A new year always brings the opportunities for fresh starts and new goals! Taking time as a family to set some goals and jointly work towards them is a rewarding experience. Grab the family goals worksheet and get started today on a happy and healthy New Year.
Best Family Goals for the New Year
Happy new year and new decade! I know it is clique, but time really does fly. When January comes, I am always ready for a clean slate, both physically and mentally. I love a clean and minimal home. Plus, I love starting the new year with a blank calendar (even if it only stays empty for a second!).
A new year always brings an opportunity to recharge and reset. Most people you talk to are working on some goal in January whether it is health, financial or career goals! Besides personal goals, it is also great to set some goals as a family. Teaching kids at an early age to set goals and work towards them is a life long lesson.
Setting Family Goals
Are you unsure on what type of family goals to make? Take a look at these 10 family goal ideas and then come up with your own list! I’ve got a printable family goals sheet to help you track your plans! Grab the Family Goals Printable in the Shop (New Year’s Eve Family Pack).
One| Have More Gratitude
One of the best habits we started last year was our daily gratitude journals. You can read all the details over HERE. Admittedly, my kids do not write in them every single day, but we do our best.
We jot down at least 3 things we are thankful for. It is a great way to start (or end the day). Everyone in the family has their own personal journal that they can freely write inside.
Family Gratitude Jar
Another family gratitude idea is to have a gratitude jar! Everyone jots down a note of gratitude every day or as often as they remember. Empty the jar when it gets filled up and have family members take turns reading all of the notes!
Two| Work on Healthy Habits
Isn’t every family trying to eat a little healthier? There are two times of the year I get really motivated to improve our family’s eating, at the beginning of the school year and the beginning of a new year. These two transitional times of the year really lend themselves to changes in eating habits. However, healthy eating is a life long habit to start early!
For more healthy eating ideas, check out these posts:
Besides, eating a little healthier, it is also important to have healthy fitness routines. There are some great ways to start family fitness routines including daily walks, hikes on the weekend and impromptu backyard games.
During the winter, it tends to get a little more challenging to find ways to be active. So sometimes, we find a yoga or family friendly workout on Youtube and get fit as a family. Get creative and find ways for the entire family to get moving every week. Maybe, set a goal to run a 5k race together. It is fun working together on a common goal!
Three| Schedule Quality Time
As kids get older, family time becomes more scarce, but all the more important. Sometimes you have to be very intentional about your family time and schedule it in. (Or it doesn’t happen). Each week, take a look at your calendar and carve out a few hours for uninterrupted family time. You might have to get creative if you are short on time. Maybe it is a once a week family breakfast or perhaps an after school ice cream time. It is less important about what the actual activity is and more about the quality time together.
Take a look at some of our favorite weekly family traditions (that we still do all the time!).
Four| Have Solo and Unstructured Time
Sometimes, I feel that push and pull of desiring solo time versus wanting to be with family. Both ways to spend time are very important. It is a great lesson for kids to learn about having time to themselves. Someone is not always there to entertain them! It allows children to have time to think and be creative without the restrictions of structure and direction. Read more about my thoughts on unstructured time for kids.
Perhaps this is an area your family could use some work on. Some kids (and adults!) do better with solo time then others. One idea is to designate some time for each person in the family to read on their own. While it is not entirely unstructured by telling kids to read, allow them to select the books, where they want to read, etc. It is a great screen free, quiet activity! You could even have a reading challenge this year! Set a goal for how many books your family will read together and on your own! Use this Reading Bingo Card for a little more fun!
Five| Be Financially Responsible
As the kids have gotten older and are interested in earning and spending money, we have had a lot more money discussions (I really wish we started even earlier). Some kids are natural born spenders and some are not. (My family has a little bit of each type!)
A great way to teach money to kids is to work on a family financial goal. Whether it is saving up something big (like a vacation) or something smaller scale (ice cream trip), it is nice to include the kids in a money goal.
Also, saving up for a donation to a charitable cause is a great learning opportunity as a family!
This past fall, we got my older kids (10 & 12) the Greenlight Cards and we are so happy with this program! The Greenlight card is a debit card for kids! Parents can add money to the cards and the the kids can use these cards at just about any retailer. There is a $9.99 start-up fee per card and a $4.99 monthly fee per family. It is completely worth it for ease of money management with the kids!! Get $10 when you sign up with my referral!
