New Year’s Activities for You and Your Family

Though New Year’s Day is past, we still have almost a month until Chinese New Year; and, like many life coaches claim, the entire month of January can be dedicated to starting anew rather than simply the first day. That’s why we still have weeks of New Year’s goodness left to do all kinds of cool things with our kiddos.

Goal Book: A book of aspirations, dreams, goals, whatever—I call mine a Magnum Opus (like Charlotte calls her web in Charlotte’s Web)—it’s both fun to make as well as keep. Sit down with your kids and make a list of ten things you each wish to accomplish this year. They can be silly—make a crown out of aluminum cans, freeze bubbles in midair—or serious—improve your algebra knowledge, get fit as a family. If you’re feeling super motivated, list twenty or more goals.

Burn Last Year’s Regrets: Mad that you missed out on a big event? Wish you hadn’t said something to a friend? If your kids are still aching over last year’s regrets, one way to help them get over them is to make a New Year’s bonfire and, having written the regrets down, burn them to a crisp while making s’mores! Cold outside? You can still quickly do this and run inside afterward for some hot cocoa to go with your treats—or do them indoors if you have a fireplace.

Use a New Year’s Wish Doll: If you’ve ever whispered a worry to a worry doll, you know how they work: place the tiny creation beneath your pillow and he or she will take care of your worries. Rather than focusing on worry, however, we can make the ritual a little more positive by whispering a wish we’d like to have granted this year. You can even make your own worry dolls for a personalized effect.

Plan Your Year: Have each family member write down one or two things that he or she would love to do—go camping, travel to a nearby attraction, go to a specific restaurant—and plan to do one or two activities together a month. Make a few rules, of course; no trip to Mars—or to Disneyland, if it’s not in the budget—though pretend visits to either, complete with homemade props, are acceptable.

Do Something Different: This year, I’m planning on taking my daughter to see a live show—hopefully at the St. Louis Muny—as it’s something she’s never done before. Think of something either you or your kids (or all of you) have yet to experience and make a plan to enjoy it together in 2010.