(Family Features) The holiday season is special, fun and often a bit chaotic, filled with family gatherings and joyful celebrations. Once the decorations come down and chaos subsides in the new year, many families face a familiar challenge: getting children back into their regular routines.

After weeks of excitement, travel and inconsistent schedules, the transition back to structure can feel daunting. However, with a thoughtful approach, parents can help their children ease back into their daily rhythms, and in the process, restore calm for the entire family. Dr. Lauren Loquasto, senior vice president and chief academic officer at The Goddard School, provides this insight and guidance for parents.

Understand Why Routines Matter
Children thrive on predictability. Routines provide a sense of security, reduce stress and support emotional regulation. Children feel safe, even proud, when they know what comes next. Routines also help them develop independence and self-control. After the holidays, reestablishing these patterns is essential for a smooth return to school and everyday life.

Start with Sleep
For young children, sleep is the foundation of a successful routine. Consistent sleep supports focus, tolerance and cooperation. For optimal brain repair and growth, preschoolers typically need 10-13 hours of sleep per night, but seasonal festivities can disrupt sleep schedules, frequently leaving children overly tired.

Begin by gradually adjusting bedtime by moving it earlier in 15-minute increments each night until you resume your regular schedule. Pair this with calming pre-bedtime rituals like reading or quiet play to signal it’s time to wind down. The morning routine is equally important. Strive for consistent wake-up times, even on the weekends.

If your child is resistant, teach them how their sleep routine helps their body and mind. For example: “Your body relaxes and grows stronger when you get enough sleep, so you feel good afterward.”

Reintroduce Standard Mealtimes
Holiday snacking and large meals at family gatherings can disrupt normal eating habits. Reinstate regular meal and snack times to help your child feel grounded. Offer balanced options and involve them in planning or preparing meals, as they’re more likely to embrace healthy choices when they have a role in the process.

Prioritize Physical Activity
After extended periods of lounging indoors – and likely an overdose of screen time – children need movement to burn energy and boost their moods. Coordinate outdoor play and family walks. If the weather isn’t cooperative, move around indoors with hide-and-seek and dance sessions. Physical activity not only supports health but also helps regulate sleep and behavior.

Strategically Provide Choices
When children have a voice, they are more likely to stay engaged and stick to their routines. As your child settles back into familiar patterns, this is an ideal moment to assess where you can ease your grip just enough to support their growing autonomy. This doesn’t mean relinquishing full decision-making power; rather, it’s about offering structured, intentional choices that help them feel a sense of control over their day.

You know your child best, so you can determine when to be flexible. For example, it may not matter if they change into their pajamas right after dinner or just before bed but shifting when they go to the bathroom could completely disrupt their routine and, in turn, your day.

Model Behavior
Children learn by example and they are always watching their parents. If you reestablish and consistently maintain your own routines – healthy meals, quality sleep and physical activity among them – your child is more likely to follow suit. Make it a family effort rather than a set of rules imposed on them, and make it fun. To help routines stick, consider sticker charts to track progress and incentivize independence and accountability.

Resetting routines isn’t about perfection; it’s about creating a supportive environment where children feel secure and prepared for what’s ahead. With patience, consistency and a positive attitude, you can help your child start the new year on the right foot.

For more parenting guidance and insights, including a blog and webinar series, visit the Parent Resource Center at GoddardSchool.com.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock

SOURCE:

The Goddard School

The holiday season is steeped in tradition. Many of those traditions are rooted in celebrants’ faith, but one of the last customs people embrace each year is largely secular.

The tradition of making New Year’s resolutions is older than many people may realize. According to History.com, the ancient Babylonians are believed to be the first people to make New Year’s resolutions when they began doing so roughly 4,000 years ago during a 12-day festival known as Akitu. That festival was religious in nature, but many people now make resolutions with a goal toward self-improvement unrelated to their faith. As people ponder their resolutions for the year ahead, the following strategies might help them stay the course over the next 12 months.

