5 New Year’s Resolutions For The Entire Family

After what’s been a rather hectic couple of years, we welcome the year 2022 with open arms. Of course, every new year is like turning a page and beginning a new chapter. It’s a chance to start fresh and perhaps start a new way of living. Sure, each chapter comes with its fair share of challenges, but it’s the idea of using these new chapters/challenges to better yourself (and those around you) that makes it worthwhile. And that’s really where the idea of New Year’s resolutions comes into play. 

Making a list of New Year’s resolutions is easy, but sticking to them and practicing them until next December 31st is always the hard part for so many. We’ve been there too. However, we’ve found that sticking to resolutions for yourself is a lot more difficult than sticking to resolutions that you’ve made for the rest of your family. In other words, if you commit to these resolutions and make them more of a group effort that gets everyone involved, you may have a better chance of actually practicing them over the next 365 days.

With that said, we’ve created another little list that we think will be beneficial to your whole family. Specifically, a list of five New Year’s resolutions that you and your loved ones should consider committing to in 2022. You’ll find that these resolutions could help keep yourself and your family happy and healthy until this time next year. Who knows, if you can stick to just one of these resolutions for the rest of the year, you may find yourself carrying it over into 2023…and beyond.

1. Encourage outside activities

If you’ve been wanting to get everyone off the couch and out to the backyard for some good old-fashioned family fun, now is the time to start. Now, realize that some areas of the country may have some more harsh weather conditions during certain times of the year, but if there comes a day when the sun is shining and the temperature is just right, you should take advantage of it. Whether it’s a weekend or after school, you should pull everyone (yourself included) away from the TV and the computer screens and head outside. Run around, go for a swim, take a walk, play capture the flag, anything that you think your family will enjoy doing outside…together. 

2. Start a monthly project

As we’ve noted in previous posts, family projects are great for getting everyone involved in something that calls for teamwork and problem-solving, both of which bring families closer together. Come up with an arts and crafts project or maybe something that’s a little more involved around the house. Whatever you choose, make sure that it’s something that requires 2 or more people and is rewarding once completed. It’s up to you how often you wish to conduct one of these projects, but if time, or lack thereof, is always a factor, try to get one in every month or so. Remember, the point is to get everyone involved and in sync with one another while trying to accomplish a task. This can have positive results for all further down the line.

3. Read more

This is one that we’re trying to do more of as well. With so many awesome, binge-worthy shows to watch out there, it’s easy to forget about the amazing stories that can be found between the covers of a good book. We know, we know, no one really reads anymore, and if they do, it’s typically a helpful blog (like this one) via a phone or tablet, which we’ll discuss more in the next resolution. However, if you can, try to get a few books (real or virtual) and encourage everyone in your household to do a little reading for at least an hour a day. Remember, reading helps to boost the use of imagination and promotes better spelling, punctuation, and grammar, which can be very helpful to all. Just something to think about.

4. Put down the phones and tablets

We’ll be the first ones to admit that this could be a tall order, especially now. However, if you set certain boundaries for yourself and everyone else under your roof, it can be done. Having so much info and entertainment at your fingertips is a blessing, but can also be a curse for those who don’t know how to limit their screen time. For example, a good place to start is to make a rule that says no phones or tabs at the table. Dinner is usually that one time of the day when everyone gets to sit together and enjoy a meal, so it’s best to keep that small window electronics-free. Some think it’s a joke, but families texting each other and playing games while eating at the same table is becoming a reality. Too much of anything is never good, so you should make it a point to limit how much time you (and your family) spend looking at little screens and maybe increase the time spent together, minus the devices. Speaking of time together, that makes a nice segue into our last point.

5. Spend more time together during the week

Between work, school, friends, and extracurricular activities, everyone is busy, especially during the week. There’s always somewhere to be or someone to see during a hectic work/school week, which means that you’re only getting a small amount of actual facetime with the people who live under the same roof. Don’t misunderstand, it’s great to have a lot going on and to keep busy during the week, but it doesn’t hurt to set aside some much-needed family time outside of Saturdays and Sundays. Maybe one day every so often, everyone plays a little hooky or gets out a little earlier to go and do something together. Maybe go out for a late lunch, an early dinner, or take an excursion to your favorite spot in town that would otherwise be too busy on the weekends. The point is to get everyone out of their weekly grind and do something together just because it’s a Tuesday.

Again, we realize how hard it is to commit to just one New Year’s resolution. But, if you can take one from this list and just attempt to make it a part of your daily/weekly/monthly routine, it’s a start. Maybe this year pick one, and next year you add another, and then another, and so on, until you’ve found yourself living by all five by 2027. 

Wishful thinking, but it’s worth a try. Remember, these resolutions are meant to benefit you and your family as a whole, so you’re not just doing it for yourself, but for those that you care about most as well.

We wish you a happy and healthy New Year!

Sincerely,

Monkeybar Buddies