As children's thoughts turn to Christmas presents, the British Humanist Association is launching a pilot project to encourage them to think about others
Christmas is a strange and unruly time for many schools. The classroom becomes festive and the children are on tenterhooks, with visions of Harry Potter merchandise and a new Xbox dancing in their heads. It's exciting, but it's all too easy for bright lights and selfish wishes to eclipse the season of goodwill.
A new project being piloted by the British Humanist Association wants to turn the festive season into something more socially directed, by recasting the tired old New Year resolution – so often about breaking a negative habit – as a pledge to do something positive for others.
The "Resolution Revolution" project offers some well-designed materials, and an accompanying website, resolution-revolution.org.uk, will allow users to make their resolution, share it publicly, and report back on how it's going.
The association offers some suggestions for resolutions:
• Clean the bathroom.
• Take a relative out to visit a museum or gallery.
• Teach a younger brother or sister to play your favourite sport or game.
• Plant bulbs in a pot for the spring.
• De-mud the family's shoes.
Such small activities can build good relationships and help young people to develop a range of skills and qualities, from punctuality to planning and staying power.
It's a thought-provoking exercise, and it supports citizenship learning. Genuinely inclusive seasonal classroom activities are rather thin on the ground, and these materials are designed to be used by anyone regardless of religion or belief. There are already Church of England schools involved in the project, and the association plans to involve many more schools, both religious and secular.
The British Humanist Association is looking for classes to take part in this pilot stage and try out the classroom materials, which include certificates and badges. The BHA can send a representative to launch the scheme at an assembly or with a class group. You can register online at www.humanism.org.uk/resolution-revolution and you'll be sent a resource pack.
The organisers want feedback from as many classes as possible to help improve the scheme, which they will hone in the months ahead, so that Resolution Revolution can become a vital part of next year's curriculum.
The BHA is committed to building strong local communities, and says humanism is all about "shared actions". Aware of calls for a "big society" approach, the association says: "Resolution Revolution catches a current vogue for social thinking. We hope it will build to become an annual boost to a more connected society where volunteering, responsibility and concern for others are part of everyday life."
• Find out more at www.humanism.org.uk/resolution-revolution or contact Joanne@humanism.org.uk.