New Year's Resolution Ideas for Kids of All Ages

From preschoolers to teens, here are some ideas for New Year's resolutions for all ages.

Medically reviewed by Samantha Mann

A new year promises 365 opportunities to be the best version of yourself—to learn from the mistakes and lessons of the previous year, set goals, and work hard to make them a reality. This goes for both grown-ups and kids alike. At heart, New Year's resolutions are just goals, big or small, and kids of all ages can easily choose a few things they’d like to accomplish in the next 365 days.

“The first step is to connect with your child and see what their passions and goals are and create a resolution for the next year based on that conversation,” says parenting expert Reena B. Patel.

When talking about resolutions with your child, it’s a good idea to set some parameters for realistic and age-appropriate goals. “As long as their resolutions are aligned with who they want to be, are ones they’ve created, and can be broken into manageable steps that they can follow along the way, they’re appropriate,” says Melanie McNally, PsyD.

Though the idea of New Year’s resolutions can sometimes be divisive, there is something compelling about setting a goal on January 1 and completing it before December 31 of the following year. “Besides being a fresh start, it’s also easier for us to track our progress when we’ve began this way,” says Dr. McNally. “Plus, since many people are starting new goals on the same day, there’s the aspect of ‘We're all in this together,’ and that communal effort can be motivating.”

It’s also okay if it’s not all smooth sailing during the journey. “Let your child experience positive stress,” says Mariel Benjamin, LCSW and vice president of groups and content at Cooper. “Each time they push through their frustration, they build up their self confidence and their belief in themselves that they can take on a challenge and succeed. This is true for resolutions and every other challenge they may face.” And if it doesn’t work out in the end, that’s a lesson in itself. “There is plenty of value in intentions that DON’T happen, like learning for the next time and practicing self-care and forgiveness,” she says.

Below, discover a few starter New Year's resolutions for little ones, elementary age kids, tweens, and teenagers.

Related: How to Help Kids Make New Year's Resolutions

New Year's Resolutions for Preschoolers

The concept of a resolution may be a little advanced for some preschoolers, but they’ll be excited to come up with a few simple goals and work on them with a little gentle nudging from you. “The great thing about New Year's resolutions is they can really be anything,” says Patel. “It just needs to be important to your child and a goal for your child personally.” Below are a few ideas for your littlest ones!

Help Around the House

Picking up toys can be a power struggle between preschoolers and parents. Talk about how helping around the house and doing chores, like loading the dishwasher, feeding pets, or putting away laundry, can make a big difference for everyone. Assign your child small, actionable tasks and create a sticker or whiteboard chart to keep them on track. “A specific number of chores and daily tasks is a great place to start,” advises Patel.

Practice Numbers and Letters

Little ones can prepare for school days by regularly spending time working on their numbers and letters. Find a few fun, engaging workbooks or coloring books that make learning fun, and be on hand to help them when they need a little assistance forming a “Z” shape.

Be Kind

Even the smallest kids know the power of kindness, so set an intention to be kind to friends, classmates, and family members, but also to notice when other people are being kind as well, suggests Benjamin.

New Year's Resolutions for Elementary Aged Children

As kids get older, the concept of goal-setting becomes more tangible. Here are some ideas for school-aged children.

Try New Foods

Younger kids can be majorly picky eaters, but they’re missing out on so many great foods and flavors! If you have a picky kid, have them set a goal to try one new food per week, no pressure. Let them choose what they’d like to try and encourage them to help you prepare dinner. If they helped cook the meal, they’re more likely to eat it!

Challenge Their Shyness

Younger children can struggle with shyness as they navigate school, social dynamics, and new environments. “If your child is shy but wants to step outside their comfort level, maybe trying something new would be a good resolution for them,” says Patel. “This can be trying a new summer camp, a club at school or joining a team of some sort to get some social interaction with their peers.”

Cut Back on Screen Time

This one may be a battle, but an honest conversation about screen time habits can be eye-opening for kids and parents alike. Encourage your child to reduce their screen time a little more each month and pursue other activities instead, like time outside, arts and crafts, time with family members, or extracurriculars. They may just discover new creative passions or skills in the process.

