A Fresh Start: Exploring New Year’s Resolutions

Faithfully Explore! Podcast | Episode Length: ~15 minutes

🎙 Hosted by Laura

What if the new year wasn’t about being perfect—but about growing, one small promise at a time?

In this warm and thoughtful New Year’s episode of Faithfully Explore!, Laura invites kids and families to slow down, breathe, and step into 2026 with curiosity, kindness, and purpose. Together, we explore what New Year’s resolutions really are, where they came from, and how people around the world welcome a fresh start.

This episode blends storytelling, history, global traditions, and gentle reflection to help children see goal-setting as something hopeful, not stressful.

🌍 What We Explore in This Episode

What is a New Year’s resolution?A kid-friendly explanation of resolutions as promises we make to ourselves to grow, learn, or try again.
Focus words, intentions, and mantras Discover how choosing one guiding word, like kind, brave, or breathe, can act like a compass for the whole year.
The ancient roots of resolutions Travel back in time to ancient Babylon, Rome, and the Middle Ages to see how people have been making promises at the new year for thousands of years.
New Year traditions around the world (January 1 focus)Learn how different cultures welcome the new year, including:
Jumping ocean waves and wearing white in Brazil
Good-intention traditions and lucky foods in Italy
Twelve grapes, wishes, and travel rituals in Colombia
A reminder that while traditions differ, hope is universal
Why resolutions can be hard and why that’s okayA compassionate look at habit-building and why trying again matters more than being perfect.

💡 Resolution Ideas for Curious, Kind Explorers

Kids are encouraged to choose one meaningful goal, such as:

Learning about beliefs or cultures different from their own
Making a new friend or including someone who feels left out
Exploring their own family’s traditions, stories, or faith

These ideas reflect the heart of Faithfully Explore: understanding, empathy, and connection.

🧘‍♀️ Mindfulness & Reflection Moment

The episode includes a gentle guided visualization where listeners:

Choose a focus word or intention
Picture themselves living it out
Say their promise out loud: “I will…”

This moment helps kids feel empowered and confident in their ability to grow.

🎒 Belief Backpack Takeaway

This week, we pack:

The idea that every new year is a fresh start
The understanding that small promises can lead to big growth
The reminder that kindness, curiosity, and courage are always worth practicing

❤️ Perfect For

Families welcoming the new year together
Classrooms and homeschool lessons on goal-setting
Kids who feel nervous about resolutions
Anyone who wants to start 2026 with hope and heart

✨ Happy New Year, Explorers!

Remember: you don’t have to change everything—just take one small step, one day at a time.

Laura: 00:00:00

3, 2, 1.

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Happy New Year Explorers.

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Welcome to a brand New Year of

Adventure here on Faithfully Explore!

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I'm your host, Laura.

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Before we jump in, let's

pause for just a second.

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Take a slow breath in and out.

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Every year gives us a

quiet moment like this.

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A chance to look back at what we learned

and imagine who we want to become next.

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Some people call these hopes resolutions,

others call them intentions, focus

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words, or promises to themselves.

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Today on Faithfully Explore, we're

unpacking all of them together.

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Faithfully Explore! Intro:

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Faithfully Explore!

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is the name.

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Learning together is our aim.

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Beliefs around the globe we'll track,

filling up our Belief Backpack.

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Laura: A New Year's resolution is

like a special promise you make to

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yourself at the start of the year.

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It's something you want to

do better or try harder at.

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Think of it as setting a goal for yourself

or making a plan to grow in the next year.

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We make resolutions because a new

year feels like a fresh start.

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Kind of like opening a brand

new book with blank pages.

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Just waiting for your

next story to be written.

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A resolution could be big or small from

learning to play a new instrument to

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simply being kinder to your siblings.

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It's your promise to yourself.

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Sometimes instead of a resolution,

people choose a focus word

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or intention for the year.

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This is like picking one

special word or phrase that

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you want to remember every day.

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For example, someone might choose

the word brave to remind themselves

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to try new things, or kind to

remind them to help others.

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Some folks even call it a one word

mantra or a power word for the year.

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Even famous people do this, a

well-known TV host, Oprah Winfrey said

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her word for 2026 is transformation,

which means big positive change.

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My word for 2026 is breathe

reminding myself to take a moment

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to take a breath and relax.

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Picking a focus word can be a

simple way to guide us, almost like

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a friendly compass pointing us in

a good direction all year long.

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Whether it's a resolution or a

one word intention, both are ways

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to start the year with purpose.

