as a time for renewed dedication to one’s goals and an opportunity to pursue good fortune, happiness, wealth, and long life. This attention to renewal and the reinvigoration of goals or resolutions for the new year appears in multiple traditions around the world.

New Year’s Traditions Around the World

New Year’s resolutions—one of the most well-known American New Year’s customs—began with the ancient Babylonians during Atiku, a 12-day long celebration of the new year. The practice of resolving to participate in good behavior to appease the gods continued with the ancient Romans. They were the first to declare January 1st as the beginning of the new year. Japanese families also participate in setting a goal for the new year by crafting kakizome which is calligraphy meant to display goals to be shown to others.

Elsewhere in the world, the Chinese New Year occurs on the second new moon after the winter solstice. This lunar new year is celebrated in Korea and Vietnam as well as mainland China. The holiday features the paying of debts before the year begins, the cleaning of homes to honor the gods, and feasts full of lucky food to promote good fortune and long life. Songkran, or Thai New Year, is also based on a lunar calendar and celebrated in April. The three-day-long celebration involves splashing water on friends and family as a blessing.

Your New Year’s Resolutions

No matter what your heritage—or when you choose to celebrate—getting kids involved with New Year’s resolutions can be a great way to bring attention to the importance of developing good, healthy habits throughout the rest of the year. Most of the time, all that kids need are a few ideas to get started before making a resolution they feel they can stick with. We’ve developed a shortlist of potential resolution ideas for your kids as well as a brief bonus list for parents.

For Kids:

I will help my family by cleaning up after myself.
I will learn to wash my hands properly and do so after using the restroom and before eating.
I will drink mostly water or milk when I am thirsty and save juice or soda for special occasions.
I will try to play outdoors or do something active for at least 30 minutes every day instead of watching TV or playing video games.
I will wear my helmet every single time I ride my bike/skateboard/scooter.
I will wear my seatbelt without an argument each time I ride in the car.
I will do my best to stay safe from strangers and will not share my name, address, phone number, or photo on the internet.
I will do my best to help my community in whatever way I can, including giving to those in need.
I will encourage others not to bully and report any bullying I see to a responsible adult.
I will do my best to be friendly and kind, especially when other kids look like they need a friend.
I will be respectful of the cultures of others.
If I’m having trouble making a decision, I will ask for help from an adult I can trust.

For Adults:

I will get at least 30 minutes of active exercise per day.
I will get more sleep—at least seven hours of sleep each night.
I will replace one negative habit (i.e., smoking, alcohol use, excessive TV) with one healthy habit (like taking daily walks or journaling).
I will ensure my health insurance is up to date, including requesting health insurance quotes.
I will expand my definition of health to include self-care and engage in it whenever possible.

Speak with your kids about the healthy new things everyone in your household could try this new year. Then, make a special effort to connect the practice of making resolutions to your own unique cultural traditions and beliefs. By developing positive, healthy goals together, you can keep one another accountable and have your happiest, healthiest year yet.

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Tips contributed by Anne Davis.