New Year's Resolutions
- Encourage
- 13 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Whether we love them or hate them, New Year’s resolutions can be helpful for every family - and they can be especially helpful for foster families & kids! When coupled with clear goals, feasible actions, and positive experiences, yearly resolutions can provide hope, connection, and important life skills that empower kids in foster care to find a firm path forward as they maneuver uncertainty and instability.
Knowing how to do this, though, can be challenging! While your resolutions and goals will be specific to your family, these guidelines can help create a memorable experience for the whole family:
Plan a time to talk through resolutions and goals together as a family. Allow for enough time so that the family doesn’t feel rushed and you can bring some fun into it! Have popcorn, hot chocolate or other favorite snacks on hand, and invite each family member to add in their ideas throughout the conversation, even “silly” or unrealistic ideas.
Where possible, work to create goals and resolutions that can be achieved whether the foster child remains in your home or moves back with family.
Try to set at least one resolution for physical, spiritual, and mental/emotional areas for a well-rounded year.
For resources that involve cost, be sure to check out discounts or grants for families or children involved in foster care!
Below are some ideas and resources you can use or that can help get ideas flowing as your family brainstorms and creates your own New Year’s resolutions!
Physical: Move your body!
Daily or weekly family walks or bike rides. Consider a membership or walking pass at a local gym or community center such as the YMCA for the winter months.
Play catch, shoot some hoops, or play volleyball at your home or a local park a couple times a week or month.
Set a family or individual goal to walk, run, or compete in a local event such as a 5K, mud run, or Turkey Trot once during the year.
Let your littles join in your daily or weekly at-home workout or consider a small indoor trampoline that they can jump on near you while you work out.
Plan a day each week, month or year at a local trampoline park, skating park, ice rink, or playground
Mental/Emotional: Stay connected and learn to identify & process emotions for emotional and mental health
A Daily Journal. If it is helpful, you can create or purchase a journal or notebook with age-appropriate prompts. Note that some children feel comfortable sharing written journal entries more than trying to verbalize their thoughts and feelings when needing help processing certain situations
Weekly or monthly notes of encouragement or a mealtime when family members verbally share what they appreciate about each other
Daily or weekly “highs and lows” at dinner or bedtime. You can also couple these times with processing emotions by asking how the highs and lows made them feel, how they handled them, and what was done well or could be done differently next time. When appropriate, ending with prayer related to “lows” can calm anxiety & build connection.
A weekly or monthly Family Game or Movie Night! While any appropriate game or movie can create safety and connection, below are some resources specifically geared to help with emotional & social awareness and encouragement.
- My Feelings Game, endorsed by Dr Temple Grandin
- SkillEase Exploding Emotions Game
- Garybank Store: Social Emotional Learning Games!
- Inside Out Movie
Spiritual: Grow in your relationship with the Lord and understand your worth in Christ
Daily Individual or family devotional times · For a free resource, check out: Devotionals – Fostered in Faith, Adopted in Love
Nightly prayer time with each child/teen
A yearly spiritual activity or resource:
- Youth and/or children’s conference, retreat, or church camp
- For children who might not be with you all year, consider something they can take with them: a new devotional book, a faith-based book series, a new Bible, or any of the supplies listed in the next point.
Scripture/Truth/Affirmation cards & supplies that can be used daily or weekly:
- Amazon: Bible Verse Jar or make them together here!: DIY Bible Verse Jar
Pencils, stickers, & magnets that remind our kids of their worth in Christ:
Apologize and forgive regularly when feelings have been hurt or misunderstood. When we practice this regularly in small situations, it becomes much easier to do in big situations!
Once you have finished deciding on your resolutions, write them down and place them where they can be reviewed regularly. Remember that it is okay to change them as the year progresses and needs change!
With good humor, loads of grace, and a little perseverance, yearly resolutions can be a fun, encouraging, and growing experience that brings the whole family closer together!
About the Author
Katie Ficker
Foster Care Recruiter & Trainer
My husband and I have five children, two of whom joined our family through adoption. While raising our children, I have experienced the immeasurable value of both leaning on my faith and having a supportive community. I am excited to be able to work alongside our Encourage team to bring support, encouragement, and have the opportunity to share the need for more families to say YES to foster care.
