Want to encourage your teens to set some positive goals
for themselves this year? Check out these New Year's resolutions for
teenagers – we've got some great ideas for 2023!
New Year's
Resolutions: love 'em or loath 'em, they can be a good way to encourage
your kids to think about the year ahead and what they want to achieve.
If
you're thinking about encouraging your teens to make some positive
resolutions this year, we have 35 awesome ideas to get your teen
thinking about their goals for 2023, and some top tips to help inspire
and motivate them
1. Get a trendy water bottle and drink more water
Yes,
we're starting with a nice easy one, but we think it's the perfect New
Year's resolution for teens because water is great for clearing up skin,
focussing the mind, and balancing moods – not to mention hydrating the
body so it can function more efficiently and make them feel awesome!
If
you're a parent reading this pre-Christmas then it's also a great
prompt for a useful stocking filler gift that'll be perfect for your
teen. We know it, they know it: fizzy drinks and juices aren't the
healthiest choices when it comes to hydration, and any incentive to swap
out these for water is worth it (that includes a trendy water bottle!)
2. Give up a different junk food each month
This
is a great New Year's resolution for your teen because they can
interpret it how they want, which means the challenge doesn't have to be
overly restrictive, and the commitment of one month at a time is
realistic.
There are loads of options for things they could
choose to give up each month: sweets, crisps, burgers, fries, fizzy
drinks, white bread, paninis, Frappuccinos, McDonalds, KFC, muffins,
cookies etc.
Not only will their health benefit, they'll also
spend the year making positive conscious heathy choices about what they
eat. Practicing self-discipline when it comes to food is an important
skill, and one that could end up shaping the choices they make about
food for the rest of their lives. Not to mention that fewer trips to the
takeaway will mean more cash for other fun things!
3. Eat more fruit and veg
if
you can convince your teen to choose this as one of their New Year's
resolutions for 2023, they might even learn to look forward to choosing
their daily dose of healthy goodness – there are so many different
fruits and veggies to choose from, after all.
If your teen
currently eats little to no fruit or veg, encourage them to try to have
one piece every day. If they're already pretty good about it, see if
they can ramp it up to get their full 5-a-day, as recommended by the
government.
If your teen gets into this, they'll really benefit
from the natural source of energy – which is something all teens could
do with having more of. Not to mention the boost to their immune system
stopping them from catching everything under the sun due to the
relentless stress load of being a teen!
You can help them by offering
new and exciting ways to eat their daily servings. It should be a
two-way conversation too, as it's their New Year's resolution, not
yours, so they might want a say when it comes to your shopping list.
Here are a few recipes to inspire you and your teen:
4. Get a workout buddy and start up an exercise routine
Does
your teen have one of those fancy Fitbit watches or something similar?
If not, there's an app for everything! The New Year offers teens the
perfect opportunity to put these to better use ...
Get your teen
to buddy up with a friend to embark upon a new regular exercise routine.
Working out is always more fun with a mate, plus they'll have someone
else to hold them accountable.
An exercise routine doesn't
necessarily mean they have to join a gym either. There are plenty of fun
free ways to work out together: Walk, jog or cycle to school; take up
tennis or another sport; meet-up for dance sessions at the weekend to
learn new choreography together; try weightlifting at home; learn how to
skip with a rope to music (they'll be the envy of all their friends!)
5. Create a no/low-tech evening wind down routine
We
know this one might not be popular with most teens who would be lost
without their tablets and phones, but there are positive ways you can
present this idea to them ...
Aside from the obvious health
benefits, like reducing blue-light consumption from screens so that
their brain understands it's time to wind down ready for bed, and the
fact that they're more likely to get an early night than stay up for
hours scrolling – it'll also provide them with the opportunity to do
more of the other things they love to do in the evening ...
... Like have a hot bath or shower, light a few candles and listen to music, or read a good book.