· Give serious thought to a prospective resolution. Statistics regarding New Year’s resolutions vary, but a 2024 survey from the Pew Research Center found that 13 percent of adults polled indicated they kept none of their resolutions. Numerous variables can affect whether or not a person keeps a resolution, but giving a potential resolution little thought ahead of time can make achieving a goal unlikely. Give any potential change ample thought before committing to a resolution. If you aspire to lose weight, identify the ways you’re going to go about that. Find a local gym to join, identify ways to eat a more nutritious diet and, perhaps most importantly, study how you can make time to stay the course. A little legwork in advance of declaring a resolution can pay off in the long run.

· Set periodic goals. Small goals along the way to the larger goal can serve as motivation to keep going. If you aspire to watch less television and read more, resolve to read 100 pages per week and then gradually increase that total if you so desire. Small goals can provide a great means to measure incremental progress that will ultimately make achieving a larger goal more likely.

· Be realistic. Realistic goals are more likely to be achieved than ones that seem good on the surface but are too difficult to keep. For example, if you aspire to exercise for an hour each day but obligations to work and family leave little time for physical activity, then you may need to reduce those expectations in favor of a more realistic, achievable goal. Taking on too much will only discourage you when hurdles inevitably appear, and that is likely to compel you to abandon the resolution entirely. If your initial goal is realistic, then any challenges that arise are less likely to derail your efforts.

· Don’t go it alone. Many people employ the buddy system as a means to stay motivated with fitness-related resolutions, and that approach can be applied to any goal you set at the beginning of the year. Having someone there to hold you accountable, and doing the same for a partner, increases the chances you’ll stay the course.

New Year’s resolutions are an ancient tradition, even if the majority tend to be abandoned rather quickly. But anyone can buck that trend and stay the course by employing a few simple, yet effective strategies.

(Family Features) During the holiday season, many people feel a renewed sense of generosity. It’s a time when communities come alive with food drives, toy collections, volunteer events and donation campaigns – all fueled by the spirit of giving.

While this seasonal energy can be powerful, the need it responds to doesn’t fade when the decorations come down. Giving back is not only essential during the holidays; it’s also the foundation of stronger, more resilient communities year round.

People in nearly every community face challenges – whether it’s affording holiday presents or meeting basic needs like food, rent and utilities. For many families, current economic strains are forcing them to make tough decisions like sacrificing necessities or depleting savings to create moments of holiday joy.

This is a time to rally support and help neighbors in need. Right now, many community members who didn’t previously need help are seeking support.  Acts of generosity large and small help close gaps and strengthen communities. When individuals and businesses give their time, resources and talent, they can help ensure everyone has a fair chance to not only survive but thrive.

Communities rely on nonprofit organizations like United Way – one of the oldest and largest organizations committed to tackling local challenges and mobilizing communities to improve lives. With a presence in nearly 99% of communities across the U.S., the organization recognizes the power of giving and relies on seasonal and year-round generosity to deliver food and housing assistance, youth programs, mental health support, disaster recovery and more.

This holiday season and beyond, to assist your community consider taking actions such as:

Volunteering
Offering your time is one way to make a real change in your community while helping build a more resilient future for all. What’s more, research shows the personal benefits of volunteering, such as reduced feelings of isolation, loneliness and risk of depression. Whether it’s a community event, ongoing support or in-person activities, making a difference for others feels good.

Donating
Sharing your financial resources can play a vital role in helping communities thrive. Your donation can help put food on the table for families in need, support kids who are struggling or provide mental health services to the most vulnerable individuals. Remember, your gift of any size combines with the gifts of others and builds stronger, more resilient communities.

Sharing Expertise or Talent
Generosity can take many forms. Making a difference isn’t just about time and money; it can also mean sharing skills or knowledge, and even social networks to bolster charitable efforts. Giving back builds a shared sense of responsibility. It reminds people that strong communities don’t happen by accident – they’re created through connection, compassion and collective action.

Supporting Causes You Believe In
Every community faces their own unique, pressing challenges and almost everyone has a cause that’s close to their hearts. Identify organizations working to advance those causes and make a plan to support them.

Find opportunities to support your community this holiday season and make generosity a year-round tradition at unitedway.org/local.

SOURCE:
United Way