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Setting Healthy Goals for the Entire Family

Anne Kolker • MS, Registered Dietitian • Nov 03, 2011

If you’ve been thinking about healthy goals and resolutions, this is a great time to think about setting healthy goals for the entire family. Setting family goals means helping your child set healthy goals too.

Goals need to be realistic and measurable. Goals mean that we are going to be changing habits that you and your family have grown accustomed to. So you don't want to tackle to many changes at once. It is best to start with one or two goals.

Remember that little steps of change do add up!

Kids are also learning about the importance of setting nutrition and activity goals on their Explorer’s page.

Setting Healthy Nutrition And Physical Activity Goals

Often, we set very broad goals or too many goals. After not being able to keep them up we give up thinking this is too hard. Changing your child’s healthy eating and physical activity habits can be challenging. Set your family for success with these simple guidelines for setting new goals.

Have everyone share their ideas
Write each idea down
Discuss the ideas and decide on one or two family goals
Be very specific
Keep it simple (if this is an new habit, just select one day vs. seven days)
Start small. Don’t make big changes all at once.
Have each family member set one individual goal
Agree as a family on your time period. For example, you will work on this goal for 4 weeks.
Use a fun kid friendly agreement and have each family member sign it
Post the family agreement up in a visible place as a quick reminder
Post the individual agreement in the child’s room or on their door.
Print and post a matching healthy goals tracking sheet on the refrigerator to mark your child's progress.