Pagan Children's Books Imbolc Newsletter

Check out the Pagan Children's Books Imbolc Newsletter! You can sign up for the newsletter HERE. The next Sabbat is just around the corner! Check out how to make yearly goals - tell us how you like it on our FB page! Blessed be! Imbolc is upon us, and that means it is time to take the introspection of the dark of the year and begin making plans. It is also a new semester in school - a fresh start without the uncomfortable fears of the unknown. Even better, Pagan festival season is on the horizon. This would be a good time for kids and families to start working on ideas for the coming warm weather. Perhaps the little ones would like to go to day camp this summer. Maybe the family vacation choice is looming. Where would you like to go this year? What accomplishments would your child like to have under their belt? Who would you like to connect with or learn from? Begin the conversation and plant the seeds for the coming year! ABC Book of Goddesses is a great choice for birthdays or bedtime reading! It's never too late to make your yearly resolutions, promises and plans. Involving the kids makes them feel like they are a part of the family goals, and more likely to participate in the fun and work involved. Here's some ideas for helping kids get their ideas down in words and real, workable plans.   Brainstorm. Have a few words to throw out to get things going. Use colored markers and a big piece of construction paper or a dry-erase board to write down the ideas. Lay down the basic rules: take turns, no wrong answers, no making fun of answers, etc. Narrow down the ideas to a few goals. This is where you will need to think about time, money and age constraints. Have more goals than you can actually accomplish, but not too many more. Talk about prioritizing goals and why some goals may be unlikely (being an astronaut at 6 yo is nice, but unrealistic because NASA has rules about that). Check out alternatives. If a goal is deemed unrealistic, talk about why that is and what could be done instead. If the 6 yo wants to be an astronaut, talk about space camp or astronomy as an alternative. Make an outline. Use the general idea as the title, and help the kids come up with steps to take to make it happen. Kids will love seeing big ideas break down into easy goals. Take a big piece of paper and use webbing to show splits and connections for a fun alternative to traditional outline formats. Set up a checklist for kids to follow. Kids like to mark things off, and if they know what they need to do next, they are likely to surprise you with their ability to get it done. Make it age appropriate with small words or pictures for younger kids. Older kids might use a planner that you can help them fill out! Watch the kids go! Stand back unless they seriously need help. Achieving goals by themselves is key to developing self-efficacy in their adult years.