A Monthly Activity Guide for January 2023
For moms, the beginning of each new year comes the “aftermath” of Holiday break, new additions to your home (toys and other gifts alike!), and trying to find the balance in it all. To start, take a deep breath! You’ve got this, and we’re here to help. January is a month that is full of new beginnings, but it can be hard to get started on the right foot when you’re still catching your breath. We’ve gone ahead and put together a monthly activity guide for things you can do with your littles during the month of January, from anywhere.
Cleaning and Organizing
This might not seem like the most fun way to get our list started, but let us prove you wrong! It’s great to get littles on board (if they’re old enough) with getting your home into order after the holidays. Aside from setting a good example (monkey see, monkey do, right?) here are our favorite tips for how to make cleaning and organizing fun for kids:
- Set the tone with simple, small tasks, that are part of a larger task. Rather than asking them to clean their room in one go - which may feel overwhelming - give each task its own clear instruction such as “put all dolls away” or “put dirty clothes in the hamper.
- Encourage your child's independence by helping them draw up a simple plan for tackling the room: start with clothing then move on toys and books etc. Taking this step-by-step approach will make chores easier and help instill long term habits of self-sufficiency!
- Make cleaning an exciting game! Try something like this Clean Your Room BINGO board to get the fun going. Get those fingers groovin' with a kitchen clean-up challenge: if they pick up all food and napkins before their favorite song is over, treat time will ensue!
- Throw some dice around your house for another task delegating opportunity--write down six different chores correlated with numbers from one to six and roll away till each gets theirs. Wanna turn it up even more? Plant Easter eggs or treats in random spots around the home; you'll be surprised at how much joy little scavenger hunters take out of sprucing things up this way...without ever knowing that's exactly what they're doing!
- Transform your child's next cleaning session into a fun adventure with the help of their favorite tunes! Create a personalized Spotify playlist that they can jam out to while tidying up.
Vision Boards
Encourage your kids to adopt a lifestyle of goal forecasting and attuning to their desires with a 2023 vision board. Have them sit down and write out all of their dreams, goals, and aspirations for the future and what they want to see happen by then. For younger kids who have difficulty expressing themselves verbally, you can provide them with visual aids such as a stack of magazines and pictures, or even a collage of images that represent their goals and dreams to help them get started.
Once they have created a list of ideas for their board, it’s time to create the actual physical vision board. Depending on the age and skill level of your child, you may want to provide them with pre-made templates or help them design their own layout. You can also assist them in cutting out pictures, writing inspiring words and quotes, and gluing the elements onto a poster board.
Once your child’s vision board is complete, be sure to hang it up in a prominent place such as their bedroom wall or even the fridge where they can look at it every day and be reminded of their goals. Encourage them to take time each week or month to review their vision board and reflect on their progress. Remind them that reaching these goals may take hard work and dedication, but with a positive attitude and perseverance anything is possible! Finally, provide words of affirmation and support whenever you can. Helping your child reach their goals and look towards a bright future is an incredibly rewarding experience.
If you’re having trouble gathering inspiration to help get started, start by asking your kids these simple questions:
- What’s something you would enjoy being responsible for?
- What is something you’d like to learn how to do this year?
- What is something you love about yourself that you want to spend time growing?
- Do you have a goal of something you’d like to accomplish there year?
- What’s one new thing you’d love to do this year?
Learning About Winter with Crafts
As we settle into some of the coldest months of winter, this is a great time to not only talk about what happens to our earth during the cold winter months, and there’s no better way to do this than with crafts! Here are a few of our favorites with themes of winter and what happens during this time of year.
Animal Hibernation
Animals hibernate to survive difficult periods in the year, such as winter. It helps them to conserve energy and escape extreme temperatures or lack of food that inhibits their ability to thrive. In fact,some animals go through a process called torpor where their body slows down its metabolic processes. This allows them to use minimal resources and remain still in a state of rest for extended periods of time. Hibernation is nature’s way of helping animals survive throughout the season when their surroundings become less favorable for living their everyday lives.
Helpful Youtube Video: Hibernation | The Dr. Binocs Show | Learn Videos For Kids
Craft: Paper Plate Sleeping Bear
Types of Snow/Snowflakes
Snow is a magical thing, and it comes in many different types. From powdery flurries to deep icy crystals, you can find an amazing variety of frozen precipitation all across the world. We have snow that is dry like this powdery stuff, heavy, wet snow that blankets everything it touches with pure white beauty, and even graupel: a mix between hail and snow. No matter the type of snow you come across, there's no doubt that it leaves its mark on our natural winter landscapes.
Helpful Youtube Video: SNOWFLAKES - Dr Binocs | Best Learning Videos For Kids | Dr Binocs | Peekaboo Kidz
Craft: DIY Crystal Snowflakes
Plants & Dormancy
While it may seem like plants just go to sleep during the winter, there’s actually quite a lot going on under the surface. As temperatures cool and day lengths shorten, many plants begin to go into dormancy mode, which means they slow down their processes and conserve energy in preparation for the next growing season. During this time, some plant species might lose their leaves or turn brown as they draw carbohydrates out of leaves and into branch and root tissue before the cold sets in. Other plants may become hardy and will stay green throughout winter while they gain protection from freezing temperatures. It’s important to remember though that all plants can be vulnerable to frost so if you have plants growing outdoors, make sure to provide adequate cover before Jack Frost arrives!
Helpful Youtube Video: How do Trees Survive Winter?
Craft: Winter Tree Craf
Winter has a lot to offer and is full of learning opportunities for your kids. With these crafts, you can help them explore how animals, plants, and the environment adapts to the colder months. Who knows, maybe they’ll even be inspired to make their own crafty winter projects! As always, providing ongoing support and guidance when working on these projects is essential. Have fun exploring and learning about winter together!
Winter Around the World
Finally, while we may be shivering during the winter months here in the states, this time of year is a perfect time to help teach littles just how big our world is! This could look like:
- Hosting a virtual field trip – use Google Earth or other online resources to explore different places around the world with kids. Talk about what winter looks like in different locations.
- Learning about winter plants and animals – use books, websites, and other resources to explore the different kinds of creatures that inhabit snowy climates.
- Making hot cocoa with different flavors – use spices or other ingredients to explore the many tastes of hot cocoa. Encourage children to experiment and see which one they like best. Here is a great place to get started!
And in case it’s helpful, here are a few facts to help you round out your “winter around the world” knowledge…
In South America, winter usually means mild temperatures with little rainfall. Although it doesn't get as cold as North America or Europe, the days can be chilly enough to require extra layers.
In Africa and Australia, winter is the dry season with temperatures ranging from mild to hot. The winter months are an excellent time for outdoor activities such as camping and wildlife viewing.
In Asia, winter varies depending on location. In some parts of China and Japan it can get very cold with a lot of snow. On the other hand, countries like Thailand and Cambodia experience milder temperatures with less rain.
No matter where you are in the world, winter is a special time of year. Whether it's warm or cold, there is something magical about experiencing the season in its own unique way.
As you look ahead to the new year and all that you hope to achieve, don’t forget to include your kids in your plans. January is a great month to focus on cleaning and organizing, both around the house and within ourselves. It’s also a fun time to learn about winter around the world, make vision boards for our dreams and goals, and get creative with winter-inspired crafts. Do you have any other ideas of what to do with your kids during the long winter months? Share them with us in the comments or over on our social media channels. And be sure to subscribe to our email list so you don’t miss any of our upcoming blog posts packed full of tips, tricks and activities for parents just like you.