As you head into a new year with Omicron cases rising — literally — exponentially, you may be wondering how to start it off with a blast. Or at least do something novel and exciting with your family.
And you have every reason to want to.
There’s no doubt that a highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 variant is not the way you ever imagined 2022 would begin.
But here we are.
How many more precautions can we reasonably take, and expect our little ones to accept without either shutting down completely or rebelling?
As if Covid-19 isn’t enough to deal with — and it has certainly dragged on and on — our climate crisis is bearing down on many communities throughout the United States. The Boulder, Colorado urban firestorm is a case in point.
Whether it’s unexpected tornadoes, flooding, bitter cold, extreme and prolonged heat, or unseasonable wildfires, it’s becoming very clear that no one is safe from our climate crisis.
Terrifying.
If this doesn’t make you extremely fearful about 2022 and the future in general, I don’t know what would.
In this post, I by no means wish to minimize the seriousness of the global pandemic or our climate emergency. I’ll have a lot more to say about both in future posts.
But, I want to offer families some ideas on how to revitalize fun in their everyday lives. No better time than now at the start of a new year.
Of course…Keep the fun going the whole year, too! These suggestions work for kids of all ages. Who’s too old for fun? 
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1. Start the first weekend of every month with a play day
Since the definition of “play day” varies from person to person, go with your children’s definition.
If you have more than one child, take turns.
Day trips are always a sure bet. Staying local keeps driving time to a minimum —not only to cut back on carbon emissions, but also to free up more of your day for excitement!
A field day in the public park — whether with a ball or racket, at a playground, biking, skating, sledding, hiking, depending on the season — it’s all good.
The main thing is just to do something that you normally don’t do…together.
Ending the day with a picnic or restaurant takeout (during the pandemic) tops off the day perfectly.
Tip: To keep everyone truly together, make it an electronics-free day. Focus on each other and on nurturing family unity. The Internet will be there when you get back. 
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2. Commit to “fun” New Year’s resolutions
You may think that New Year’s resolutions are a trap and you should avoid them.
But in my family’s experience, the opposite is true.
We view New Year’s resolutions for kids as a way to set fun goals and work toward them throughout the year.
Each January, my children and I discuss what we’d like to do, how much we’d like to improve doing something, timelines to work with, etc.
Then, we (myself included!) write it up and, with a magnet, post it on the refrigerator.
From time to time throughout the year we reassess and post updates on our progress.
Usually, my children list goals about the sport they love at the moment. Like how many goals to score in a season or how many miles to run in shorter times. Mostly quantitative stuff they can measure.
I encourage them to commit to resolutions relating to inter-personal relationships or to introspection.
So, they work on getting along better with their siblings or a neighborhood friend. To do so, they practice communicating without getting into an argument, coming up with more creative things to do together, offering assistance, etc.
For introspection, they keep a diary or journal. They embellish their writing with artwork, often spending hours engrossed in the task.
Naturally, I love witnessing all this personal growth. Fortunately, I rarely have to nag them about writing in their journals. Sometimes, I serve as their coach if they’re working through a sensitive issue or are caught in a painful dilemma.
I function as a sounding board while they navigate their issues mostly by themselves. Basically, I’m working myself out of a job (parenting). I always stay available if needed, mostly for reinforcement hugs and smiles.
Then, at the end of the year, we wrap it up on New Year’s eve and talk about our hopes for the following year.
Essentially, our New Year’s resolutions serve as a framework of fun action — for the whole year. Although we never feel pressured to “perform” and knock out the goals one by one, they serve as useful guides.
Give it a try!
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3. End each month with a party on the last weekend
Alright. I’ll admit it. I have a hidden motive with this one.
Between working, running a household, keeping rowdy kids from killing each other, and getting through a global pandemic mostly unscathed (so far; fingers crossed!), I relish the monthly reprieve from cooking duty by passing on the responsibility to my children for planning, making costumes, decorating, and cooking for a party. (Cleanup is their responsibility, too.)
And, wow, is this a creativity booster and a stress reducer!
Some of my favorite parties have pirate, zombie, or clown themes.
In between doing a bazillion other things, I supervise the party prep to keep it (kind of) organized and, shall we say, agreeable to everyone’s tastes.
Of course when everything is ready, I gladly kick back and enjoy the party with my kiddos! Bet you’d love it, too.
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Key takeaways on family fun for the New Year 2022
To keep your family sane and (relatively) happy despite a pandemic and climate crisis, introduce more fun into your lives. Great family morale booster, too.
Make time for family fun times.
Even with Covid-19 pandemic anxiety and our climate emergency affecting more and more people as eco-anxiety, you gotta have fun to make it all worthwhile and to lighten the load.
Vitally important for mental and physical health for the entire family, too.
In this post, I describe three ways I keep family life fun and engaging all year long. Simple, easy, but highly rewarding for all the members of your family.
Wishing you and your family a happy, healthy, and fun new year!
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Are you homeschooling or thinking about it as Omicron invades schools worldwide? For tips on successful home learning from a 12-year veteran homeschooler and a former teacher (preK-12), check out my site www.eurekahomelearning.com. Better yet, sign up for my newsletter to get a biweekly dose of field-tested home learning wisdom rooted in love, fun activity ideas, educational product reviews, plus loads of encouragement and inspiration to make home learning at your house fantastic for all.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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Photo credit: paje victoria on Unsplash
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