Today on The Morning Thing, we focused on open communication within your family! We shared 5 questions to ask your kids that are simple but important and will hopefully get them talking.
They come from Super Bowl winning Head Coach Tony Dungy! He knows a thing or two about communicating and cultivating people’s lives and he is trying to share that knowledge with you.
Out favorite question:
Click HERE to check out the questions!
Today, The Morning Thing shared some encouragement to help you start the first full week of 2026.
Here are some great ideas from imom.com to help your family stay strong and stay connected in the new year. Click HERE to see the full article from Author, Nancy Jergins.
Nancy Jergins – Educator and journalist Nancy Jergins is the author of Wise Words Mom: What to Say to Raise Kids Who Feel Accepted, Confident and Loved, an Amazon Top New Release in Motherhood, and an Amazon Top 50 Selection in One-Hour Reads. Nancy also worked on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., and spent many years as a TV news reporter and anchor.
12 Family Goals for the New Year
Choose one goal for every month. You can keep it simple and just put up a list with the goals, or you can have a family celebration at the start of each month to kick off that month’s goal and get input from your kids. Here are 12 family goals to achieve together this year.
1. Cooking
Most moms want their kids to learn how to cook before they move out so they’re able to take care of themselves when they’re on their own. For this goal, assign each child a meal to prepare for the family. For younger kids, it can be breakfast or lunch. Older kids can cook dinner.
2. Service
Meet as a family to come up with a way to help others. Let the kids have a say in where you give your time. You can spur them along by asking who in the neighborhood, at church, or in the community needs a helping hand.
You can use our share, save, spend printable to kick off this month’s goal. For older kids, consider explaining the financial basics of running a family. You can use beans to show how much goes into each category—housing, cars, food, insurance. It might finally make sense why you keep yelling for them to turn off the lights when they leave the room. This is a family goal that you could continue for more than a month, as your kids will love to see their wallets, savings, and giving funds grow.
4. Poetry
Don’t laugh! Poetry can enhance your family life by showing how words can help us express emotions. You can make this fun and funny. Have your husband read a love poem by Emily Dickenson or look up some quirky poems by Shel Silverstein for your kids.
5. A Fast
Fasting isn’t just about food, although you could try that, too. Consider what has a little too much presence in your family’s life. Electronics after dinner? Going out to eat? Sweets? Go without it for a month and see how the fast frees up time, makes you feel healthier, or helps your budget.
6. Kindness
Make your family goal to say one kind thing to each other every day. At first, it will feel hokey. But pretty soon, you’ll see that it really does encourage more kindness.
7. Reading
If you can get your kids to read for an hour a day, studies show their vocabulary and comprehension will be off the charts. That’s the science behind this family goal, but it can be fun, too. Choose one book to read aloud as a family, or have your kids read independently, and then meet at the end of the week to talk about the chapters they read. Entice them to read by eating foods related to the book when you have your mini book club gathering.
8. Movement
This month, focus your family goal on moving. Go for a walk as a family after dinner or on the weekends. Play doubles tennis (there are large tennis balls that slow down play for younger kids) or make a circle and do jumping jacks facing each other.
9. Faith
Explore faith if it’s not already a part of your life. Since studies show that attending faith services strengthens families, visit a church. If your family already practices a faith, add another element like daily reading or nightly prayer. Unsure about how to shape your family’s faith? These ideas can help.
10. Thankfulness
Research shows that when we show thanks to others, it improves our overall happiness. This is a great skill to teach children. They can use this to help themselves through tough times when they’re out on their own. A fun family goal would be to write one thank you note per day and pop it in the mail. Take turns writing the note. (This doesn’t have to be all on you, Mom!)
11. Online Awareness
It would be easy to make this month about turning off all the devices. Instead, use it to teach your family about being aware of how much time they spend looking at screens. You can have everyone keep track of their screen use for a day or a week. Don’t be afraid to try a no-electronics day or two.
12. A New Skill
What will it be? Knitting? Juggling? Shooting 10 free throws in a row? Everyone chooses a skill and works on it throughout the month. At the end of the month, you can have a skills showcase.
If you’re feeling the effects of the lull between Christmas and the new year, there’s nothing better than finding something fun or productive to do to keep the family busy!
The holiday season has so much momentum and excitement leading up to all the celebrations. Slowing down after the holidays can be confusing for children, so how do we switch off this mindset of hustle and bustle leading into the New Year? It’s great to get back into the groove of your normal routine with your family and slow down, but keep the momentum going just a little bit with some family fun.
Today on The Morning Thing, we shared 10 Things to do with your kids between the Holidays and New Year straight from sunshinehouse.com!
You can click HERE to see the full list!
Many of us love The Chosen but now it’s time for The Chosen Adventures! This is a new animated series based on bible stories.
Ryan Swanson, the writer for both The Chosen and The Chosen Adventures, joined us to tell us about his story and how these projects came to life! He also gives us insight into the new animated endeavor and when we can see it!
Click HERE to learn more about The Chosen Adventures!
Today we celebrated Conflict Resolution Day by talking about the 5 C’s of conflict resolution, and we also shared the best strategies for most common situations.
Here are the 5 C’s of Conflict Resolution:
Here are some of the best strategies in common situations:
1. Workplace Conflict
2. Romantic Relationships
3. Family Disputes
4. Friend Conflicts
5. Online or Social Media Conflicts
WNZR got to talk with Derral Eves, the Executive Producer of “The Chosen”!
Derral tells us about his backstory and how the very popular show came to be. He also shares some information regarding a new project called “The Chosen Adventures”! It will be an animated series that would come out on Amazon this month, on October 17th!
To learn more about The Chosen Adventures, click HERE!
We got to talk with Amy Seward, who is the Deputy Director of the KCEMA! In honor of it being National Preparedness Month, Amy wanted to tell us why and how we should be preparing for disasters. She also details her role, what they do, and how you can stay connected!
For more information on National Preparedness Month, click HERE!
Click HERE if you want to know more about the Knox County Emergency Management Agency!
There is an adage, “The Family that Prays Together, Stays Together.”
On the Morning Thing Wednesday, we shared 7 morning prayers for your family to start your day.
Experts from Crosswalk.org say by starting the day with prayer it helps your family find hope and encouragement with our most powerful tool – prayer.
Click HERE for the 7 prayers from Crosswalk.org.
Today on The Morning Thing, we celebrated Happiness Happens Month! This is a month that highlights the things that make you happy on a day-to-day basis.
We shared some daily, monthly, and even yearly habits that are geared towards making you happier! With a little time and practice, you’ll be able to figure out which habits are good for your lifestyle.
To learn more about Happiness Happens Month, click HERE!
For the full list of habits, click HERE!
Today, on The Morning Thing, we shared some great ideas for a late summer picnic! There is still time to get outside while the weather is good, so take this opportunity, grab some food, and have some fun!
There is 100+ great ideas for creative and classic food!
Click HERE to view the full list!
Rise and Shine 