Family Fun Inspiration for January 2020

Happy New Year! The holiday decorations are down — it’s the season of renewal and blank canvases. I admit that I still get a little melancholy around this time of year (the lack of sunlight doesn’t help.) But it doesn’t last long. To help inspire you this month, here’s a list of ideas for January. We’re embracing the dark days with plenty of time outside. We’re making, exploring, learning and playing. I hope the new year brings you and your family plenty of love, light and inspiration.

This list is just a starting point, follow me over on Instagram for day-to-day inspiration.

MAKE

• Build snow people bagels for a cute and satisfying snack
• Paint inspiring messages on small rocks and spread them around a local park.
• Measure the weather and make a wind vane
• Study the sun with a DIY sun dial
• Calendar weather chart
• Colorful pinwheels to blow in the wind
• Cozy hibernation hangout
• Resolution books
• Freedom flags and self-portraits in honor of MLK, Jr. Day
• Chinese lanterns, wands and fortune cookies for Chinese New Year

EXPLORE

• Study the winter sky, the moon phases, trees and ponds
• Study maps and learn about directions with a compass
• Explore museums for free on a less than perfect day of weather. Learn more at King County Library System and Seattle Public Library.
• Get outside! Check out my post on Linda Akeson-McGurk’s book “There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather.”

LEARN

• How Caring for Living Things Helps Kids Build Empathy
• The Importance of Household Chores
• Teach the kids about the life and civil rights work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other activists:
  • All About the Holidays: MLK, Jr. Day
  • Books for MLK, Jr. Day (PBS Parents)
  • Children’s Books about Activists and Community Leaders (Seattle Public Library)
• Learn about Chinese New Year (2020 is the Rat)
• Sketch out your upcoming garden plan. What do you want to plant in the spring?
• New dance moves at ballet class
• Continue math function basics: add, subtract, multiply and divide
• How we interact with nature and how to preserve it
• Check out our January Study Guide for more ideas.

PLAY

• Chinese checkers
• UNO Card Game
• Math Dice Game
• Sequence for Kids
• Host a family game day at your local library.

What’s your family like to do in January? Let me know in the comments below!