new year’s interview: fun family tradition

It’s New Year’s Interview time! (I can hardly believe it!)

This year, we made some minor adjustments to our traditional New Year’s Family Interview because as the kids get older, I’m more interested in their thoughts and reflections than on their favorite color or best friend.

So after our late-afternoon fondue dinner, we busted out with the biggie ice-cream sundae fixings.

We made monster sundaes, got all crazy on sugar, and then got to work on our interviews–a fun and easy family tradition that we’ve all come to appreciate and cherish.

Here’s the skinny. . .

New Year’s Interview–Fun Family Tradition:

It’s really just that–a fun family tradition and nothing more.

No pressure, no stress, just a few questions to kick off the year and to summarize where we all are as far as favorites, dreams, ideas, and activities are concerned.

Before New Year’s Interviews? Ice-cream!!

We make sure all (or most!) of our ice-cream dishes are away, and then we get rockin’ and rollin’ on our interviews.

Each page of the interview is only a half-sheet, which I think is perfect; it’s not intimidating, and it means that answers can be short and sweet.

I did make some changes this year.

• What is your favorite color?
• What is your favorite food?
• Who is your best friend?

Have changed to:

• What is your favorite thing to wear?
• What is one cool thing you learned last year?
• Who do you like to hang out with the most?

I just thought the new questions lent themselves to more thought than the older ones. But if you want the older ones, download last year’s New Year’s Interview version (see below!). No biggie!

Owen zips through his. . .

. . . and Maddy takes her time on hers.

But it also means that because two people’s answers can fit on a sheet, that the kids should complete theirs first–that way, there’s no ‘influencing’ of answers or ideas from another person’s responses.  So the kids grab a pen and find a quiet spot, and they complete their interview.

When they needed support with reading or writing, my husband and I took turns helping them. Now, I just sat across the table from Cora because she wanted to do it all on her own since this year, the ‘coolest thing she learned’ was how to read. (Yay!!!)

Cora works on her interview–all by herself.

When everyone has completed his or her interview, we take turns reading answers and sharing.

Sometimes, we video everyone reading, and other times–it’s cool just reading them.

And then we share our answers!

And then we clip them all into our rockstar New Year’s Interview binder and read answers from past years.   Sometimes, the kids get a real kick out of seeing up-close how much their handwriting (or spelling) has improved, and we always have a giggle when we see the first year’s–Cora’s scribble across the page and Owen’s teeny name, Maddy’s attempts at writing on her own.

Here’s the undated (fill-in-the-date) New Year’s Family Interview, and know that the early years one is attached. So use what works for your crew~

It’s a great–easy!–tradition that can be started any time.  Missed New Year’s? Do your family interviews every President’s Day or Mother’s Day and start your New Year’s then.

It doesn’t matter.

What matters is that the kids are thinking, the kids are writing, the kids are reflecting, and the family’s doing something fun together.

Here’s to a happy, healthy, peaceful 2015 filled with love, laughter, and time together!

Need some more fun New Year’s ideas?

Check out:

• New Year’s Bingo Bonanza
• New Year’s 20 Questions
• Easy, Affordable New Year’s Traditions
• New Year’s Shakers
• Scratch Off Tickets 
• New Year’s Pinterest board

Please feel free to pin this post for later!