New Year Life Skills That Matter For Kids

New Year’s is a great time to hone in on some essential life skills. Here are quite a few good ones that you can incorporate into this busy season:

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There’s a lot of enthusiasm and hope that comes with the new year. Even if you aren’t a hard core goal setter (I’m not!) then there are some still aspirations and plans you can make.

To give your family a vision, so to speak.

For many parents, life skills should be part of this. Kids need various skills to succeed in life, and so let’s dive into some of these that will be useful for kids in this new year.

There are six main categories of life skills: 

• Finances 
• Personal Care
• Health & Safety
• Self-Management 
• Chores
• Relationships & Community

As a mother, I’m always looking to train my kids in these life skills. Holidays in particular, have a special way of lending themselves to certain important life skills.

New Years can be full of moments to teach timely life skills.

Goal Setting

It’s the big thing every year. Write out your new year’s resolution. Kids do this in school. Parent’s plan (and pray) about what goals they want to set for themselves.

Overall, goal setting is a great idea! But, it if isn’t done SMART… it’s not such a helpful activity.

Have you ever heard how to set a “SMART” goal?

First of all, kids should learn what a resolution means. In a nut shell, a resolution is a firm decision to do something. Well, if it isn’t attainable… it just ends in failure. So, let’s talk about those New Years resolution plans.

Goals are more likely to benefit kids when they are SMART.

Goal setting is a great life skill to learn. So, let’s make sure we’re teaching our kids how to make them “SMART.”

Read: New Year’s Resolution Ideas for Kids

Personal Reflection

Sometimes looking back is hard. Depending on your kid’s personalities- they may remember every single detail (and want to recite them to you), or they may forget easily and push right on through.

Besides, getting to know what your kid benefits from when it comes to personal reflection is important for relationship and mental well-being.

Let me explain, for some talking though the past experiences is how they grow. For others, simply pressing on and trying new things is the way to go.

So… do your kids know what works best for them?

Understanding their needs when it comes to personal reflection is an important life skill to achieve.

Routines

Routines are important for many reasons. It’s a skill really- being able to establish routines. As moms, we plan the routines for our children. However, it can be beneficial to learn how to set routines for yourself.

Have you ever thought about using New Year’s to teach kids the life skill of creating routines?

• Get them excited about creating a routine for themselves.
• Decide what the new routine is going to pertain to (morning activities, after school wind-down, chores, etc.)
• Set some parameters.
• Layout a plan.
• Discuss time, logistics, and realistic expectations.
• Practice the routine- make it fun!
• Set some progress or tracking tools in play (sticker charts, check lists, etc.)

Certainly, routines can be a great life skill to teach during New Year’s.

Social Interactions

There are many life skills involved with social interactions. And, depending on your New Year’s traditions your children may have several special occasions to attend.

Maybe it’s extended family visiting, church, functions, or social gatherings. Whatever the case, it’s a great time to teach some social life skills.

Here are some life skills in this topic:

• Effective communication
• Conflict resolution
• Active listening
• Empathy
• Relationship Management
• Respect

As moms, we are always looking for life skills training opportunities. New Years can be a great one to foster some skills in the social department.

Cooking, Serving, and Eating

Food can be a big deal on New Years. Many families have traditional meals that they prepare, cook, eat, and serve their family each year. Here are 9 New Year’s food traditions that bring you luck.

It’s a good idea (at some point) to start including the kiddos in these family traditions. Depending on their age, they can find some way to help with the food.

Kids who are too young to cook or handle food prep can practice serving, hosting, and setting up the table.

There are many life skills that can be taught involving food prep, cooking, eating, and serving foods. Here are a few:

• Cooking
• Handling Food
• Food Safety
• Nutrition
• Portions
• Serving Others
• Table Etiquette
• Manners
• Cleaning

Cleaning, Organizing, and Decluttering

Lastly, let’s talk about life skills involving taking care of the home.

You know what one thing New Year’s is good for – out with the old and in with the new!

I don’t know about you, but I especially feel this way after Christmas. I mean, we have to make room for the new things… and everything needs a place.

Nope, strewn all over the bedroom floor is not a place.

New Year’s is a great time to clean, organize, and declutter. These are three effective life skills that serve us well into adulthood.

Rest & Play

So much of life is about balance.

Sometimes, we can overdo ourselves during the holiday season. Not intentionally or maliciously, of course.

But let’s be honest… it can be a lot. Our kids see this. In reality, they will reflect these patterns in the future themselves.

This is why I think taking the time to teach appropriate resting and playing behaviors is a great life skill to talk about after a busy holiday season.