6. Thoroughly spring-clean their bedroom once a month
Cleaning
can actually be very therapeutic, and it's a great way to channel
excess energy in a productive way. So if your teen is struggling with
hormones, mood swings, racing thoughts or excess energy, introduce them
to the joys of spring-cleaning.
A teenager's bedroom is their
sanctuary, after all, and the one place they can go to get away from the
world. Plus, it's SO much more enjoyable to spend time is a clean,
organised room – as they will discover.
It's not as bad as it
sounds either – if they make a New Year's resolution to spring clean
their room once a month, that's only 12 times for the entire year!
7. Start a gratitude journal
It's
amazing how powerful journalling can be to change the way we think from
negative to positive. Good things start to happen. If your teen was
gifted a new notebook or journal at Christmas, point out that one great
use for it could be to start a gratitude journal.
If they don't
know what it is – it's just a place where they can write a few words to
express something that they feel grateful for in the moment. Even one
word can have an impact and help to shift their perspective if they're
feeling low, irritable, upset or angry. It's a really healthy coping
tool for managing stormy teen moods.
The best way to keep a
gratitude journal consistently for the whole year is to make a personal
challenge to create a habit to write in it at the same time every day.
This might be first thing in the morning or last thing at night. Soon
it'll become second nature, and they'll wonder what they did without
one.
8. Put their phone away 30 minutes before bed
If your
teen wasn't keen on the whole 'wind down routine' idea, this one is a
good compromise. If they promise themselves to put their phone away 30
minutes before bedtime, that's 30 minutes worth of time that they'll
have to fill in doing something else that they enjoy.
If a teen
accidentally leaves their phone at home, we guarantee they'll feel at a
loss and may not even know what to do with themselves. But if they
voluntarily give up use of their phone for half an hour before bedtime,
they'll learn how to fill that time and entertain themselves without it.
And seeing as it's nearly bedtime anyway, they'll probably pick up a book or magazine and take it to bed with them – result!
9. Breathe and count to 10 before reacting
Raging hormones can make emotions feel extreme, and so some teens develop a reputation for being reactive.
If
your teenager struggles with their emotions, a good New Year's
resolution for them to work on is counting to 10 before reacting in a
negative way.
They'll avoid saying something nasty, being
offensive or rude in retaliation, going on the 'attack' or 'defence'
when being challenged, and they'll be less likely to say something they
regret because they didn't take the time to think before they spoke.
The extra 10 seconds will give them the upper hand in any situation and teach them that less is always more.
10. Sort through belongings and donate to charity
You may not even need to do much to promote minimalism to your teen, as young people catch on to trends so quickly, they're probably already on it!
Sorting through their belongings and donating clothes, shoes, books and bric-a-brac to charity is a great feeling though, especially at the beginning of the year – they'll feel as though they've had a weight lifted (and so will you!)
As they say ... out with the old and in with the new! Starting the year by making space for new interests and opportunities is uplifting, and donating is also great for the planet.
You never know, you may even
11. Start a new hobby
Developing new interests is important, so get your teenage son or daughter to think hard about something new that they'd love to try this year, or something they started, but didn't continue last year.
New hobby's come under a huge umbrella, so there's definitely something for everyone, even if your teen claims not to be interested in anything but their friends and their phone!
Here are some ideas:
Create a daily urban or nature sketching habit
Learn how to draw manga or improve digital art skills
Learn how to play chess and compete online
Start hula-hooping/skipping/skating
Learn how to do artistic face-painting, makeup or nail art
Start a collection
Start a reading/writing challenge
Learn photography
Learn how to play a musical instrument.
12. Actively compliment people more
We can all get so wrapped up in ourselves that we often forget to notice and appreciate the people around us, and teens are no different. Making a New Year's resolution to actively notice and compliment people more often will offer so many benefits ...
... Like learning to be more observant and present when spending time with people; developing more empathy for others; being able to be more aware of mental health by noticing when others are struggling; learning to listen properly and observe body language; enjoy spreading joy and appreciating loved ones more.
