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🌱 Family Intentions, choosing how you want to feel this year 🌱
Hello Sproutly Families,
Each new year invites us to ask big questions about goals, plans, and progress. But this year, let’s begin with something gentler and more powerful: How do we want to feel?
Children don’t thrive on goals the way adults do. They thrive on rhythms, emotions, and connection. When families set intentions around how they want to feel together, it shapes everything from daily routines to the way conflicts are handled.
As family therapists, we’ve seen how powerful this shift can be. Instead of “do more” or “be better,” try asking: “What feelings do we want to grow in our home this year?” Maybe it’s calm, courage, kindness, joy, or connection. Feelings become the foundation that guide actions—and that’s where true change begins.
In this newsletter, you will get....
Parenting Tips
Photo by August de Richelieu on Pexels
Setting Family Intentions That Stick
Start with Emotions
Gather as a family and ask, “What feelings do we want to have more of this year?” Write them down or draw pictures to represent them.Choose 2–3 Core Intentions
Instead of a long list, focus on a few that matter most. Like peaceful mornings, more laughter, or slower weekends.Keep It Visible
Display your family intentions somewhere you’ll all see them daily.Check In Regularly
During family meals or Sunday nights, ask, “How are we feeling as a family this week?” or “What could help us get back to our calm or kindness?”Model It First
Kids learn what we practice. Let them see you pause and say, “I’m choosing calm right now,” or “I want to bring more patience into this moment.”
Activity of the Week
Photo by Vlada Karpovich on Pexels
The Family Vision Board + Word of the Year
You’ll Need:
A large poster board or paper
Magazines, markers, or printed pictures
Glue, scissors, and a calm playlist
How to Do It:
Sit together and talk about how each family member wants to feel this year. Write down everyone’s words (for example: calm, creative, brave, kind).
As a family, choose a Word of the Year—one feeling or value you all want to grow. Write it boldly in the center of the board.
Around the word, add pictures, words, or drawings that represent what those feelings look like in everyday life.
Calm might look like cozy reading time.
Connection might look like family dinners or walks.
Joy might look like music, laughter, or art.
Add your Family Intention Statement at the bottom: “This year, our family wants to feel ________.”
Hang the board somewhere visible to remind everyone of your shared emotional focus.
Why it works: When families connect feelings to images and shared words, they strengthen emotional vocabulary and create a daily visual reminder of what matters most.
Setting family intentions is about creating an emotional rhythm for your home. It reminds everyone, kids and adults, that how we feel together is more important than how much we do together.
Warm regards,
Millie & Melissa
The Sproutly Team
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