Monthly Archives

December 2020

  • New Years Reflection and Goal Setting Worksheets for Kids

    With the turn of a new year tomorrow, its a time of reflection and goal setting for many of us – and not just for adults. Today, we are sharing  New Years Reflection and Goal Setting Worksheets for your kids!

    This is the perfect opportunity to discuss with your children the importance of reflection and setting personal goals for the year. Our worksheets are designed to be thought-provoking, fun and encourage personal growth and development. They include:

    • Year End Reflection Questions – Before your child decides how they want 2020 to look, dig deeper into the past year. Surprisingly, some of the answers can be a catalyst for major goal motivation. This worksheet is also a great conversation starter with family and friends (and you know we love a good conversation game.)
    • S.M.A.R.T. Defining Sheet – S.M.A.R.T. goals is a simple way to assist in goal setting. It is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. Setting S.M.A.R.T. goals helps to clarify ideas and focus efforts that ultimately increase the chances of achieving accomplishments.
    • S.M.A.R.T. Worksheet – Have your child work through the S.M.A.R.T. process questions to plan out their 2020 goals.

    This is the perfect opportunity to discuss with your child the importance of reflection and setting personal goals for the year

    Teaching goal setting can be a challenge, so consider these simple tips:

    • Break big goals into little goals. If your child has a challenging goal they want to achieve, break it down to a step-by-step process. That way, they are continuing to accomplish small wins as they go.
    • Keep them short term. An important thing to keep in mind for younger kids, is to focus on a small goal that is easily achievable within a short amount of time. For example, a goal for a kindergartner may be to learn tying his/her own shoelaces within a week.
    • Celebrate the wins. Hitting goals is exciting. Be sure to acknowledge the great accomplishment that your child has made and let them know how proud you are of them. They will certainly want to achieve more.
    • Share your goals. Use this activity as a way to be candid and give examples of some of the goals you plan to achieve.

    After the activity is done, have your child hang their worksheets on the fridge or in their room; this will serve as a daily reminder and motivation for the goals they plan to achieve!

    If you enjoyed this activity, check out our other kids activities here.


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  • 5 Simple Christmas Eve Traditions your Family will Love

    For me as a child, nothing compared to the magic of Christmas eve.

    The memories of warm fires, family time, good company, and the burning anticipation; it all hits me in a wave of nostalgia this time of year, and inspires me to come up with special traditions for my own family to look back on.

    My hope is that they will carry the same joyful Christmas spirit in their lives that I do, and subsequently, spread the goodness that accompanies the holiday season.

    It warms my heart to think the traditions we begin in our boys’ early lives, will likely be the same ones we practice 10-15 years from now!

    Christmas eve traditions

    But I’m also a firm believer that it is never too late to create a tradition, or to add something new to spice up the holiday as well.

    For example, the pickle ornament idea is something my parents incorporated on our holiday traditions list when we were teenagers. Now it’s a Christmas Eve staple!

    And we certainly can’t dismiss the importance of family traditions in general. Studies show family traditions are the basis in creating family culture. Traditions nurture bonds between siblings and parents, and develop a sense of familial belonging. All good stuff!

    Whether you’re stocking up on ideas for future Christmas Eves or right in the thick of it with your own family, here are 5 Unique Family Traditions for Christmas Eve.

    The Pickle Ornament Hunt

    This is one of my favorite Christmas eve traditions, and a game that I know my boys will delight in for years to come. It’s quite simple, first the pickle ornament is hidden deep in the branches of the tree.

    Then, the hunters search high and low until they discover the bright green pickle and win a prize. We usually make the winnings monetary, but another fun piece to this, would be allowing the winning child to open one gift!

    The winner of the pickle prize is also said to have been gifted a year of good fortune.

    Link to download your own pickle below!

    Make Reindeer Food

    How is it fair that Santa gets to eat all the treats, while the reindeer carry the heavy load? Something must be done to balance this careless injustice!

    Have your kids whip up some snacks for the reindeer with this fun reindeer food recipe:

    Start with any of these base ingredients:

    • Oats
    • Cheerios
    • Chex Mix
    • Bird seed

    Then add the mix-ins:

    • Chocolate chips
    • Marshmallows
    • M&Ms
    • Chopped carrots or celery
    • Nuts
    • Craisins/raisins
    • Sprinkles or edible glitter

    Have kids sprinkle the reindeer food on the deck, patio, ground or wherever they’re assuming the reindeer will land for the evening.

    Winter Hike

    For a holiday that can get choked up on the consumer and commercialism, why not get back to the basics with a winter hike!