Positive compliments could include – telling someone they look well or that their hair looks healthy, rather than placing emphasis on beauty; thanking someone for their valuable input; telling someone you enjoyed their company; admiring a sales assistant's attention to detail; telling someone their dog is adorable.
13. Write down and keep track of goals
It's one thing to make goals, but keeping track of progress is another thing entirely, and often something that we don't bother doing in the long-term. If your teen has goals, help them to achieve them by showing them how to use a planner to keep track!
It's easy – choose one goal for the month. It should be something specific and measurable (otherwise how will they know once they've achieved it?) It could be something like – I want to improve how I draw cartoon characters.
Next, break the goal into achievable steps – for example, drawing the same character in different settings every day for a month. By the end of the month they'll have a visual record of their improvement and everything they've learnt along the way. Plus, they'll feel great for having completed what they set out to do.
14. Start a mental health journal
Kids and teens at school know so much more about mental health than we were taught at school, and more young people are becoming comfortable talking and thinking about it's importance and want to be advocates for mental health. but it's still a sensitive subject, and young people with complicated emotions do find it difficult to express how they feel.
Starting a mental health journal is a private way to get all the stress and worry out of their head and onto the page. You can buy journals with creative and wellbeing prompts, which can be useful. Or your teen can use their own creativity, talent and ideas to find their own personal way of using a journal to express themselves.
Here are some great journal ideas – art journal, illustrated journal, sketchbook, photography journal, scrapbook, junk journal, poetry journal, song journal, mood tracker.
15. Be the friend you'd love to have
If we make strong friendships when we're young they are more likely to stay with us through to adulthood. But friendships can be hard work, and we have to put in the effort.
Making a New Year's resolution to be the kind of friend you'd love to have yourself is a great way to attract like-minded friends who genuinely care about you. So this is a great skill to pass onto your teens.
Great friends are – thoughtful and considerate; fun to be around, reliable and trustworthy; they know how to listen and give good advice; they try to put themselves in your shoes; they try not to be selfish; but also know when to create healthy boundaries, and respect yours!
Your teen can write their own list of what they think makes a great friend.
16. Start saving money
Whether your teen has something in mind that they want to save up for or not, creating a new saving habit is a really positive and achievable New Year's resolution.
If your teen is old enough to get a part-time Job then saving money in 2023 should be easy! But if not, there are still plenty of ways they can earn and save a substantial amount of money this coming year.
For example – having a clear-out and garage sale; buying and selling stuff on eBay; selling art or crafts on Etsy; babysitting; dog walking; doing household chores or work in the garden for family or neighbours and running errands.
17. Take better care of teeth, skin and hair
Appearance is important – we all want to give a good impression and feel confident! It's easy to get slack though, especially when you're a teen and life 'gets in the way'. Therefore, a few healthy New Year's resolutions will set your teen on track to looking and feeling great so that they can take on the world.
Assuming they already brush their teeth everyday, a great new goal is to start flossing. It really does make all the difference! Other ways to look after teeth include cutting back on drinks that stain, like tea and coffee, or drinking through a straw, using most wash and chewing gum and not forgetting to brush teeth before bed.
Adopting consistent habits in other areas of self-care are important too – like washing your face in the morning and before bed, and using a hair mask or deep conditioning treatment once a month.
18. Try some volunteer work
Get your teen to add this to their New Year's resolutions list - there are loads of opportunities for them to learn new skills or give back to the community.
There's something to suit everyone's interests: from volunteering at the local animal shelter or petting farm, to helping organise fundraising events or offering their skills for free to help bulk up their CV and get some valuable work experience.
If they're stuck, advise them to think about what they love to do or what they'd love to learn, what would make them feel proud and happy, or what might be an exciting challenge!
19. Read at least 12 books in 2023
Even if your teen isn't a prolific reader, we think one book a month is totally doable – and so will they! Setting a number is better than making a resolution to simply 'read more' as it makes this a trackable goal, and once achieved, it'll provide an immense sense of satisfaction.
Of course, if your teen is a bit of a bookworm anyway, you could always up the ante to 24 books in the year, or even 52 – one a week.
