Edited in 12/2020 to add: As I read back on this post I wrote originally in 2018 and then updated in 2019, LOLOLOL. What a sweet innocent child I was, not knowing what 2020 had in store. I’m leaving the text untouched for posterity’s sake, but the download is updated with the year 2020. Good things did happen this year, in the midst of the pain and hard times, and it is important and life-affirming that we point them out.
The end of the year is upon us, which is absolute insanity. I mean, this has been both the fastest year ever and the longest year ever, RIGHT?
December at the Boys & Girls Club can be an intense month, with holiday events and gift-making for volunteers and donors and for many sites, full-day hours during the school break. As an Education Director in the Club, I was always looking for meaningful yet simple activities to use with my members. Today, I bring you an activity that I wish I would have had.
It is common at the end of the year to sit back a moment and reflect on all that has happened. Best-of listicles are everywhere! (And you know I’m going to read all of the bookish ones!) You can bring that energy into the Clubhouse by leading your youth in a simple self-reflection activity that will get them thinking, writing, and reminiscing about 2019.
After doing a search for end of the year activities on the interwebz, I found a great worksheet for use in a classroom at the end of the school year, but it didn’t quite fit Club life. So I adapted it! This page gives 10 different spaces for your members, ages 9 and older, to make their own lists from the past year. Lists include “7 Things I’m Proud Of”, “5 Funny Moments”, “10 Words to Describe Me” and more!
I purposely left it pretty plain so that each youth can put their own creative spin on it. Do they just want to trace the borders? Do they want to cut it up and make a collage? It’s up to them (and you as the activity leader)! I’ve also made a copy that is totally blank except for numbers, in case you want to give your older members a chance to curate their own ideas, or if you want to customize it.
A tip for staff- consider filling out the worksheet yourself and creating your own beautiful design! It will be a great chance for some community building, while giving you the opportunity to do your own self-reflection as well.
To download this free year end self-reflection worksheet, click below! (Updated for 2020!)
If you use this worksheet in your Club, please share photos with us! We’d love to see how they turn out!
How do you lead your members in self-reflection? What are your favorite activities to wrap up the year? Let us know by commenting below, on the BGCA Youth Development Facebook page, or by emailing us at ClubXBlog@bgca.org!
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