Kids can put their money into different categories including save, give, spend. Parents can set up automatic deposits (for allowances) and even pay interest on money in the saving category. These Greenlight cards have taught my kids so much financial responsibility. They are much more apt to analyze their potential purchases when they have to swipe their own card. These cards are a great, low risk, way to learn about taking care of money while still allowing parents to have involvement!
Model Good Financial Habits
Sometimes I forgot how much the kids are watching my own actions. If they see me spend a lot of money on things I want, they naturally tend to want to spend their own (or my) money too! This year, we are hoping to instill a bigger emphasis on saving for things you want and setting financial goals. Hopefully, if I work on curbing my own impulse purchases, it will in turn, rub off on my own kids.
Six| Volunteer and Serve Others as a Family
One thing we have really stated to enjoy doing as a family is serving others in need. We are at a nice spot with the kids’ ages where they can be very helpful in serving opportunities and they are really enjoying helping others. We pick and choose our opportunities carefully taking it to account our kids’ attention spans and their ability to actually provide assistance in the situation. Once you start looking around, there are volunteer opportunities everywhere–in your school, community, church and city!
While it is certainly harder to volunteer when the kids are little, there are still smaller scale opportunities that kid of all ages can help. If helping those in need is one of your family goals, consider some of these volunteer ideas:
Ideas for Younger Kids
Litter Clean Up (go to a local park or walk around your neighborhood and clean up trash)
Baking Cookies for Elderly Neighbor or Nursing Home
Bring Treats to Firemen and Police
Donate Old Toys and Books
Ideas for Big Kids and Families
Serve Meal Soup Kitchen/Refugee Center
Be a Peer Mentor or Tutor
Adopt a Family at the Holidays
Volunteer at an Animal Shelter
Host a Alex’s Lemonade Stand
Volunteering at the Night to Shine Prom Dress Shop
Seven| Schedule Parent Date Nights
While technically date nights are not a family event, it is still a good family goal. Admittedly, there are weeks (or even months) when date nights are impossible to arrange. But, strong marriages are connected to good family bonds. It is so important for kids to see parents making time for their relationship.
When going out for a date is not an option, consider a Date Night In!
Eight| Take a Family Trip
Plan a fun family trip that fits into your budget! If your kids are old enough, include them in the planning process including picking hotels and things to do and understanding the budget! If a stay-cation is what is in your budget, research some fun attractions in your town. It is always fun to a be a “tourist” in your own city.
Set a date for your vacation or staycation and start a countdown!
Nine| Learn a New Skill Together
Are you looking for a family goal that is fun and a little out of the ordinary?! Brainstorm some ideas for a new skill or activity you all want to do and then vote on a favorite. Learning a new skill times time, perseverance and dedication. All great skills to work on as a family! Pick something fun you all want to do and then come up with ways to learn this new thing!
Some family ideas include:
Cooking
Kayaking
Playing the Ukulele (we have a couple of these inexpensive ones!)
Train for a Race
Learning a New Sport (Tennis, Golf, Ping Pong)
Calligraphy
Roller Skating or Ice Skating
Card or Board Game
Ten| Live a Simplier, Less Cluttered Lifestyle
Are you looking for less stress and more time for family fun this year?
Studies show that less stuff equals more happiness and less stress. When you have less stuff, you have to spend less time picking up and cleaning your house. You can spend less time nagging your family about cleaning up their stuff.
Teaching our kids to be content will less stuff is a wonderful gift we can give them. It is certainly a continual work in progress for both kids and adults to be happy with the things we have.
Join the Decluttering Challenge as a family and make it a goal to have less stuff this year!
Printable Family Goals Worksheet
Are you ready to make some family goals this year? Plan a family meeting and set your Family Goals for the New Year!
>> Get the Family Goals Worksheet in the New Year’s Eve Family Printables Pack! <<
What are some family goals you are working on this year?
Other Family Activities Posts You Might Like:
Five Family Traditions to Start with Your Kids
Christmas Lights Bingo Game Printable
Super Bowl Commercial Bingo Game
Welcome to the Wednesday Link Party! Meet your hosts:
Jaclyn from Coffee, Pancakes, and Dreams
Brittany from Dreams and Coffee
Mary Leigh from Live Well Play Together
Tiffany from Lake Life State of Mind
Lindsay from Lindsay’s Sweet World
Keri from Cultivate an Intentional Life
This post is so good, so much to think about! I am going to have to take my time with it!
This is such a great post! I honestly never thought to make yearly family goals. #3 is my favorite on your list!
I️ love this! Definitely planning to incorporate some of these into our family goals this year!
Love these ideas- my favorites are the gratitude jar and serving others- Amen!