Before you ring in the new year, take some time with the family to give thanks and reflect on the year passing. Use any of the following activities to share reflections as a family.
A wall of resolutions
Unroll a large piece of crate paper and tape it to the wall in a place that’s frequented by everyone in the family, such as the kitchen or dining room.
Have the kids help you decorate it and write on it some sort of title, like ‘Reflections 2017.’ Place a basket of colored markers nearby, and invite everyone to leave a note of reflection on the craft paper whenever they are passing by it.
Read them all together on New Year’s Eve, and roll up the paper. Then on New Year’s day, put another blank paper on the wall to write resolutions or intentions for the new year.
Twenty questions
On small pieces of paper, write down one question about the year.
Some ideas are:
What was your favorite thing that happened this year?
Which was your favorite place that you visited?
What was your favorite thing about school/work?
If you could go back and do one thing differently, what would it be?
What was your favorite summer/springtime activity?
What was your favorite fall/winter activity?
What was your biggest accomplishment at school or work?
What was the biggest way you gave back to the community?
What was your favorite sport or activity?
Fold each question up and place it in a jar. On New Year’s Eve, have each family member take turns grabbing a question out of the jar and sharing his or her answer with the family. This is a fun way to reminisce and reflect on the year.
