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!
