Over the Christmas break we decided to do something a little different to help us decide what we’ll be up to throughout the year.
We all wrote down some wishes we’d like to do but kept them a secret from one another. We folded each wish and popped a paper clip on each one. Every Sunday we pick one wish to open and we carry it out any day the following week.
The wishes can be anything from booking a trip to baking a cake… I know there’s a couple of silly ones in there too like “Give Mummy hugs all day” 😉 So far we’ve had ‘Go to McDonald’s’ which we did on Friday. We had to actually eat in the restaurant which we never usually do so that was different! This week we pulled out ‘Have a movie night’ so I think we’re doing this Saturday. Charlie pulled it out so he gets to pick which film to order and what takeaway we’re having with it… I’m betting it’ll be Jurrassic World and Pizza!
That’s another thing, I forgot to mention… to decide who’s turn it is we roll a die. The one who gets the highest number gets to pick, if it’s a draw it’s a playoff until someone rolls the higher number.
We thought we’d make it into a game to add a bit extra fun but you can easily just take turns lowest to highest in age or something similar. Just make sure you remember who went last so it’s fair!
Someone I know mentioned they did a jar one year but instead of taking things out, they put things in. They wrote down memories of that week; something that made them happy or proud. At the end of the year they emptied the jar and read each one. How lovely is that?! I’ve not told the boys about it yet but we might do this too.
Memories and how we make them mean an awful lot to me. I want the boys to have as many good ones as we can give. They don’t have to cost the earth, even having movie nights or picnics in the park will stick with them as good memories. So long as we keep making them together is all that matters to me. ♡
Why not make your own Wish Jar? It’s as simple as you can get and all you need is a few items and your family’s imagination and you’re good to go!
Jar – Anything will do! I’ve used a mini milkbottle but a clean pasta sauce jar will be just as good, even a bowl will do the trick!
Ribbon – String? Anything you want to decorate your jar. I just used part of some packaging from a Christmas gift.
Paper clips – Again you don’t have to use these, it just helps to keep the wishes from unfolding and anyone accidentally peeking! The animal ones I’ve used here are from Amazon.
Paper – Cut into strips or if smaller children have larger handwriting it might be better to cut these wishes afterwards.
Pen – Pick your favourite colour!
Die – Again you don’t need one, only if you’d like to make it into a game like we do.
Imagination! – The wishlist is endless! It doesn’t have to be an expensive project, the littlest things make the best memories! If you’re worried you’ll end up with a jar full of ‘Go to Disneyland!’ wishes it might be worth giving the children a few examples of what you’re expecting or just limit everyone to one bigger wish each. You could even make another jar which only contains the more extravagant wishes and pick one from there a few times throughout the year as a bonus for good behaviour perhaps?
If you end up making a jar or not I wish you a very happy and fun-filled year!
See The World With The Kids 