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Tips for setting healthy goals with kids

You’ve probably heard someone say that kids are like sponges. And if you haven’t heard that, then you’ve definitely witnessed a kid say or do something that they clearly learned from adults who didn’t know young eyes were watching them. The way that kids repeat the behaviors of adults they love gives all of us a responsibility to help them create healthy habits and practices that will set them up for success in life. If they see us doing healthy things, they will be more likely to do healthy things and vice versa. 

2023 can be the year that you set healthy resolutions like balancing your diet, adding exercise to your daily routine, cleaning up your budget or keeping your house clean. And, kids can be your partners in achieving these goals. Having other people working toward the same goal as you will help keep you both on track. So, partner with your kids to set healthy goals this year using these five tips! 

Set child-sized goals. 

If your goals are really big and seem out of reach, you’re more likely to stop trying on your way to reaching them. At the Wellness and Stress Clinic, we recommend setting small goals that are immediately doable. This can prevent discouragement and help you feel accomplished at the end of the day. Here are a few examples of realistic, child-sized goals that can contribute to your health:

Focus on the action, not the outcome.

If you read the resolutions above, you might think that they don’t sound like normal resolutions. We don’t recommend you set a goal for weight loss, the amount of money to save over the year or similar long-term goals. When you focus on the action and not the outcome, you are creating healthy habits. Over time, those healthy habits can lead to great outcomes! Take a look at some of the outcomes that could come from the goals we listed above:

Make them fun. 

When your resolutions feel like a chore, you’re less likely to do them. That’s why making your resolutions fun can completely change the way you look at them! Using the same resolutions above, here are some ways to make your goals fun: 

Track progress together. 

Use a whiteboard, bulletin board, magnets on the fridge or a calendar to track your progress. It is so encouraging to look back at the end of the month and see how much you’ve accomplished together. Kids love to contribute to these things, so let them fill out your progress board each night. They’ll look forward to showing off how they’re building healthy habits! 

Change your goals as they become comfortable.

When you focus on the action and not the outcome, you can increase your goal as it becomes comfortable! Goals are meant to push you, so if you find that you’re breezing past your goal, it might be time to make things more challenging. You may find that you want to spend even more time reading together each night. If that’s the case, up your goal to 30 minutes a night. Maybe you feel like you can save more money – if that’s the case, change your goal to $25 a week. Making even small increases to your goal can have a huge difference! For example, if you save $25 a week instead of $15, you’ll go from saving $780 to $1,300 just by saving $10 more a week.

You can do it! 

Getting healthy can feel totally out of reach, especially if focusing on your health isn’t something you grew up doing. But you don’t have to make drastic changes overnight to feel a major improvement in your health. By partnering with kids and making small changes to your life, you can really make a difference in your health while also making an impact on the next generation.

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