Blog

The saying goes that "what is done on New Year's Day, is done all year". Now that it's almost time to say goodbye to the year, we start thinking about the famous list of resolutions. Usually, the list of goals is a personal tool that we do individually: but what if we do it as a family, and set joint goals?

Today we're going to talk about this list of family resolutions for the new year and give you 10 ideas to include on that list.

New Year's Resolutions

The new year is an ideal time to consider changes, challenges, determinations or intentions, both personal and professional. Often these goals focus on improving our health, fitness, finances or career. All experts recommend that in order for this list to be realistic, you need to be specific about your goals. For example: if improving our physical health is one of them, we must set some goals that we can achieve, and these could be "I want to go jogging two days a week, for half an hour initially, and one hour when I improve my physical form".

But how do we do it if we want to come up with a family New Year's resolution? The simple act of searching and finding the time to make this list is already an opportunity to spend time with the family. Being together is one of the best things we can do for our physical and emotional health. When we spend time with our loved ones, we feel more connected, happier and more secure. Making a joint list of family goals can be a great excuse to find some time to be together and to improve that connection we were talking about. How should we do it?

3 basic tips for making a New Year's resolution list as a family:

• Set a common goal: The first step is to set a common goal for the whole family. This goal can be anything from improving physical health to learning a new skill or getting to know nature better.
• Involve the whole family: It is important to involve the whole family in the process of creating the list of goals. This will help ensure that goals are realistic and achievable, and ensure that everyone feels heard.
• Look for a comfortable space and a relaxed moment: The weekend is usually the ideal time to do this, away from the daily obligations of school, institute or jobs.
• Make the list of goals fun: The process of creating the list of goals should be fun for everyone. You can play a game, take a poll, or just talk about the things you'd like to do as a family. You can also take the opportunity to joke, always with respect, about the things that each member of the family can improve.

ready? Here are 10 ideas for making a family New Year's resolution list:

1. Spend more time together: Simple, but important. You can agree to do an activity together every week, for example, or every month.
2. Learn a new skill: Play an instrument, go hiking.
3. Volunteer: You can collaborate with a local organization, or offer to do a fundraiser for a cause you care about.
4. Travel together: You can plan a family getaway to a new place.
5. Cook together: Once a week, once a month... Plan some time together in the kitchen to prepare an amazing recipe, or your favorite recipe.
6. Eating healthier: Maybe you're already doing it, but there's always room for improvement. Deciding that only one day a week, for example, can be exceptions. Or even plan meals in advance.
7. Play "Questions we don't know how to answer": Dedicate some time, periodically, to asking ourselves questions we don't know how to answer, and look for the answer together.
8. Do more excursions at the weekend: Nature outings, or cultural outings, this purpose is a great proposal to strengthen family ties.
9. Smartphone-free home: A good family resolution, which can involve both teenagers and adults, is to make a commitment not to look at the cell phone for the times you decide.
10. Read more books as a family: Setting aside some time a week for family reading is a simple activity that will improve the reading habits of young and old.

Surely, after reading these 10 ideas, others will come to mind. It is best for each family to prepare their own list, but having a base can help when planning the activity. As for the ideal time to make the list of intentions: any time of calm and serenity.

You can also go out into nature, at the weekend, and plan the activity as a family surprise. Remember that spending time as a family in nature improves physical and emotional health and helps us develop a sense of respect for the environment. At Hotel El Jou Nature we are specialists in families, and we have everything ready to receive your visit, either to prepare your list of goals, or simply to disconnect. We hope that what the saying says is true, and that if you come to nature around the end of the year, you do it all year!