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Happy New Year 2022: Welcome to this year’s new adventure – Activities and Tips

Help your pupils turn over a new leaf this new year with Emile’s tips and activities.

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New Year 2022

The festive season has ended, and now it is time for pupils to reflect on the year 2021 and start to aspire to improve their efforts in 2022. At Emile, we see everything as a possible adventure however, pupils need to be reminded that adventures although are fun and exciting include triumphs and challenges along the way, but thanks to teachers we are able to get through them. 

New Year is seen as a time for new beginnings, progress and setting up goals. This is good for pupils as it teaches them to be responsible and the importance of kindness. In addition, it is also, a “mood booster” when reaching those goals in the future. 

New Year Skills

new year

As part of your pupil’s New Year Resolutions, use this worksheet to help them identify what they need to work on this year and what new skills they would like to gain. By keeping a growth mindset your pupils will feel more inclined to reach for goals and not fear failure as it is a part of growing within the year. 

You can use this worksheet as part of a classroom display and pin-up all the Emile’s with the identified goals of your pupils and when they reach them, they can colour in that sector of their Emile…this can work as a reflection for the whole year and something that your pupils can see each day to remind them that they are working to their goals.  

Different New Year Traditions Around the World

As part of New Year, it is key to not just show what we do for New Year but also celebrate other traditions around the world to show and promote inclusiveness and that it is crucial to see other people traditions in a good way and educate why they are important to other countries. 

Use this video to show the different traditions in different countries to help your pupils understand and open the door for further research and discussion of different cultures around the world.  

When you are thinking of creating a lesson plan for different new year traditions around the world you might be thinking where do I begin… 

If you are stuck there is nothing wrong with going back to basics. You can start with a list of different countries and expand your lesson from there: 

  • Spain – In Spain, you eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight. One for each stroke of the clock to represent good luck for the coming 12 months.  
  • Columbia – In Columbia, residents will carry an empty suitcase around the block in hopes to travel for the next year. 
  • Denmark – Dances celebrate the new year by throwing old plates and glasses against the doors of family and friends to ban bad spirits. They will also, jump from chairs at midnight to “jump” into the new year together.  

BONUS: These are just a few examples of the different traditions that each country uses annually. Why not add in arts and crafts hour and the end of the lesson for a hands-on element. Each pupil can draw the tradition from their assigned country before discussing with their peers why it is celebrated.  

New Year Contracts

80% of people fail their New Year Resolutions before February. We say take a different approach to New Year’s Resolutions with this Emile Contract Worksheet.  

The premise behind the worksheet is that pupils don’t see the contract as a resolution that can put pressure on them, but more a promise or commitment to themselves.  

The premise behind the worksheet is that pupils don’t see the contract as a resolution that can put pressure on them, but more a promise or commitment to themselves.  

Make sure that you explain that their promises may be small and achievable within the year to set themselves up for success. They can always do more than what they have committed to do, the point is to meet or exceed their “contractual obligation” with themselves, rather than setting the bar too high and setting themselves up to fail. 

The trick to reinforce is that to be successful with a commitment is to: 

  • Commit 
  • Set reasonable and achievable goals 
  • Don’t get discouraged by not meeting a goal 
  • Permit themselves to succeed  
  • Don’t give up 
  • Reward success 

Emile Stickers

While in the spirit of the New Year and goals why not make sure your class know that they are doing amazing work with our Emile Sticker Sheets! 

This is ideal for boosting the morale of students and an added incentive for pupils to continue to achieve their goals and aspirations for the year. 

  • 25 mm round stickers
  • 100 stickers
  • 4 different Emile designs
  • Free Delivery (To 1 address)

Time Capsule

This is an idea makes a super classroom activity to bring everyone together and create tradition. Get your pupils to make a time capsule, for the year ahead and fill it together as the year goes on- with photos, memories from school trips, awards, certificates won and anything else that is meaningful to your class. At the end of the year open the capsule as part of circle time, remise and discuss the year as a whole and what everyone is proud of. 

More To Explore

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Request a Demo

We run online demo’s daily for teachers throughout the year. They are a great way to see Emile in action and see if it’s right for your tutor group, school or MAT.

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