Jump Start 2021

Happy New Year to all of our wonderful customers!

2020 has left the building! The general consensus is that we are all glad to see the back of 2020. Get 2021 off to the very best start with some fun activities for kids; welcome the new year with a bang and curb the boredom with some fun and free inspiration.

Time away from the screen is crucial for childhood development. However, screens are fuss-free way of entertaining the kids; and, conveniently, kids seem to love spending time on an iPad, mobile, laptop or in front of the TV. We understand that keeping your little ones entertained needs to be as straightforward and stress-free as possible. So, we have compiled some super fun and easy activities which are the absolute bees’ knees.

Activity 1: Guess the Resolution

New Year Resolutions are a firm tradition when welcoming in the new year. For little ones, it can be difficult to think of goals and dreams to set themselves for a whole new year. Therefore, we have created this fun game with some universally popular resolutions.

To play the game, your kids will need to use the pictures to guess the new years resolution. If there is one picture, the resolution is just one word. If there are two pictures, the resolution is made up of two words. For example, if you saw a picture of a plane and a house, they would symbolise the saying ‘Fly Home’.

To make the game as straightforward as possible, you will find the answers at the bottom of each page; the answers are positioned upside down to avoid your little ones taking a sneaky peek at the answers. This game is the perfect opportunity to develop problem solving, reasoning and resilience.

Activity 2: New Year Dream Jars

For this activity, we have taken inspiration from the legendary Roald Dahl’s The BFG.

The idea of New Year Dream Jars is for your kids to write down their wishes, goals, and dreams for the new year. They will then place their wishes into the dream jars and decorate the jars to make a fantastic piece of home décor. When December 2021 rolls around, get your kids to crack open the dream jar and see how many of their wishes and dreams have come true.

Check out the instructions for making your own Dream Jars here.

Activity 3: January Missions

The mission for your little ones, if they choose to accept it, is to complete the tasks included in this downloadable activity. This sheet is essentially a calendar of every day in January. Each day has a different task for your kids to complete. It does not matter which order they complete tasks in. The objective of this activity is to provide your kids with inspiration for fun activities, encourages time away from the screen and gives structure to January; a whole fresh new year can seem daunting. This activity provides inspiration to help curb boredom and helps the month pass a little more seamlessly.

Activity 4: A Year In Photos

This activity is perfect for New Years Day! It is the ideal opportunity for families to look back on 2020 focusing on the good times and precious memories. This activity is ideal for encouraging reflection as well as giving children the opportunity to develop their verbal communication skills. This could also be turned into an opportunity for developing writing skills. We have put together some guidance notes to assist you with setting up this activity.

Activity 5: Make the Word

This game is perfect for encouraging letter recognition as well as developing spelling skills. This activity includes words themed around resolutions. All you have to do is print the words out and cut them out. Hide the parts of the words around the house for your kids to find or place all the chopped-up words in a bucket for your kids to rummage through. The aim of the game is to reconstruct the words ensuring that the spelling is correct. To add further educational value to this game, get your kids to look up the definitions for any unfamiliar words in a dictionary or use the words in sentences to ensure they understand what the word means and how to use it appropriately.

 

To end the blog, we have handpicked some of our favourite quotes which highlight the significance of entering a brand new year.

'I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.' - David Bowie

“No matter how hard the past, you can always begin again.” - Buddha

'The magic in new beginnings is truly the most powerful of them all.' - Josiyah Martin

'Sometimes a year has been so disastrous and so terrible that entering a new year will automatically mean entering a wonderful year!' - Mehmet Murat Ildan

'To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.' - Winston Churchill

'It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.' - William Shakespeare

'The beginning is the most important part of the work.' - Plato

From all of us at Jaques of London, we wish you a very happy new year and here's to a bright, happy and promising 2021.

 

Kate Luke
Head Of Brand
After graduating with a 2.1 Music degree, Kate pursued a career in the Music Industry, becoming a professional West End vocalist and a fully qualified Music Teacher, School Choir Leader and Songwriter. As one of Jaques of London’s Creative Editors, her specialism surrounds building confidence and expression through music & play—drawing upon her qualifications in Music Psychology & Child Development. As well as this, she is an accomplished blog writer and published journalist who enjoys promoting the importance of Montessori learning for all ages.
Ben Williamson
Creative Writer
Ben is passionate about Montessori learning for children and has written for many parenting publications to bring the magic of real play to families in the UK. After graduating in 2009, his career has enabled him to work in areas such as Child Development and Psychology. As a great believer that learning starts at home, he combines his experience with his own parenting style to help bring other families together.
Jess Casson
Marketing Assistant
Jess graduated from the University of York in 2022 with a degree in Sociology and Criminology; kickstarting her career in the creative marketing industry through content creation and social media management. One of these roles involved creating content for a children's holiday camp, which alongside a knowledge of Montessori Teaching, formed an interest in childhood development. Utilising her expertise in both these fields has allowed her to promote and share her passions with the online community while exploring her talent for writing and establishing collaborations.
Laura Henderson
Interior Designer
Interior Designer, Laura Henderson, lives in Surrey with her husband and two daughters. Taking a timeless approach to her designs and drawing on her love of colour, antiques, art, modernist furniture and photography she delivers luxurious compositions and peaceful sanctuaries within every space. Her previous experience in furniture design plays an integral role in the development of each of her projects, as does the time she spends getting to know her clients. She uses this to achieve beautiful, practical, reimagined layouts, resulting in projects that enhance a client’s lifestyle, reflecting their individual passions. To learn more see her website www.laurahendersoninteriordesign.com.

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