January is the coldest and darkest month of the year, but it is also a chance at a new beginning. Instead of letting the quiet of the post-holiday be filled with mindless scrolling on electronics, take this opportunity to reconnect with your spouse and kids.
1. Make a Vision Board
What do you want 2026 to look like? You can make a vision board for each member of the family or a combined one for everyone. Use a poster board and add graphics or words from magazines or the Internet to display your goals. Your board might include vacation destinations, paint colors for a room makeover, a soccer ball graphic for spring tryouts, your extended family who are visiting, or a new puppy. Some people even choose words like “growth,” “self-love,” or “explore” as the theme for their board.
2. Incorporate a Family Game Night
Some of our best family memories have been of us gathered around the table playing a game. Although game nights don’t need to be a marathon of Monopoly, you should choose a night with the least number of activities. Take turns letting everyone pick a game—board games, cards, dice and tile games, or even multiplayer video games. Don’t forget about games that include a night out, like bowling, pickleball, or escape rooms.
3. Start a Family Series
Grab your pajamas and popcorn and gather one night a week to watch a TV series that is appropriate for your family. Don’t forget to consider documentaries (Pick of the Litter), movie series (Star Wars), or bedtime stories on YouTube (Pete the Cat or Peppa Pig). Reading series like Harry Potter or Magic Tree House is also a fun family night; they can be read aloud by adults or kids, depending on their age.
4. Try a New Recipe Each Week
My family is big foodies, and I attribute that to the fact that we encouraged the kids to try new recipes. It is easy to make “kid food” for picky eaters, but if the kids are a part of the menu planning and meal prep, they might expand their tastes. Offer food flights using new ingredients for old favorites. Think pasta with three sauce options or sliders with three different chicken fillings—BBQ, teriyaki, or honey mustard. Make a game of it with score sheets and suggestions for next time.
5. Set Aside Time for a Parent/Child Date Night
This is a one-on-one evening or daytime event where each child gets to spend time alone with one parent. It is the perfect time to share common interests and to catch up on what is going on in each other’s lives. Consider trying new restaurants for adventurous eaters, hitting a bucket of balls, getting your nails done, hiking or bike riding, or tackling a project together, like building or crafts.
6. Volunteer Together
You can spend quality time together and help someone in need. In addition, you will instill the importance of lifelong volunteerism in your children. Check out volunteer opportunities in your community, such as animal shelters, playing games with residents at an assisted living facility, setting up a community garden, or sponsoring food, toy, and clothing drives for local charities. Click here for eight places where you can volunteer locally.
7. Start a Gratitude Jar
Several years ago, my son made a blessing jar at church during the holidays. It included all the things that he felt were blessings: family, video games, our pets, etc. After the new year, I emptied the jar out and began filling it with events and moments our family had during the year—crazy hair day at school, a winning goal, and a new family car. On New Year’s Day the following year, we all took turns reading the folded papers. It was so nice to relive those memories, and it has been a great tradition for our family.
8. Celebrate Your Family Culture
For many of us, family culture is a lost art. We don’t know the language, foods, dances, or days of celebration because somewhere along the line, they stopped being shared. Reach out to older family members and ask about things they did in their childhood or research your family history to find out what nationality you are with DNA tests like Ancestry.com. Practice some of the traditions from your cultures, including listening to traditional music or learning some key phrases. Try to incorporate it into your daily life to let those traditions live on.
After you’re done planning the fun stuff, read Must-Do’s for the New Year to help you create a checklist of some of the important to-do’s that you may have been procrastinating.