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Now, have you thought of any

resolutions or words for yourself yet?

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If you have, keep it in mind

and we'll use it a bit later.

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Did you know New Year's resolutions

have been around for thousands of years.

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That's right, this idea is older than

your great, great, great grandparents.

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Let's travel back in time in our

imagination to see where it all began.

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First stop, ancient Babylon.

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About 4,000 years ago, the Babylonians

lived where modern day Iraq is.

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They celebrated New Year's,

not in January, but in March

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when Spring brought new crops.

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During a 12 day festival called

Akitu they'd crown a new king

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or cheer for their current king.

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And here's the important part.

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They made promises to their gods.

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These promises were things like,

I will pay back all my debts, or I

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will return the shovel I borrowed.

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If they kept their resolutions,

they believed the gods would

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reward them with a good year.

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If not, uh oh, the gods might be unhappy.

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That sounds a bit like how we hope for

good things when we keep our promises.

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The ancient Babylonians may have made the

very first New Year's resolutions ever.

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Next.

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Let's fast forward to 46 BC in

ancient Rome and meet Julius Caesar,

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the Roman emperor, who decided the

calendar should start on January 1st.

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The month January is

actually named after Janus.

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A Roman God with two faces.

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One face looked back into the past, and

the other looked forward into the future.

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Janus was the God of beginnings.

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So Romans honored him at the new year.

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On New Year's Day, ancient

Romans would offer sacrifices to

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Janus and make promises of good

behavior for the year ahead.

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They might promise to be brave in

battle or to be kind to their neighbors.

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You can just imagine a Roman kid in a

toga saying, "I promise to keep my room,

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or rather my corner of the villa clean."

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Moving through time, many other people

kept the resolution habit alive.

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In the Middle Ages, for instance,

knights, yes, shining armor and

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all, had a tradition at years end.

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They would place their hands on a

peacock and take the "Peacock Vow".

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This vow was a resolution to

stay true to the chivalrous code.

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In other words, to remain

brave, courteous, and honest.

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Can you imagine Sir Lancelot

declaring "I vow to be a noble

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knight" with a big bird by his side?

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It might sound a bit funny

today, but that was their way of

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renewing their promises each year.

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New Year's isn't just

a thing in one country.

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Almost everyone everywhere.

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Marks the new year in some way.

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Though, not always on January 1st.

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We'll stick to January 1st traditions

for now and save Lunar New Years

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and others for another adventure.

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Right here in the United States,

making New Year's resolutions

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is a very common tradition.

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Lots of people sit down around

New Year's Eve or New Year's

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Day and write a list of goals.

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Some of the most popular resolutions

for Americans are things like

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eat healthier, exercise more,

save money, or learn a new skill.

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But keeping a resolution

all year long can be tricky.

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One survey found that one out of 10 people

actually achieved their New Year's goals.

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Not because people are lazy, but

because changing habits is hard.

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So if you make a resolution, don't feel

bad if you mess up sometimes the important

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thing is to keep trying little by little.

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Now, let's soar down to South America.

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Welcome to Brazil.

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In Brazil, many people spend

New Year's Eve at the beach.

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Lucky them, it's summer there in January.

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As the clock strikes midnight,

Brazilian tradition says to jump

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over seven ocean waves making a

wish or resolution with each jump.

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They often wear white clothing

while doing this as white

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represents purity and a fresh start.

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This seaside celebration

is also a tribute to

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the Afro-Brazilian Goddess of the Sea.

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People hope she'll bring them good

luck for keeping those promises.

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Can you imagine leaping over wave

after wave, shouting out wishes

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like, "I will make a new friend",

or "I will do well in school."

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It's so playful and full of hope.

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Ciao.

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That's Hello In Italian.

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In Italy new Year's resolutions

are called Know buoni propositi,

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which means good intentions.

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Italians make resolutions similar to

Americans, maybe quitting bad habits

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or starting good ones, but they also

have some fun New Year's traditions.

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One interesting custom is that

some Italians wear red underwear

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on New Year's Eve for good luck.

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They also eat certain foods for luck,

lentils because they look like coins

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or pork to fatten up your luck, and

sometimes black eyed peas for fortune.

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So in Italy they start the year with

full tummies and hopeful hearts.

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Let's head over to Columbia and South

America where they do a tradition

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that actually started in Spain.

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In Columbia, people don't

exactly say resolutions.

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Instead, they talk about their deseos,

meaning wishes for the new year.

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As midnight strikes, it's a

tradition to quickly eat 12 grapes.