You could gift them their first book for Christmas, but the best way to start off a New Year's resolution is on their own terms. So go for a book token, or if you're feeling flush, a Kindle or other eReader.
Teens that are interested in taking up this challenge as their New Year's resolution might also be interested in joining a book club, or even starting their own book blog writing reviews and including affiliate links to the books they've read as a side hustle. They can also find fun online communities where they can interact with other people reading the same books as them. This can be great incentive to keep up the reading!
20. Make a daily habit to engage in positive self-talk
Some people call this practice 'affirmations'. It is creating a daily habit to acknowledge how awesome you are! We think this is a great skill for teens to develop as it's so easy to slip into negative thinking patterns at this tender age, and this can lead to low self esteem and feelings of anxiety and even depression, having a knock-on effect in their lives.
Taking the time to think about the things they're good at, appreciate their own strengths, and generally just be kind instead of beating themselves up about things, will make a huge difference to how they approach everything in life – from everyday challenges and schoolwork to friendships and more.
Things that can help to make this a daily habit:
A journal
A daily self-care routine
Hearing parents talk positively about themselves
Affirmations books for prompts and inspiration
Having great friends and family that boost their confidence
21. Expand their vocabulary by learning a new word every month
This is a fun challenge that is both useful and measurable. If they're really committed then they could intensify this challenge by learning a new word every week – once it becomes a habit, it won't be difficult, especially if they're enjoying it.
The idea is that the more interesting words you know, the more articulate your communication becomes. Teens often love to articulate how they feel and think about things, but not everyone is good with words. Luckily it's a learned skill, so if they put the effort in they'll be winning debates at home and at school with their fancy language in no time!
To achieve this goal:
Decide on a day of the week or month to pick the new word
Write it down in various places to make it easier to refer to (in your phone/notebook/back of your hand)
Find different ways to use the word as often as possible throughout the week or month
Test periodically and keep a list of all the new words learnt and make sure to keep using them.
Tip: to avoid appearing pretentious, go for words that sound natural in sentences and that genuinely add value. Sounding like a dictionary won't impress anyone.
22. Learn how to cook a few dishes perfectly
Teens who live at home probably don't need to learn how to cook, because mum or dad's cooking is so good, why bother? But learning to cook is such a useful skill for when they get older and leave home, so give your teen their independence in the kitchen.
Learning how to cook a few dishes perfectly is a fun New Year's resolution, and once they get good at it, you'll be able to sit back and enjoy being cooked for! Always supervise younger teens in the kitchen, of course, and teach them how to use knives responsibly unless you fancy a few fingertips in your spag bol.
Here are some simple starter recipes:
Sausage and tomato pasta – a simple pasta recipe that makes the perfect base for your teen to get more experimental as their confidence grows.
Ham and cheese omelette – once they've mastered this simple omelette they can swap out the ingredients for whatever they fancy.
Butternut squash soup – it's always good to have a hearty soup in your cooking portfolio. This is a yummy sweet one and a family favourite
Chille con carne – an impressive main meal to master
Nutella brownies – something nobody will be able to resist!
23. Seek out ways to talk about how they feel
It's one of the hardest things to do: finding someone to talk to when you're struggling the most. Many teens have complicated feelings and end up bottling things up. It can be difficult to know when they need support.
Try to get your teen to think about the ways that they can help others help them when they're struggling. If they make a New Year's resolution to seek out ways to talk about how they feel, they'll find it much easier to do so when they really need to.
This might include looking into any free counselling services that their school may offer and familiarising themselves with the process and people. It might be opening up conversations with friends or family that might feel a bit awkward or difficult, so that it becomes easier and they can rely on those avenues for support when things get too much.
24. Discover new healthy ways to let off steam
One of the best ways to deal with the stress and pressure of being a teen is to find ways to let off steam. Perhaps your teen already has a few ways that they do this?
Get them to assess how productive and positive their methods are and if necessary, make a New Year's resolution to discover new healthy ways to let off steam.
