New Year’s Resolutions for Preschool Kids

A new year is upon us, bringing with it the hope of New Year’s resolutions – that shining moment of the year when we’re committed to self-improvement. One that only slightly dims as our resolve starts to crumble around about the second week of January. But it’s the thought that counts, right?

Here at LEGO® DUPLO®, it got us thinking what New Year’s resolutions for preschool kids would look like. Would they fare any better than us in achieving some of the most common New Year’s resolutions? 

Build better routines

This is the Big One, the one we grown-ups really strive to achieve but the mark we so very often miss. From upping our gym visits to drinking more water and getting more sleep, we adults are obsessed with improving our routines.

Routines are vital to toddlers too. Familiar, regular activities help toddlers develop relationships with the people they interact with and gain a sense of belonging and self-confidence.

But encouraging a routine can sometimes be difficult to navigate with young children. From brushing teeth, to washing hands or keeping to a set bedtime, it can take time and patience to build these healthy habits into a toddler’s life. To make these conversations a little easier, we’ve created sets to help parents and preschoolers explore why it’s important to create these habits, including characters with changeable faces to let toddlers express how certain routines may make them feel.

While we grown-ups know how important routines are, we’re not always the best at sticking to them. So everyone gets a point in getting behind this family New Year’s resolution idea.

Toddlers 1 – 1 Grown-ups

Learn a new skill 

Toddlers definitely have us grown-ups on this front. While we attempt to keep a sourdough starter alive for literally ONE week, preschoolers set about learning dozens of new skills every single day.

Every new number they count to, every letter of the alphabet mastered, every new friend they make. 

In the first 3 years of life, kids form a million brain connections every second as they make sense of the world around them. Science suggests that the brain connections that stick are those supported by active joyful experiences. In other words, having fun is one of the most powerful ways they can learn new skills.

This is super important for what we do. At the LEGO Group, joyful experiences is what we live and breathe! That’s why all of our LEGO DUPLO sets are built upon the concept of Learning Through Play, helping toddlers develop a crucial variety of emotional, physical, cognitive, social and creative skills, all while having fun and sometimes being a little bit silly.

So regarding that New Year’s resolution of learning a new skill, even if you do manage to eventually memorize those piano arpeggios, there’s no way you can compete with the vast array of skills your preschooler will be learning in a similar timeframe.

Toddlers 2 – 1 Grown-ups 

Make new friends

Okay, so this isn’t looking good for grown-ups… 

Toddlers are adorable and everyone wants to meet them. These are facts. At any family gathering, they’re always the star of the show, like the most adorable chubby-cheeked present you’ve ever seen.

This is before we even consider play groups, playdates and kindergarten where they’ll make their first friendships with kids their age. Come to think of it, our toddlers probably have a better social life than we do!

Early friendships are super important for young children. Their friendships help them to develop their self-esteem and learn about negotiating and the benefits of team work.

So all the friends they meet along the way – including the imaginary ones – are actually a really useful resource to them as they get to grips with the world. It’s why we always pack plenty of fun characters into our sets, from diverse LEGO DUPLO figures to characters they’ll recognize from their favorite shows and movies. Bet you can’t claim to be friends with the actual Elsa…

Toddlers 3 – 1 Grown-ups

Travel more

Surely we’ve got them on this one? There’s no way we can lose a travel challenge to people still crawling… right? Think again…

But then again, it depends on what we mean by ‘travel’. While we grown-ups take weeks and months planning our next trip, a toddler’s life is a continual voyage of adventure. Think about it, no journey could be as epic as taking your very first step! And imagine the all the sights, sounds and smells the everyday world offers a toddler!

At LEGO DUPLO we understand how important sensory development is to a young brain, which is why our sets are designed to stimulate the senses. From the brightly colored, easy-to-handle bricks we use, to the action bricks that prompt our interactive trains to play sounds and flash lights, promising the most imaginative journeys of discovery. All of which makes our week in the sun lying by the pool seem a little tame, don’t you think?

Toddlers 4 – 1 Grown-ups

You have to hand it to the toddlers – they have the grown-ups licked. But with the promise of a year of developmental leaps and endless journeys of joyful discovery for our preschool kids, let’s make a New Year's resolution that it’s a victory we should all be happy to concede!