New Year's Hope Board

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“For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”
— Romans 8:24-25

Think of a time when you were sick or hurt. While you were in bed feeling terrible, did you start to imagine better days? Maybe you thought of how you would play with your friends at recess when you felt better. Maybe you looked forward to your family’s next vacation.

When we are suffering, hope can make us feel better. Kids in Compassion’s program around the world learn that even though their lives are hard, they have so much hope because of Jesus!

In this activity, you will make a collage of things you hope for in the new year. It is a good way to keep hope alive — and to remember that Jesus has an awesome plan for your life!

Supplies

  • 1 poster board (or large piece of recycled cardboard)
  • scissors
  • Hope Words template, printed on two 8.5-by-11-inch sheets of paper
  • art supplies like markers, crayons, washi tape, glitter, etc.
  • glue
  • unwanted magazines, catalogs or newspapers
Printable: Hope Words 2022 Download Print

Instructions

Adult help needed.

  1. Ask God to guide your footsteps this year, showing you what he wants for your life. Tell him the things you hope for, and ask for patience as you wait to see if they are part of his big plan.
  2. Color in the words on your printed template. Then cut them out.
  3. Glue the largest word, “HOPES,” on the top or middle of your posterboard. Then glue the rest of the words wherever you’d like on your board, leaving space around each one.
  4. Look through a magazine or catalog to find pictures or words that remind you of your hopes for the new year …

Learn: Cut out pictures or words related to things you hope to learn this year. For example, if you want to learn how to play piano, you could cut out a picture of a musical instrument or the word “music” from the magazine or catalog — anything that reminds you of your hope to learn piano.

Share: Cut out examples of things you hope to share with others this year, like a Bible verse, a space at your cafeteria table or a toy.

Love: Cut out examples of ways you hope to love others this year, like writing letters to the child your family sponsors, saying kind words to a family member or holding a fundraiser for charity.

Explore: Cut out examples of places you’d like to travel this year or adventures you want to go on in your neighborhood.

Dream: Dream big about your future … cut out examples of where you want to live when you grow up, what job you might want or what pets you’d like to have.

  1. Glue your clippings on your hope board. Then add any extra decorations to make it super artsy.
  2. Hang up your hope board on a wall. Look at it every day and ask for God to guide you toward everything you hope for!

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. — Romans 12:12, NIV