New Year’s Resolutions – how to help students create purposeful resolutions for 2016

December 02, 2015

Happy New Year!New Year’s Day is all about celebrating new beginnings and preparing for a year of opportunities. Creating resolutions are an excellent way to help students envision what they want their new year to look like and identify goals they want to accomplish. For the OtterCares Foundation, we want to encourage students to create resolutions that focus on how they can help others and encourage them to explore their brilliant ideas! Here are a few tips for helping your students craft their own personal resolutions with a philanthropic and entrepreneurial twist:

  1. Reflect: Ask students to think about the peaks and valleys of 2015. What did they like? What would they have changed? Reflection helps identify opportunities!
  2. How can they help: Ask students to think about ways they can help other people. Whether it is helping out a local animal shelter by donating food or giving away toys to other kids in need, every child is capable of making a difference! Help them explore their potential.
  3. If I could make one new thing in 2016: Ask students to think about something they want to create and three things they need to make it happen. Maybe it is a football that holds ice cream or pencils that taste like pineapples. Let their creative juices flow!
  4. Narrowing it down: With all of these great ideas, it is time to create their resolutions! Have students complete these two sentences:
    1. In 2016, I want to help others by:
    2. One idea I want to work on in 2016 is:
  5. Keep it close: Now that their resolutions are written down, help students find a place to save their resolutions. Throughout the rest of the semester, ask students to take out their resolutions and think about what they have accomplished.

We would love to see what your students come up with! Please share your students’ resolutions with us on our Facebook page or pass along any pictures and stories via email!