Setting New Year's Resolutions With Your Preschooler

Resolutions aren’t only for personal improvement, they can enrich your family life, your children’s understanding of themselves, and they can even be fun! When you’re creating your goals with your children, try following these tips to make sure you are setting yourself and your preschooler up for success.

8 Ways To Help Your Children Set And Achieve New Year’s Resolutions

1. Write It Down. Saying you or your children will make improvements doesn’t mean much if no one remembers their goals. Sit down together and discuss what you want to do and write it down somewhere it won’t get lost. Leave enough room for everyone in the family to add notes as the year goes on.
2. Lead By Example. Your child isn’t going to follow through with their resolution if you don’t. When you stick to your resolution, your child will see and understand the accountability needed to make positive improvements and they will better grasp why goals matter and that they are achievable.
3. Build On Something Positive. Goals don’t have to be about turning something bad into something good, they can be about building on skills you already have. For example, if your child has just started playing an instrument you can set a goal to play scales every day or work towards playing a certain piece. This focus on improving what’s already there will foster a positive understanding of building new skills and will keep them away from the idea that they have to change something about themselves to improve.
4. Make Suggestions, Not Commands. Your child is far more likely to do something they’ve decided rather than something you’ve decided for them. That being said, they will likely need some guidance, so try to make suggestions based on what they tell you their interests are or things they think might be fun.
5. Set Smaller Goals To Achieve The Larger Resolution. Making vague goals such as “be healthier” can be hard to achieve if there isn’t a plan behind it. Set smaller, specific goals such as limiting screen time, playing outside for 30 minutes each day, and other easily achievable goals that can add up to a larger lifestyle change.
6. Have Goals Appropriate For Your Child’s Age. Young children and older children will need different goals, especially as they are at different stages of learning basic life skills. For a preschooler, try for goals that ensure personal hygiene in your child, encourage family participation, or promote kind treatment of others. For older children who should already have an understanding of those skills, you may want to encourage good study habits, healthy eating, and developing hobbies that allow them to explore their interests.
7. Remember There Are Setbacks, Not Failures. Life can get chaotic and things can get in the way, but don’t give up because you think you or your kids have failed at your resolutions. Encourage your kids to continue with their goals even if they have had trouble keeping up. When a person admits failure, it typically means they have given up as opposed to acknowledging they are  facing a temporary setback which allows encouragement for further improvement. This type of cognitive reframing will help your child with achieving goals in the future and can help them quit potential bad habits later in adulthood.
8. Check In. It’s easy to make a New Year’s resolution but it’s harder to continue with it all year. Every month go back to the sheet you wrote in January and see what goals were achieved and what aspects need to be improved to accomplish or continue accomplishing them next month.

Foster Your Child’s Development with Grey Matter Montessori In Calgary

New Year’s resolutions are a great reminder to keep improving and to develop good habits. The tactics listed above are great for goal setting at any time of the year, but a New Year’s resolution offers a longer term goal for your children. Knowing how to systematically approach goals is a great practical life skill for you and your children. If you’re someone who values these practical life skills and desire for consistent improvement within your child, enroll your child at Grey Matter Montessori in Calgary. At our Montessori preschool we focus on the individual child, creating an environment that encourages a love of learning, self discovery, and the independent correction of mistakes. If these are traits you would like to see your child develop, call us at 587-707-4739 or fill out the contact form. Please reach out if you have any comments or questions about our child education program.

FAQ

Q: Is there a checklist of things my child must know before attending preschool?
A: At Grey Matter Montessori in Calgary, we value the differences that make each child unique. If your child is aged 3-6 they are ready to begin to explore learning and we are ready to facilitate it. The Montessori method seeks to educate the whole child with opportunities to learn and grow that are tailored to your child’s needs.

Q: Can we tour the preschool?
A: For COVID-19 safety, we now offer a virtual tour of our NW Calgary location, which you can view here.

Q: What kind of curriculum is followed at this preschool?
A: Grey Matter Montessori uses the research and scientifically-based International Preschool Curriculum (IPC) designed to strengthen and enhance early child education standards. IPC ensures that your child’s brain and skills are developing wholly, and the combination of this curriculum with the use of the Montessori method creates a high-level preschool experience that produces intelligent and self assured children.