Making New Year's Resolutions with your children

For many of us, the New Year means it's time to take stock of our lives and fix what we don't like. Whether it's our diet, exercise routine or tendency to procrastinate, there is always room for improvement in the coming year. We not only benefit from New Year's resolutions; our children can also learn a lot about self-discipline and the value of making goals. Here are some tips on how to help your kids benefit from making resolutions.

Make It a Family Activity
The best way to teach your children the importance of New Year's resolutions is by making it part of the family tradition. Sit down and reflect on the past year, discussing your accomplishments and goals, as individuals and as a family. In your resolution conversation you can each talk about what worked last year and what didn't.

Dr. Benjamin Siegel, professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine, suggests saying, "Each one of us is going to state a few things that we want to continue to do and things we'd like to change that would make us feel better about ourselves and how our family works."

Each family member gets a turn sharing something they are proud of and something they want to improve. It may help for parents to go first, to give children a model. If your child is old enough to write, he or she should write down their accomplishments and goals, and you can help your younger child by writing theirs down.