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One with each clock bell

chime at 12 o'clock.

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With each grape you make

a wish for the new year.

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12 grapes.

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12 wishes.

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It could be wishes, like good health,

fun adventures, or grandma gets better.

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It's a funny sight everyone trying

to gobble grapes super fast,

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giggling while making wishes.

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In Columbia, some also write their

wishes or goals on a piece of paper and

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carry it all year and then burn it on

December 31st to send off those wishes

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and start a new list for the new year.

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If you ever visit Columbia on

New Year's, don't be surprised

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by a few other traditions.

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If someone wants more travel in

their life, they might carry an

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empty suitcase around the block at

midnight pretending they're on a trip.

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Or if they want prosperity, they'll

have their pockets stuffed with

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lentils as the new year begins.

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Every culture finds unique

ways to hope for a great year.

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Those are just a few stops on our

world tour of New Year's celebrations.

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There are many more.

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For example, people in Greece bake

a coin into a cake for luck, and

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in Japan, bells ring 108 times

at midnight for a fresh start.

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But we'll save those for another time.

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Isn't it amazing how different, and

yet how similar these traditions are?

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Everywhere people want to welcome the new

year with hope, joy, and good intentions.

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Now that we've learned what resolutions

are and how people around the world

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celebrate, let's think about you.

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A new year.

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Hello 2026!

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Is a perfect time to grow

our hearts and minds.

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Here are a few awesome ideas for

some resolutions you might make.

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Learn about other beliefs and cultures.

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For example, you could promise to explore

one new religion or culture each month.

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Read a kid's book about it, or visit

a cultural festival or a different

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place of worship with your family.

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This way, you become more understanding

and respectful of people who

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believe different things than you.

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Make a new friend, especially

someone different from you.

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Maybe there's a classmate or

a neighbor you don't know.

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You could decide I will try

to befriend someone new or

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include someone who's alone.

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New friends can open your eyes to

new ideas and make life more fun.

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Explore your own family's

traditions and faith.

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Learn more about your heritage

or spiritual practice.

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Maybe ask your grandparents to tell

stories about how they grew up or how

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they celebrated holidays or learn how to

cook a traditional food with your parents.

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Understanding your own family's faith

and culture can be an adventure too.

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You might discover something

beautiful you didn't know before.

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Do any of these ideas

make you feel excited?

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A great tip is to just pick one

resolution so you don't get overwhelmed.

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You can even write down your resolution

or even a focus word and decorate it,

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then stick it on your wall or fridge.

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Seeing it every day will

remind you of your promise.

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And remember, a resolution

isn't about being perfect.

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It's about trying your best.

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If you miss a day or forget, it's okay.

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You just start again the next day.

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Each day is a new day to learn

or do something good, right?

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Let's take one moment to

seal in our resolutions.

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I want you to close

your eyes for a second.

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Think about one intention or focus word

you really want to carry out this year.

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Picture yourself doing that

thing or living that word.

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Maybe you see yourself befriending that

new kid in class or practicing that piano,

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or helping to cook a family recipe, or

simply saying kind words more often.

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Imagine it as if it's already real.

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Yes, that's you making it happen.

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Feels good, doesn't it?

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Now, on the count of three,

we're all going to say our

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intention out loud together.

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A short promise, starting with I will.

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Ready?

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1, 2, 3.

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I will take time to breathe.

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Fantastic.

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Saying it out loud is

like making it official.

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You've made a promise to yourself

and I believe you can keep it.

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Remember, every day is a new

chance to do what you set out

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to do, and if you stumble, just

dust yourself off and keep going.

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Even grownups struggle with their

resolutions, and that's okay.

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What matters is that we keep

trying and keep growing.

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What's inside our belief

backpack this week?

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All right, explorers it's just about

time to zip up our Belief Backpacks.

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Today we're packing the idea that a

new year is a fresh start for everyone,

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and our promises to ourself can help

us become kinder, braver, and wiser.

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What a powerful idea to carry with us.

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Thank you for joining me on

this New Year's Adventure.

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I hope you can carry your focus

word or resolution in your heart.

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And I hope you remember that you

are capable of amazing things.

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One small promise, one

small step at a time.

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Until our next journey together,

keep being curious, keep being kind,

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and keep exploring the beautiful

world of beliefs around you.

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Happy New Year Explorers.

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Let's make 2026 the best year yet.

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Faithfully Explore! Outro:

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Faithfully Explore!

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is about you.

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Let's grow kinder together it's true!

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