New Year, New Dreams
It's important that children and families are able to look forward to the New Year ahead. According to an article from QualityCareforChildren.org, creating vision boards can help children of all ages learn about setting and working towards goals and can also help them to be imaginative, playful, mindful, intentional and optimistic (it helps adults too!) If you have never made one, a vision board is simply a collage of pictures, drawings or even quotes or sayings which can help you to visualize what you would like to accomplish in the year ahead. You can use old magazines to cut out pictures and utilize a poster board or blank piece of paper as the background. You can even tape your vision board to a wall! Both caregivers/parents and chldren can design their own. Here are some tips:
1 ) Explain to your child what a Vision Board is-a collage of pictures, quotes and sayings that help you to visualize your dreams for the year ahead.
2) Talk with your child about goal setting and their dreams. An example of a picture on a child's vision board could be a picture of a park or a green scene. Going to a local park for a weekly walk could be an attainment of this particular goal.
3) Help your child to design their board but do not dictate goals to your child for their vision board.
4) Keep it fun for your children and you.
5) Periodically have your children look on their vision board to see how they are progressing toward their goal. This is a good, inexpensive activity, and especially useful for times when it is too chilly, or rainy, to play outside.
Happy Vision Boarding!
