New Year, Big Dreams: 3 Kid's Books For Setting Resolutions
Is it still cool to set New Year's resolutions?
If you live in the northern hemisphere, you are probably experiencing the joys of the Arctic blast. If you know how I feel about winter, you know I’m not too happy about this. And yet, in the spirit of looking at the bright side of things, there’s something so cleansing about breathing in frigid winter air. It’s so crisp—as sharp and precise as a scalpel—it feels as though past sins and drudges are being carved out and I’m beginning anew.
Which is the perfect way to feel when you’re thinking about the tone you want to set for a new year. As someone who goes rabid for a brand-new notebook, I froth at the mouth for a good New Year’s resolution. I love setting up a personal goal for myself and seeing where I land at the end of the year. I don’t beat myself up if I don’t meet my goal. It’s just to see if I can make any progress at all.
There have been a lot of in-and-out lists circulating on social media and around the internet and I think that’s a great way to approach setting “themes” for the year. On the flip side, I’ve also seen a lot of negativity around resolutions, how it’s not helpful, etc. I don’t quite see it that way but coming out on the other side of a really busy season, in the middle of winter, I can see how draining it can be to come up with a goal requiring you to do something when all you need to do is rest.
I’ve been feeling a little bit of that malaise so my list of resolutions is short and benign (they’re practically boring):
Drink 3L of water every day
I’m notoriously, chronically dehydrated. Every doctor has told me this over the last several years. This is the year where all of that changes (not least because I’m terrified of kidney stones). My mission is to be so well-hydrated that my kidneys file for unemployment. I did a great job the first week but, alas, returned to bad habits this past week. TBD on how this all goes come December.
Get more social (but not on social media)
This is my most ambitious resolution this year and one I’m unsure where to begin. A genius friend—who is also a consultant so this exercise is completely predictable—recommended plotting a 2x2 matrix to figure out my social connection needs. The columns are the quality of the interaction and the rows are the nature of the interaction. You put the number of times you need that type of connection per month in each box.
She claims you need a mix of deep, meaningful connections and fun, surface-level interactions; both are necessary to feel the joy of connection. I have found that to be true—while I love long, philosophical conversations with the ones I love, there’s also something quite fun and unexpected about casual talks with someone you know casually.
The first time you plot it, it’s a hypothesis. As you start trying to achieve the number of interactions you’ve listed, you’re supposed to recalibrate the matrix. After a few months, you should have a good sense of what your social connection needs are.
I appreciated this approach because it forced me to consider what fills my cup socially. I have my grid sorted but now I need to start planning how to meet this goal. That will be the hard part in making all this happen!
What about you?
First off, are New Year’s resolutions still cool?
Are you a fan of New Year’s resolutions?
Have you set any resolutions for yourself?
Whistle For Willie
Written and Illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats
Recommended Ages: 1-5 years old
I felt seen when I first read this book. I’ve wanted all my life to be able to whistle and still haven’t figured it out. Peter wants to whistle too. He wants nothing more than to whistle and have his dog, Willie, heed his call. And so, as he meanders from one activity to the next (as toddlers and preschoolers do) he tries and tries until finally, he manages the knack of it. Peter is the face of all little children learning new things sneakily in the margins and seams of other, bigger activities and then surprising all the adults by “suddenly” having conquered a new skill. Whenever I read an Ezra Jack Keats book, I wonder how closely he must have studied kids to capture childhood so aptly. Resplendent with bold, saturated colors, Keats’ collage-style artwork is warm, inviting, and irresistible.
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Maxwell’s Mountain
Written by Shari Becker and Illustrated by Nicole Wong
Recommended Ages: 5-8 years old
When Maxwell goes to a new park, he isn’t interested in the swings or the slide. No, Maxwell is fixated on the mountain behind the park and decides he’s meant to climb to the very top. His parents are less eager and tell him he can try only if he proves that he’s ready. Maxwell writes out a plan and goes about checking it off. When he’s finally ready, he heads off to conquer his mountain. Maxwell’s thoroughness and persistence are endearing and one of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much. It’s about someone who sets out with a goal and tries to break it into smaller pieces. And that only enhances and reaffirms his self-confidence that he can do this even as he faces challenges along the way. It’s a great lesson for kids, especially those who get frustrated when trying something new.
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The Pink Refrigerator
Written and Illustrated by Tim Egan
Recommended Ages: 7-10 years old
Dodsworth is a creature of habit and much of that habit is doing “as little as possible.” He does the bare minimum to get by and that includes a daily trek to the junkyard to find treasures he can sell in his thrift shop. On one such trip to the junkyard, Dodsworth comes across a rusty pink refrigerator with a post-it slapped across the front bearing a mandate: “Make picture.” Opening the refrigerator, Dodsworth finds all the tools he needs to make a picture. So Dodsworth paints the ocean (that he’s never visited). On each of his visits to the junkyard, the refrigerator gives him instructions and the resources he’ll need. As Dodsworth engages with each activity, we see him transform from confinement to opening himself up to new opportunities. This may not seem very goal-oriented but I think this story serves as the perfect reminder that challenging yourself in any way is always something to strive towards. And being open to opportunities and new adventures is the hallmark of a well-enjoyed childhood.
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In case you missed it…
Suggest A Topic—there’s a new button at the top of the website where you can submit topic ideas for book recommendation lists (or anything else you’d like me to cover in this newsletter)
Children’s books for the winter—it’s winter as far as the eye can see so why not hunker down with some of these delightful reads?
Let’s keep the conversation going…
First off, are New Year’s resolutions still cool?
Are you a fan of New Year’s resolutions?
Have you set any resolutions for yourself?
*Thank you for using (at no additional cost to you) the affiliate links in this post! :-)
I love new years resolutions, they give me a chance to revisit our family mission statement and think of new ways to live our values as the season of life we're in changes.
We made a family resolution to do frequent board game nights and I have a personal resolution to work on nature journalling
The matrix is such a great framework for planning social connections, I have to make my own! Thank you for sharing Sri.