Goal Setting for Kids: New Year’s Printables!

Maybe it’s just another date on the calendar. New Year’s Day. I don’t care if it is arbitrary, I love a specific point in time to look back and reflect, then look forward with anticipation! It helps bring closure to the old year, and set intentions for the new! Kids as young as preschoolers can learn to set goals and celebrate small wins with these handy New Year’s Printables! Perfect to do some goal setting for kids!

New Year’s Goal Setting for Kids Printables

Isn’t anticipation one of the best parts of any journey? I don’t think kids are ever too young to learn the simple pleasure of reflection and celebration that comes with the new year.

The ability to reflect is, after all, a key to learning. I want our kids to learn to cherish the special moments and memories that are happening to them each year! And to anticipate with joy the year to come! 

Start small and celebrate the wins!

The concept of New Year’s goals can be broken down to simple terms for small ones. I like to call it Stars and Wishes (a concept I used to use in my classroom for reflecting on final drafts – it’s an encouraging way to help young authors see what they did well, and look forward to improving their skills in the next draft! But that’s another story!).

Tips for Looking Back

We look back and recognize Star moments. The best and brightest! Those small and big wins for the year. Our highlight reel! Write down as many as you can remember!

Here’s some ideas to help you reflect:

• Look through photos or videos that highlight the past year to bring back memories for your child.
• Specifically name key events for your child: “Remember when you…” Or “You had so much fun at the…”
• Talk about “firsts,” perhaps the first time they went to the zoo, learned to spell their name, or took swimming lessons.
• Ask questions about the photos and videos, and you will be amazed at the small details that stuck in their minds! Our son vividly remembers the sharks at the Aquarium.
• Jot down important facts perhaps only you remember such as their favorite song, book, person, or outfit.

After refreshing their memories, ask about their favorite moment, place, event. Write these down as Stars!

Tips for Looking Forward

Then look forward and anticipate all you Wish the New Year to hold! The hopes and dreams! The goals, the ideas!

Set goals or Wishes for the next year with your child. These will likely be spinoffs of the Stars.

• Ask what they would like to do again, places to revisit, or people they want to spend time with.
• Suggest ways they will excel in the New Year: “I bet next year you’ll be using the kick board at swim lessons all by yourself!” Or “You already can spell your name, and I bet this year you’ll learn to write the letters too!”
• Make a keepsake booklet. Try folding a booklet with jumbo construction paper. Glue the Stars and Wishes Sheet inside and have kids draw a picture that represents their lists. For younger kids, perhaps glue in a photo from the past year. Now you have a small keepsake to look at when this next year comes to a close and you again find yourself reflecting…

Of course, Stars and Wishes aren’t heavy-duty adult-sized resolutions, and they aren’t intended to be. They’re just capturing life’s moments on paper and planning for more fantastic adventures with your children!

FREE New Year’s Stars & Wishes Worksheet

Get the first page of my New Year’s Printable FREE! The Stars & Wishes worksheet is free when you sign up for my newsletter! Help your kids reflect on last year, and plan for the coming year in a positive and simple way. The Stars & Wishes worksheet is perfect for any age. It’s a good start for preschoolers to complete with a parent, and it works well for older students to complete independently. Celebrate the old year and look forward to the new.

Looking for more goal setting for kids printables? Visit my Etsy shop for the complete 12-page packet of New Year’s Goal Setting worksheets.

The packet includes: 

• Stars & Wishes Reflection / Vision Planner
• New Year’s Reflections page – focus on favorites from the past year
• New Year’s Goals List – minimal and open-ended with just blank checklist for new things kids want to try next year
• Looking Ahead – writing prompts to stir their thoughts toward the future
• Savings Tracker – Get older kids thinking about savings and spending goals for the year. 
• Plus 7 more pages including a coloring sheet, goal trackers, and more!

Celebrate the New Year with a Noon Year’s Eve Party!

Here’s another idea for New Year’s with the kids. You can use the printable worksheet above as one of the party activities. Keep celebrations simple at home, but TONS of fun with my ideas for throwing a Noon Year’s Eve party with your kids!

• Easy Ideas for a Noon Year’s Eve Party
• More Ideas for a Noon Year’s Eve Party
• Noon Year’s Eve Party & Free printable!

How do you celebrate the New Year with your children? Have your celebrations changed as your kids have grown?