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Five kid-friendly resolutions for the New Year
1/4/2019

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It’s been a couple of days that the new year has reigned in. Everyone has been working on their goals or resolutions. But these aren’t necessarily just for grown-ups. They don’t always need an elaborate planning session. It can be a great activity to be done with kids, specially between the ages of 6-12. They are old enough to think what a new year resolution is and to make their own. Stay with me on the following five golden rules to create some kid-friendly resolutions this year.

Kid focussed

Whether or not kids have started school or are enjoying the last few days of their winter break this is a great time to set up goals. Let’s take a fresher look at how to do them. It is key that kids chose their own goals. Remember that the list has to be relevant to what your child has set his mind on. The beauty of letting them define the goal for themselves is that they will want it for themselves.

Simple Steps


 Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

~ Leonardo da Vinci


It is true for everyone and even more for children. The idea is to not go lofty or big, but keep it simple. It can be a straightforward list of things that the child wants to do. Some ideas are, ‘I will read 15 mins everyday’ or ‘I will help set up the table during dinner everyday’. In this case, I like to define these more as routines that can be done everyday and less as goals.

Tech Habits

This is a great time to list down routines for tech use so that screen-time does not become scream-time. Work with your child to figure out how you want to use our technology. Revisit the time limits. Think about a new skill in technology that she might want to learn. Research a new app that he wants to use. Use this as a time to define some tech habits for the family as well. It is essential to practice what you preach.

Practice Courage

‘I have never done this before.’ Let this not discourage your child in trying new things. Encourage him to find at least one thing that he has never done before and add it to the list. Use this as a time to reflect on the things that your child knows today that he didn’t know a year ago. Help him realize that he can do this.

Always Have Fun

To me this is the most important rule of all. In the midst of all this never forget to have fun. Remember you have wisdom and offer it to your child when she needs it but avoid nagging about the routines that your child has set. Help with guidance. Help with instruction. Help with figuring out. There’s a celebratory feeling to setting goals on New Year’s that doesn’t exist at other times of the year. It is about happiness to a new start and let every single day of the year be a new start.

Priyanka is the Founder and CEO of PopSmartKids, a company created to foster social-emotional learning in children by effective use of technology. A graduate from Purdue University she left her career as a tech exec in 2018 to start a movement of redefining screentime from a monitored time to a powerful tool for mentoring our future generation. She is a mom to two clever boys and a big advocate of digital citizenship for children.


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