A D.C.-area doctor says setting New Year’s resolutions with your child could help them start to form new healthy habits.
“The start of the New Year is a great time to help kids to make or form good habits, and New Year’s resolutions can be a fun way to do this,” said Dr. Anisha Abraham, the acting chief of the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Children’s National Hospital.
Abraham said the resolutions could be a way for kids to start thinking about setting goals for themselves.
“I think the concept of having goals, thinking about what are some of the challenges (that) are occurring right now in family settings, and certainly working on ways to ensure that and make sure that they’re achievable, is a really good exercise for any family,” she said.
Those goals could be anything from trying to eat more fruits and vegetables to sleeping more or committing to spending more time away from screens.
Abraham said to make sure your children are actively participating in the resolution-making process.
“Getting young people involved in brainstorming some of the things that they want to do differently is really the way to make sure that this happens,” she said.
The American Academy of Pediatrics offers resolution ideas specific for preschoolers, kids and young adults, which range form cleaning up toys to resisting peer pressure.