    Bundle up and head out on a nature trail.

    Christmas Eve book Exchange

    In the country of Iceland there is a Christmas eve tradition called Jólabókaflóð (I think I spelled that right!) where each family member gifts the other a book to read, and afterwards, the evening is spent cuddled up reading together.

    Iceland has a rich legacy of being extremely well-read. The country has more writers, more books published and more books read, per head, than anywhere else in the world.

    This “Yule Book Flood” inspires a cozy evening with parents snuggled up reading new books to their kids, or quietly by the fire with some hot cocoa after bedtime.

    As a big advocate for literacy and a self proclaimed bookworm looking to pass on a love for reading to my kids, I can’t love this tradition enough!

    Cookie Baking Contest

    Cookies, sweets, treats, whatever your family prefers, make it a baking competition!

    Have each person choose a new recipe (or a new spin on a family favorite) and vote on which one takes the proverbial cake.

    Christmas eve traditions

    Another idea on the topic of sweets is to celebrate with Holiday cheer in the form of Hot Cocoa! Warm up the evening with a Hot Cocoa bar.

    Allow kids to come up with their own creations, from whipped cream toppings to those super fun Hot chocolate bombs that are everywhere on Pinterest right now.

    YUM!

    We hope you’re able to incorporate atleast one of these fantastic traditions into your Christmas eve!

    For more holiday cheer- check out our DIY scrabble tile ornament!

    Christmas Eve
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  • Non-Toy Holiday Gift Ideas for Kids

    Christmas is upon us and the never-ending list to Santa Claus, requests from in laws, and our personal gifting list is underway. But while looking around seeing toys in every nook and cranny, I just want to say, no more toys!

    Now don’t get me wrong – thoughtful, educational and useful gifts are right up my ally, but with an overwhelming amount of toys, many times these items get lost, thrown out or forgotten. So this year I decided to change it up and focus on non-toy holiday gifts for the boys that will be sure to last (with of course some toys…I’m not a Grinch!).

    Whether you are looking for Christmas gifts, birthday gifts or another special occasion, I think this list will help you find something functional that your child will enjoy too!

    This post may contain affiliate links, which means that we may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links.

    Furniture

    Furniture is extremely practical. Kids and toddlers can get really excited about a new piece they can call their own and incorporate into their space; and as an added benefit – you will get years out of it!

    Teepee/Fort

    What a fun thing to post up and create a space for privacy and adventure! Kids can cozy it up with just a few blankets and pillows.

    Step Stool

    Kids often need a boost the reach the sink, maybe to watch along as you cook or help with tasks. A step stool is great for making this possible and there are a variety of options to choose from. You can even get customized stools from places like Etsy or Amazon.

    Kids Chair

    Gift your child a place to sit back, rest, watch tv and read a book or two with a kids chair. There are traditional kid-sized proportioned chairs or you can go with a bean bag that stores toys (double win)!

    Table and Chair Set

    Gift a table and chair set where your children can eat, craft, work and play.

    Sleeping Gifts

    Blankie Tails

    The kids will love these unique and soft minky material blankets, they can use for sleep or cuddling up on the couch.

    Squishmallows

    These plush buddies are so comfortable and soft and great for couch companions, pillow pals, bedtime buddies and travel teammates. They have an incredible line of stuffed animals, so one is sure to win your childs heart.

    Star Projector

    Light up the bedroom with a starry sky. Children love this fantastic display and can use this as a regular night light or desk lamp.

    Art Supplies

    Investing in art and craft supplies is an easy way for your child to expand their imagination while practicing their gross and fine motor skills.

    Easel/Chalkboard

    These multipurpose easels are sure to be a hit. Use it as a chalkboard, magnet board or a space to draw pictures.

    Craft Pack

    Sometimes all it takes is a fresh pack of markers, pipe cleaners, googly eyes and more to get the creative juices flowing.

    Tech Gifts

    Kids Fitness Watch

    Motivate your child to stay active with a fitness tracking watch. Kids can uncover character adventures and themed mini games by completing daily activities set for them.

    Mini Instant Camera

    What child wouldn’t want their own camera? And better yet, one where they can immediately print and display their photography.

    Books

    Books are always an educational gift worth giving. For the holidays you can even spice things up in December and open Christmas book gifts each night to read together.

    Experiences

    Now you can’t have a list without experiences. Doing something new or learning new things things creates lasting memories that my husband, children and I have enjoyed the most. Here are just a few:

    If you liked this post, you may be interested in our 50 Christmas Gifts under $10 and 75 Stocking Stuffers. Give it a read here!

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