It’s the start of the holiday season, and I am already thinking of my New Years Resolutions. I absolutely love the holiday season! For us, as we are raising bilingual children and as a bicultural family, it all starts in October. The temperatures start to cool down. That means it’s slightly less hot here in North Florida! And the fall fun begins! It’s all fall festivals and corn mazes until Thanksgiving. In Venezuela the Christmas season begins early and in my household it does as well! We start pulling out the decorations, decorate the trees, and begin planning the festivities with our friends and family. Life is just one big celebration until January 1st. 

But then, January 2nd hits and I find myself feeling a little bit empty! What do we have to look forward to next? I think this is where New Year’s Resolutions come in! The New Year gives us a sense of a new start. It’s fresh clean slate, if you will. It’s a way to get back on track and focus on the business of real life, which can be just as exciting! So, this year, I have decided to give our language learning journey a fresh new start! Therefore, most of my New Years Resolutions have to do with taking our bilingual journey to the next level and below are 5 that I came up with to help me do exactly that: 

Reading More in the Target Language

Reading is crucial for a child’s development. I have said it before, and I think it often needs to be emphasized. Because it definitely is easier said than done! With our busy lives, I have to admit that some days I fail to read to the kids. This was especially true during the holidays. And when we do read, it’s more often than not in English. So, I want to recommit  to reading in Spanish every day, which may mean reading more than one book. I have to set aside the time and energy every evening for that! (That’s gotta mean less cooking or cleaning, right?)

Playing More is a New Years Resolution We Should All Sign Up For

The business of children is to play! It’s how they learn and it’s crucial for their development. I give my children (and students) a lot of time for free-play. I love that they can spend hours playing indoors or out, using a few toys and a lot of imagination. However, I don’t often take the time to play with them! I want to take the time to play with them for at least 20 minutes every day where I can talk to them in Spanish and encourage them to carry out their play time conversations in Spanish as well. 

Taking More Time to Dance

We love music in this house. We like to cook, clean and do our chores while listening to music. More often than not, the music is in Spanish. I think this is a great way for children to absorb not only language, but culture. I want to make sure that we continue to spend time doing this as a family and take more time to simply hang out and dance when we have music on!  

Spending More Time Studying

Although the kids need to play a lot, they also need to study a little! The big girls are learning to read and they are also learning math. While I don’t give my students homework (Kindergarten is way too young for homework in my opinion), I do like to work at home with my kids! I think every parent should. That might mean reading a book, going to a museum and then drawing about what they saw, practicing their letters and numbers, etc. This year, I am going to use a popular reading tool (Angelito) to teach the girls how to read in Spanish. I am also going to encourage more discussion of events and outings in Spanish.  

Using Media More Effectively in the Target Language

I think that videos, games and apps are great tools for our children when used purposefully. My resolution, however, is to be more consistent about using them effectively. Spanish Safari was created with this purpose in mind and if I schedule it in for about 15 to 20 minutes every day, it will help the girls practice Spanish in a fun way. I can alternate this with a math program in Spanish (freckle – No affiliation, I just really like this program!) that I like to use with them once or twice a week.  

Letting Go of What Hinders You While Raising Bilingual Kids

New Year’s Resolutions are notorious for being difficult to stick to! However, I think that these resolutions are crucial while I am raising bilingual children. This is why I started thinking about the things I needed to do less of! After all, all this more will require time and energy. That means I will to let go of this cycle of busyness that so many of us have been living in. What does my list of letting go look like?

Less TV 
Less scrolling aimlessly through Facebook and Instagram 
Less time spent texting on my phone 
Less social commitments (it really is OK to say no sometimes!) 
Less staying up late (enough sleep is crucial in order to accomplish much) 
And my favorite…less chores (which means that my girls will have to help out more around the house right?)  

Do you make New Year’s Resolutions? Are there any holidays or times of the year that make you push that reset button? Share with us in the comments!