The New Year is here! January is a time when we have the best intentions of sticking to our New Year’s resolutions to improve our lives. Alone, these goals can be hard to stick to and by spring many people have fallen off course. This year, involve your whole family in your New Year’s resolution, near and far, young and old! Here are just a few ideas for how you can make a family New Year’s resolution in 2018 and stick to it!
- Catch up on those family scrapbooks.
As a family, sort through old photos and memorabilia. Share stories and figure out the best way to store these memories so they can be enjoyed for many more years to come. Family members of all ages can participate! The younger ones might be able to help with the cutting and gluing of photos, older children can write the captions and parents and grandparents can help fill in the details of the story.
- Plan ahead for when and how you will spend time together.
Make it your New Year’s resolution to spend more quality time together. Planning in advance and making visits a routine is the best way to ensure you’ll stick to your promise and get together once a month, once or a quarter or whatever it may be! Share the hosting responsibilities or meet where it’s most convenient. There’s no wrong way to plan quality time together!
- Start a pen pal tradition.
If many of your relatives are scattered in different states or countries, seeing each other on a monthly basis may not be reasonable. Instead start a pen pal tradition this year where family members exchange names and you become pen pals with a relative. You can keep the same pen pals for many years, or switch them every so often. This is a great way to build a relationship with people you may not see all that often and to also experience the joy of sending a receiving hand written letters.
- Eat healthier – and keep each other accountable!
For many people, the standard New Year’s resolution is to eat healthier. This year, take things up a notch by making it a family affair! Everyone can benefit from a healthier diet, so work together to keep the whole family accountable. Divide up cooking responsibilities and let people try out some new signature recipes. In the end, you’ll all be a lot healthier and will have made some new memories too!
- Volunteer your time together.
As a family, volunteer your time and talents helping a cause you care about. This might be spending a Saturday each month helping your local food bank. Or maybe you want to raise some money from the community to help another family in need. For older family members who may not be able to get out to volunteer, find a way that they can write letters, make a craft or cook something to give to a good cause. Doing this together will be a bonding and fulfilling experience for the whole family.
What New Year’s resolution do you plan to make this year? Share what you hope to achieve, and how you plan to achieve it, by leaving a comment below!
