31 Days of Moxie Wonderland: Day 26-31

Nikki Hurst January 3, 2024

December 26: History of Kwanzaa

Today is the first day of Kwanzaa! Here are some facts to teach your children about this holiday:

Kwanzaa is celebrated every year from Dec 26 - Jan 1 to honor African American culture and heritage.

The holiday was created in 1966 in response to racism and mistreatment of African Americans. The goal was to instill pride in Black communities and allow people to rediscover and honor their African roots.

Kwanzaa means “first fruits” in Swahili, a language commonly spoken in Africa.

Each day of Kwanzaa, celebrants light a candle representing seven different principles:

Unity
Self-determination
Teamwork
Sharing
Purpose
Creativity
Faith

Celebrants cook special foods that have ties to African culture, such as peanut soup, shrimp gumbo, fried plantains, and sweet potato pie.

Check out the full article on the history of Kwanzaa here: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/celebrations/article/kwanzaa#:~:text=The%20holiday%20was%20created%20in,the%20different%20ways%20it%27s%20celebrated.

December 27: Teaching Goal and Resolution Setting for the New Year

The New Years holiday is often a time where adults set their resolutions and goals for the new year. Goal-setting and self-motivation are important skills for children to learn as well. Here are some ways to get your kids involved in setting their own new year’s resolutions:

Start by being a role model and sharing your resolutions with your kids (or the ones you made last year!). Talk about why you are choosing that goal and what you plan to do to achieve it.

Present making new year’s resolutions as a positive experience. Try not to focus on flaws or goals around physical appearance. Ask your child about something they can do now that they couldn’t do at the beginning of last year. Then see if there is anything they want to achieve this year, or any new skills they want to learn.

Ask open-ended questions such as:

Why do they want to achieve this goal?
What do they think will help them achieve it?
How can they check in with their progress?
How will reaching this goal make them feel?

Set realistic and SMART goals that are simple, measurable, and achievable. Find out what motivates your child and use that as a tool to help them reach their goals. You can also help them come up with a step-by-step plan. Make sure to celebrate all of their successes along the way!

Make it a fun family event! Put on a good playlist, get out some yummy snacks, and discuss your resolutions. Then use materials to make visuals of your resolutions that you can put up on the fridge or in their bedrooms.

December 28: Stuck Inside Activities

Colder winter weather can mean many days spent stuck indoors. Here are some fun ideas for activities for kids to do to keep the cabin fever away:

Build an indoor obstacle course! Use pillows, cushions, blankets, toys, and other items to create a fun obstacle course in your living room. Make it a challenge to see who can complete the course in the most creative way, or have an obstacle course race (safely of course 🙂)!

Make paper airplanes! See who’s airplane can fly the farthest, or can navigate around any obstacles.

Do a scavenger hunt! Make a list of fun items to find and see who can find the most or complete the list the fastest.

For additional activities, check out these articles:

Frugal Activities: https://smartmoneymamas.com/39-indoor-activities-for-kids-this-winter/

Parent Approved Activities: https://kidsactivitiesblog.com/63623/indoor-activities-winter/

Creative Activities and Games: https://rediscoveredfamilies.com/fun-indoor-winter-activities/

December 29: Polar Bear Breathing

Here is a fun breathing exercise you can do as a family to help let out any feelings of frustration during the busy holiday season:

Polar Bear Breaths!

Take a deep breath in through your nose, and let it out with your loudest polar bear roar! Repeat this a few times to let any anger and frustration melt away.

December 30: Giving Back to the Community

Here are some family friendly ways to give back to your community this holiday season:

Shop small! Purchase your holiday gifts at local family-owned businesses, or leave them a positive review or recommendation.

Spread kindness throughout your neighborhood by writing or drawing uplifting messages in chalk on your sidewalks.

Look for family friendly volunteer opportunities, such as contributing to a community garden or helping out at an animal shelter or local soup kitchen.

Organize a neighborhood cleanup, or spend a couple of hours helping to pick up trash at any local parks or beaches.

Make holiday care packages for your neighbors, or leave a kind note on their doorstep or in their mailbox.

Donate any used books to your local library or homeless shelter, or contribute to a community library box.

Support your elderly neighbors by offering to help rake leaves in their yard or shovel their driveways as the weather gets colder.

December 31: New Year Affirmations

Start off the first morning of the new year by saying some positive affirmations together! Look at yourselves in the mirror and repeat your affirmation several times. Here are some ideas: