At the end of the year some of us are relieved that it has come to an end. This could be because it was a year of hardship, or a death of someone close to us or that it was just a terribly tough one. We look forward to what a new year will bring and hope it will be a better one filled with good health and good things. There will of course have been good things that happened during the year but we may have forgotten about them. It is important that we dig deep and think about what those things were. We need to focus on how we are now stronger, maybe more knowledgeable, more resilient. Maybe we need to appreciate new friends we have or that we came through the other side of a tricky situation. We need to focus on the things we survived or went well and so do our children. Celebrating children’s achievements will help children have a more positive mindset.
Celebrating Children’s Achievements No Matter How Small
We don’t want our children to dwell or look back on the year in a negative way. We want them to appreciate that the outgoing year was good and some amazing things happened to them so how can we help children to focus on the positives of the year and celebrate the achievements that they made?
With a piece of paper and pen get your child to write down what went well. Things to consider are:
- What tricky situations did they overcome?
- What new friends did they make?
- How did they deal with a particular situation?
- How did they grow in confidence/self-esteem?
- What new experiences did they have?
- What did they learn?
- What fun things did they get to do as a family?
Help them to recognise their achievements for the year so they can end it on a high and feel positive about a new year. There are always high and low points in everyone’s lives. Let’s help children focus on their highs and achievements.
Resources to Track Achievements
The ‘WOW’ board is a great tool to use if we want to celebrate life’s positives on a weekly basis. It helps children to focus on positivity rather than negativity. Make celebrating achievements a daily habit!
If you want to do the same but as a family team, have a look at the Contributions Board.