Here are some great ideas for them to explore:
Yoga and meditation
Singing, dancing, acting
Self-defence classes
Sports, swimming, gymnastics, skating
Learning new practical skills (woodworking, cooking, crafts, art)
Learning a musical instrument
Spending more quality time with friends and family
25. Make a conscious effort to be more green
kids and young people are becoming more and more aware of what we need to do to help the planet and why – and what's more, they're passionate about it!
A great New Year's resolution is to be more consciously eco-friendly. Not only will they be taking part in saving the planet, but they'll also be setting a positive example to friends, younger siblings and even strangers.
Here are some ways teens can be more eco-friendly:
Use a re-usable water bottle/straw/lunch box
Always carry a foldable cloth bag to avoid plastic bags
Help the family to recycle everyday household trash
Donate unwanted items to charity or recycle
Take shorter showers
Unplug devices and switch off lights when not in use
Stop using the TV as 'background noise'
26. Make more effort to stay in touch with old friends
It's natural to outgrow friends, and nobody should feel bad about that. As we grow, our interests and priorities change and develop. But it's important to be able to tell the difference between outgrowing an old friend and neglecting them, because we could be missing out on a great life-long friendship.
If your teen is looking for ways to improve their life in 2023, get them to think about getting in touch with old friends, or making more time for ones who seem to be fading into the background as life gets filled up with new things.
Old friends are usually the ones who know the real us, before the pressures and anxieties of growing up started influencing our aspirations Teach your teen to treasure those friends who remind them, through years of shared memories and experiences, of who they are at the core, because these are the friends they can lose their inhibitions with, and just 'be'.
27. Take more responsibility with the family pet
When your teen was younger, did they nag and nag and nag you to get a dog, but then the responsibility of feeding, walking, grooming and playing with that dog landed on you?
Maybe it's time for them to step up and make a New Year's resolution to form a more meaningful bond with their furry friend by taking on some of the responsibilities themselves!
Caring for a pet, whether it's a dog, cat or smaller animal, has so many benefits for your teen:
Petting animals is calming and soothes anxiety
Exercising with a dog provides an outlet to release stress and get fit
Teaching a pet how to do tricks is an impressive skill and strengthens bonds
Feeding pets or changing the litter tray is a great way to be a helpful member of the family
Observing animal behaviour is educational
Caring for a pet can turn into something much bigger - like a serious hobby or even a career
28. Vow to make your bed every morning
This may seem like a trivial New Year's resolution, but making your bed in the morning is SO much more than just making the bed – it's a way to accomplish something first thing in the morning, and it'll put your teen in a positive mindset for the day, and ultimately set them up for success! Now that is some pretty powerful stuff.
Making the bed in the morning also makes the bedroom feel like a tidy, clear space, and your teen will enjoy coming back to it later on to relax in and reflect on all their daily accomplishments.
Creating positive habits like this has the potential to radiate outwards once they get started - there'll be no holding them back – soon they'll even be putting their clothes back on hangers, actually using the laundry basket, opening the window to air the room and even hoovering under the bed. Miracles can happen.
29. Pay it forward
This is a fun challenge and a positive New Year's resolution idea for your teenager – the idea is that whenever someone does something nice for them, they do something nice for someone else.
The magic of it is that the more positivity they put out into the world, the more will come back to them, or at leats that's the theory. Get your teen to test it out in 2023!
Here are some ideas for easy good deeds:
Help a parent get their buggy off the bus
Buy a meal for a homeless person
Pay for a friend's coffee
Offer to do something for nothing
Volunteer your skills or talent to help someone out
Let your younger sibling use your accessories
Offer to help do the food shopping
Walk the dog or babysit the kids
Listen to someone's problems and offer advice
Compliment someone
30. Vow to talk less and listen more
Unfortunately, listening is a skill that many of us don't do well. This can harm relationships and friendships, it can make people seem self-absorbed or uncaring, and it ultimately prevents us from getting closer to people and forming meaningful bonds.
