There’s something incredibly special about the promise of a new year. It’s an opportunity for fresh starts, new perspectives, and meaningful change.
While personal resolutions are often the focus, there’s a unique magic in approaching the new year as a family. Not only does it bring everyone closer, but it also sets the stage for intentional growth and shared joy throughout the year.
Let’s talk about how to set meaningful family goals, create a shared vision, and start the new year with purpose.
The Power of Family Resolutions
Resolutions can feel like a grown-up responsibility, but they don’t have to be. When you set goals as a family, you create a team atmosphere where everyone’s voice matters. This is a powerful way to strengthen bonds, teach important life skills, and align your daily routines with values that matter most.
Children, even the youngest ones, thrive when they feel included. Inviting them to join in the goal-setting process helps them understand the importance of responsibility, persistence, and growth. Plus, they get to experience the joy of accomplishment when goals are met!
Start with a Family Meeting
Begin the goal-setting process with a family meeting. Tailor this specific to your family. Include an agenda (it is a meeting, after all), but get all of your family’s favorite snacks and drinks. If you’re a creative family, bust out the markers and magazines to make a vision board. You’re in this together, it’ll be important to really lean in to what your children have to offer and get them to buy into the plan you’re creating.
Here are some guiding questions to spark conversation:
- What was the best part of last year for each of us?
- What was something we struggled with, and how can we overcome it this year?
- What do we want more of in our lives this year—more adventures, more calm, more time together?
- Is there something we’ve always wanted to try as a family, like a new hobby or a vacation spot?
Encourage everyone to share, from the youngest to the oldest. Write down everyone’s thoughts and dreams, even the silliest ones! This is a time for brainstorming without judgment, and it can help reveal what truly matters to each person in the family.
Break It Down: Family, Individual, and Fun Goals
Once you’ve collected everyone’s ideas, start narrowing them down into specific, attainable goals. To make sure everyone is invested and motivated, it’s helpful to create goals in three main categories: family goals, individual goals, and fun goals.
Family Goals
These are the goals that the entire family will work toward together. They could be related to building healthier habits, improving communication, or creating new traditions.
Some examples of family goals include:
- Eat dinner together at least three times a week. With busy schedules, this can be hard, but it’s a great opportunity to connect and check in with each other.
- Volunteer together once a month. Teaching children about giving back is invaluable, and volunteering as a family creates shared memories of service.
- Cut back on screen time during evenings. This can make room for more intentional time together, whether playing board games, reading, or simply chatting.
Individual Goals
While family unity is important, nurturing each person’s individual growth is equally vital. Help each family member create one or two personal goals they’re excited about. Maybe one child wants to improve in a particular subject at school, while another wants to learn a new skill, like painting or playing an instrument.
Encouraging individual goals fosters independence and teaches children how to set and achieve personal targets. As parents, share your own goals too—whether it’s exercising more, pursuing a hobby, or tackling a project around the house.
Fun Goals
Don’t forget to include goals purely for fun! These are the things that spark joy and bring lighthearted moments into your year.
Family fun goals might include:
- Take a road trip to a new destination.
- Plan monthly family game nights.
- Try a new restaurant every month.
- Create a “bucket list” for the year.
Fun goals keep things light and joyful and remind us that goals aren’t just about self-improvement but also about making time for the things that bring happiness.
Creating a Family Vision for the Year
A vision is more than just a collection of goals—it’s the bigger picture of what you want your family life to look and feel like. After you’ve set your specific goals, take a step back and consider how these fit into your family’s overall vision.
Here’s where a family vision board can be an amazing tool. Gather supplies like magazines, stickers, colored paper, and glue. Let everyone cut out or draw images representing the year you want to create together. Include words, phrases, or Bible verses that inspire your family. This activity helps solidify your shared vision and keeps everyone motivated throughout the year. Hang the board somewhere visible as a reminder of your goals.
Build Habits, Not Just Resolutions
Resolutions often fall by the wayside because they feel overwhelming or unattainable. Instead of focusing on perfect outcomes, shift your family’s mindset to building habits. Habits are the small, daily actions that help you reach bigger goals over time.
For example:
- If your family goal is to spend more time together, the habit might be to schedule a 15-minute family check-in at the end of every day.
- If your individual goal is to read more books, the habit could be setting aside 10 minutes of quiet reading time each evening.
Encourage everyone to start small and be consistent. Celebrate progress and focus on building routines that reflect the goals you’ve set together. This way, you’ll feel the positive effects of your resolutions throughout the year without the pressure of perfection.
Support and Accountability as a Family
The built-in support system is one of the best parts of setting family goals. You’re all in this together! Encourage each other, check in regularly on progress, and celebrate small wins along the way.
To keep the momentum going:
- Create a family check-in routine. Maybe every Sunday after dinner, you gather for a few minutes to reflect on how the week went. Did you make time for your goals? What worked well, and where could you improve?
- Use a calendar or planner to track your goals. Whether it’s a family wall calendar or a shared app, having a visual reminder can help keep everyone on track.
- Celebrate milestones. When a family member reaches a goal or the whole family hits a big milestone, make it a point to celebrate. This could be a simple round of high-fives, a special treat, or even a mini celebration like a family movie night.
Remember that goals aren’t about being perfect—they’re about progress and growth. It’s okay if things don’t always go as planned. The important part is that you’re working together, supporting each other, and building memories as you move forward.
Keep It Flexible and Fun
Just like with any resolution, it’s important to stay flexible. Life happens, and sometimes things won’t go exactly according to plan. That’s okay! Be open to adjusting goals or timelines as needed. The beauty of family resolutions is that they can evolve as your family grows and changes.
If a particular goal isn’t working, talk about why and consider tweaking it. Maybe you need to shift from daily family dinners to weekly, or perhaps the goal to cut back on screen time needs to be reimagined with clearer expectations. Flexibility ensures that your resolutions remain manageable and fun.
Creating Lasting Memories
The ultimate purpose of setting family goals is to strengthen your bond and create lasting memories together. Whether you’re tackling challenges, celebrating wins, or simply laughing through the process, these moments will be the threads that weave together a beautiful family tapestry.
At the end of the year, you’ll be able to look back and see how much you’ve grown together. Even if you didn’t hit every goal perfectly, the experience of dreaming, planning, and working as a team will bring you closer.
A New Year, A New Beginning
As you step into the new year, embrace the chance to reset, refocus, and dream big with your family. Setting goals and creating a shared vision for the future is a powerful way to strengthen your family’s foundation and make the most of the year ahead. Whether your resolutions are big or small, serious or silly, what matters most is that you’re doing it together—learning, growing, and creating memories as a family.
Here’s to a New Year filled with love, laughter, and purpose!
What are some of your family’s goals for the new year?
How do you plan to keep each other motivated and on track?
Share your ideas in the comments—we’d love to hear from you!