New Year's Resolutions for Tweens and Teens

When kids are tweens or teenagers, they're likely setting goals on their own—even if they don't articulate them. Here are some great suggestions for New Year's resolutions for kids in middle and high school.

Expand Your Friend Circle

The tween years can be difficult, to say the very least. Cliques form, social dynamics change, puberty enters the picture—there’s a lot going on! Why not challenge your tween to make a new friend or two this year? Bonus points if they look outside their usual circle or strike up a friendship with a new student; it helps them expand their own social skills and work on feelings of compassion and empathy. They may just meet their lifelong BFF.

Start Saving Money

Tweens and teens probably understand the basics of money management, but they also might be likely to blow their allowance or babysitting money on stuff they saw on TikTok. If your tween is earning some money, whether that’s walking neighborhood dogs, babysitting, or mowing lawns, have them set a savings goal for the year. Maybe they’ll use that money on a big purchase, or perhaps it’s the start of their college fund. Work together to figure out how much cash they should contribute each month to hit their goal.

Read Every Day

Maybe your older child was a bookworm when they were younger, but it’s been a while since they got lost in a great story. “Early on in education, kids are encouraged to read a great deal, and that can fall off as they get older,” says Benjamin. “Encourage your child to consider picking up a manageable amount of reading every day. Maybe it’s finishing a book every two weeks or reading for 15 minutes a day. This will help to develop their flexible thinking skills and also set the groundwork for a lifelong habit of reading.” Take on a reading challenge together for a little healthy competition.

Pursue a Passion

So your teen wants to be a rock star, an artist or an entrepreneur. Awesome! How are they planning to get to the stage of their dream venue, have their work shown at the greatest galleries, or become the next Shark on Shark Tank? It’s all about small, frequent steps in pursuit of said goal. “[This goal] can be broken down into smaller steps—practice an instrument daily, go to a local music store each week to check the community board, talk to other musicians at school,” says Dr. McNally. The old adage of “practice makes perfect” has never been more relevant.

Urge your child to hone their skills on a regular basis, find like-minded peers or mentors, and learn everything they can about their passion. “Teens need to be able to break their big resolution down into manageable steps so they know what their daily actions should be,” Dr. McNally explains. “Otherwise, they’ll get distracted, overwhelmed, or quit because they don’t know what to do.”

Benjamin agrees. “Kids can sometimes be under the impression that if they’re not good at something right away, they might as well give it up, but this will help them understand that practice–and the frustration and delayed satisfaction that comes with that—is critical to success.”

Prepare for Post-Graduation Life

Older teenagers and parents have probably already spent a lot of time talking about what they want to do after graduation. If your teenager has expressed interest in attending college, there’s no better time than the new year to start working towards that dream. Patel suggests creating monthly goals under the yearly umbrella, including focusing on their grades, joining different clubs and extracurriculars or touring a certain number of schools per month.

Practice Gratitude

Benjamin suggests “a gratitude activity, like starting the day with a positive affirmation or keeping a gratitude journal with one sentence each evening before bed.” Ask them to write down just one simple thing they’re thankful for each night; they may come to some surprising conclusions.

What to Know About Teens and Weight Loss Resolutions

One of the more prevalent resolutions for adults—one that tends to kick into high gear on TV, social media, on store shelves, and practically everywhere in between—is to lose weight or work out more. For teenagers who may be navigating body image issues, this particular resolution could be harmful. But how do you talk to a teenager about these kinds of resolutions when the messaging and rhetoric feels like it’s coming at you from all sides?

“It helps if parents talk about their own bodies in a healthy way on a regular basis so tweens and teens hear things that their parents like about their bodies all year round,” advises Dr. McNally. “Parents can point out how this type of language pops up around the new year and talk about why: it’s a great way to make people feel bad about themselves so they’ll buy more things.”

If your teen says this is their goal, ask them why. What’s their motivation? Is it pressure from social media or from friends? Are they trying to look a certain way to fit in? “If it’s for external validation, parents will want to work with their teen on feeling better about themselves, perhaps even with the help of a therapist or coach,” says Dr. McNally. “If it’s for better health habits in general, parents can take the focus off losing weight and put it on daily action steps like making healthier food choices or getting exercise in each day.”

Related: The 5 Best Allowance and Budgeting Apps for Kids

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