New Year’s resolutions are one of the greatest examples of the constancy of human hope: Even though no one actually manages to keep them (in fact, one study showed that only 1 in 5 people actually stick to their resolutions), we still make them year after year in the desperate hope that the will power fairy will give us a visit.

For adults, resolutions tend to be lofty weight loss goals or renewed vows to live a healthier lifestyle. Regardless of the content, 1/3 of people who make resolutions won’t even keep them until February, never mind next year. This is because we adults practice terrible goal-achievement strategies – first, we set goals that are too high, and then we motivate ourselves either by fantasizing about our future success or focusing on the negative consequences of failure.

If you are among the majority of adults who fail to keep their resolutions each year, it’s time to stick to at least one: Let’s teach our kids how to be better than we are at meeting their goals.

To start, discuss possible New Year’s Resolutions with your kids. You could even make this a family activity – if you do, perhaps the whole family could work as a group to support and motivate one another in keeping those resolutions. Some great goals for students include:

• Raising test scores by a certain amount (i.e. “I will raise my SAT score by 200 points.”)
• Improving by a letter grade in a certain subject (i.e. “I will raise my math grade to an A by next year.”)
• Reading more often (i.e. “I will read 26 books in 2012.”)
• Giving back to the community (i.e. “I will volunteer for at least 4 hours per month.”)

The important thing to consider when creating resolutions – whether for you or for your child – is that goals must be measurable and attainable. This is where many adults fail: We often create goals that are too vague and not measurable (“I will get healthier”) or virtually unattainable (“I will lose 80 pounds”). If you take the time now to help teach your child how to set reasonable goals, perhaps your child will become one of those few people who actually manage to see their resolutions through.

Once your child has set his resolution, it’s time to create a plan of action. One of the secrets to attaining long term goals is to break the goals down into smaller, easier steps. This way we can reward ourselves for each small victory, thereby enhancing our motivation to succeed. For example, if your child’s goal is to raise his SAT score by 200 points, you could break this into smaller goals such as “I will raise my score by 20 points each month.” Then, as each mini-goal is reached, success can be rewarded.

Now comes the hard part: Sticking to it. Researchers offer several helpful suggestions for seeing goals through. First is to set up a support system. For your child, that support system is you. People who have a cheering section are more likely to keep up the hard work and continue to strive for success. Second, focus on the benefits of success. By focusing on the future benefits of success rather than on the negative consequences of failure, we are better able to keep ourselves motivated. Finally, keep a diary of your progress. This helps to keep goals in the forefront of our minds and reminds us of our past successes when we run into obstacles.

By helping your child learn how to set and achieve goals, you are helping him to grow into a more successful adults. After all, the ability to meet high goals is prized in every career in every part of the world.

We at C2 Education wish all of our readers a happy and safe New Year – tell us about your New Year’s Resolutions in the comment box below!