Spin the wheel New year's resolutions
Goals small enough to keep
Research on habits keeps landing on the same advice: a resolution works when it is specific and easy to start on a bad day. That is why the list says “Walk 20 minutes a day” and not “Get fit”, and “Read 12 books” instead of “Read more”. Every entry is something you could begin on January 1 without buying anything.
The mix covers three groups. Kids get goals like making the bed, homework before games or learning to swim. Students and teens get reading, asking questions in class and less screen time. Adults will find packing lunch for work, volunteering, saving a little each week and taking a first aid class. Delete the ones that don't fit before you spin.
At a New Year's Eve party or the first class after winter break, the wheel turns resolutions into a quick round: everyone spins once, reads theirs out loud and says whether they will actually keep it.
What's on this wheel
- Read 12 books
- Drink more water
- Walk 20 minutes a day
- Learn to cook 5 meals
- In bed by 11 on weeknights
- Call grandparents weekly
- Keep a journal
- Save a little each week
- Make my bed every day
- Try a new sport
- Drink less soda
- A vegetable with every dinner
- No phones at dinner
- Learn to swim
- Stretch every morning
- Write thank-you notes
- Volunteer once a month
- Pack lunch for work
- Learn an instrument
- Grow something on a windowsill
- Keep my room tidy
- Homework before games
- Read before bed
- Be on time
- Give one compliment a day
- A new recipe every month
- Visit a new park monthly
- Declutter a drawer a week
- Less screen time
- Take the stairs
- Take a first aid class
- Make a new friend
- Draw something every day
- Ask more questions in class
- Bike ride every weekend
- Write to a pen pal
- Floss every night
- Learn 10 words a week
- Say no more often
- Thank someone every day
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Picking a resolution with the wheel
- Open Entries and remove anything that doesn't suit the person spinning. A second grader has no use for “Pack lunch for work”.
- Press Spin once. If the result is something you already do, spin again; that one doesn't count.
- Write the resolution down somewhere you will see it every day, like the fridge door or the first page of a planner.
- For a whole family or class, go around the circle and use Remove from wheel so everyone gets a different goal.
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Questions about resolutions
What are good new year's resolutions for kids?
Short, visible ones work best for ages 6 to 10: make my bed every day, read before bed, keep my room tidy, learn to swim, give one compliment a day. A sticker chart for the first month helps them stick with it.
And for students?
Reading 12 books, asking more questions in class, less screen time and learning 10 words a week of a new language are popular with middle and high schoolers. Teachers often pair the spin with a short writing prompt about why the goal matters.
Should I let the wheel pick something I don't want?
It is a suggestion, not a contract. If the result makes you groan, that tells you something too. Spin again, or treat it as a one-month experiment for January only.
Can we compare resolutions at work?
Yes, the list includes plenty that are fine to share with colleagues, such as taking the stairs, packing lunch or being on time. Send the wheel with Share before the first team meeting of the year and let everyone spin from their own phone.
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