If your teen values their friendships, this New Year's resolution will really help them to be a better friend. Help them to understand that when they talk less, they might actually start hearing what the other person is trying to say. This is because often the message is in the subtext, but we can miss that if all we're thinking about is our own agenda.
They'll also discover that if they make the effort to actively listen more to their friends, their friends will do the same for them. So they'll end up nurturing a more balanced friendship that they can benefit more from too.
31. Quit leaving everything to the last minute
If your teen struggles with this, it could be a good hing to focus on improving in 2023 so that they can reap the benefits of getting ahead!
People who leave everything until the last minute – whether it's getting out of bed in the morning, doing homework and meeting deadlines, or only doing laundry because there's nothing left to wear – lack strong organisational skills. If your teen is feeling unmotivated they can address the problem by eating better, getting the sleep and downtime they need, looking after their mental health and learning to plan their time more effectively.
And this can all be incorporated into the ultimate New Year's resolution - stop leaving stuff until the last minute! If your teen makes positive changes to the way they approach life, they'll start feeling more in control and more capable of achieving their other goals than ever before. It's good stuff.
32. Watch more documentaries
If you've got a Netflix subscription and your teens are always watching movies and their favourite shows, suggest they make a New Year's resolution to choose at least one new documentary to watch each month. Even if you don't have Netflix or another subscription service, you can still find great documentaries on the usual channels, pick up DVDs in the library, or find them on YouTube.
If your kid is already into documentaries, that's great! Their goal could be to watch documentaries on themes they might not usually go for. The idea is to open up opportunities to discover more about the world they live in, in a fun and relaxing way. It'll broaden their interests and general knowledge, as well as enrich their conversations.
Who knows, they may develop an interest in science and the universe, animals, different cultures, politics, reporting on social topics, videography, presenting ... the list is endless, and it could take lead them gain a clearer understanding of what they want to do and who they want to be when they grow up.
(Just watch out if they do opt for YouTube documentaries; there's a lot of pseudoscience and misleading content on there, so check in regularly to make sure what they're watching is beneficial).
33. Listen to podcasts
Similar to watching documentaries, listening to podcasts is another relaxed way to absorb more information about the world we live in, but also other people's experiences and perspective of it.
It's a great way to pass time when commuting to school or college too, or waiting around in queues, or chilling in the bath (or on the loo!) All they need are their phones and ear pods.
Podcasts are free, and they can be really entertaining. If your teen makes a New Year's resolution to give them a go for at least a month, who knows, they may develop a taste for them, and end up blasting less music from their rooms.
34. Try something new each month
It can be difficult to think up ideas on the spot, and even if we do come up with a whole list of things we want to do or change or try in 2023, we're unlikely to keep it all up throughout the year because we'll forget most of it. So get your teen to spread their New Year's resolutions throughout the year instead.
Trying something new each month is a much more efficient and motivating way to set New Year's resolutions. It'll help to keep things fresh and relevant. Plus, all your teen will have to focus on is that one thing each month, so they're much more likely to maintain their excitement and motivation, and therefore be successful.
In order to achieve a balance, they may want to do a little bit of planning ahead. They can plan out which months are more suited for different types of challenges, for example, healthy eating challenges will be harder around Christmas, outdoor sports like cycling may be better suited to better weather, and anything that requires more time or commitment shouldn't be done around their exams.
35. Write a letter to your future self
This is more of a way for your teen to come back in a year's time and reflect on how much they've grown. Alongside making their New Year's resolutions and goals, writing a letter to their future self gives them the opportunity to get out of their head all the hopes, dreams and aspirations, but also all of their fears, worries and negative thoughts – clearing the way for a fresh new slate.
Then next year when they read back over the letter, they'll be able to see more clearly who they were a year ago, and who they've become because of their own positive choices.
If they do this every year they'll have a beautiful record of growth throughout their teen years which they'll be able to treasure for the rest of their life, and perhaps even continue the tradition with their own children.
