Choosing a word for the year is a simple but powerful activity for students. Instead of focusing on big resolutions that can feel overwhelming, a single word gives children an intention they can come back to again and again throughout the year. This word can help guide their choices, shape their goals, and give them something positive to hold onto as the months go by. It’s a lovely activity to do in January, whether at home or in the classroom, and it works just as well for younger children as it does for older students.
A word of the year exercise encourages reflection in a gentle, age-appropriate way. Students get to think about what matters to them, what they want more of in the year ahead, and how one meaningful word can help guide their actions. This kind of worksheet is especially helpful for the start of a new school term, goal setting, or as part of a wider new year reflection activity for kids.
Word of the Year Worksheet Free Printable Pack
This free printable word of the year worksheet PDF includes three different pages, so you can choose the one that best suits your students or use them together as a set. The pack works well for word of the year for school activities, small group discussions, or individual reflection time.
Simple Word of the Year Worksheet (Younger Students)
This page is designed with younger students in mind. It keeps things simple and visual, with space to write their chosen word, draw a picture to match it, and add a short sentence explaining why they chose it. This is a great introduction to the idea of choosing one word for the year and works well for early elementary classrooms or children who are still developing their writing confidence. It also makes a lovely display once completed.
Word of the Year Reflection Worksheet (More Detailed)
The second worksheet is slightly more in depth and suited to older students. It gives more space for writing and reflection, allowing children to explain their intention for the year and how their word might guide them over the coming months. This version fits well with goal setting activities, journaling, or classroom discussions about personal growth. It can also be adapted easily as a word of the year worksheet for adults, making it useful for mixed-age settings or family reflection time at home.
Word of the Year Ideas and Inspiration Page
To help with choosing a word, the pack also includes an inspiration page filled with word of the year ideas for kids. Words like kindness, confidence, patience, creativity, and curiosity give students a starting point if they’re feeling unsure. This page is especially helpful for sparking discussion and making the choosing process feel less daunting. After completing this page, students often feel more confident picking a word that really fits them.
For even more inspiration, you can also try our word of the year generator, which helps students explore different word for the year ideas in a fun, interactive way.
Official Words of the Year and What They Tell Us
Several major English dictionaries now announce their own “Word of the Year,” and for 2025 these choices reflect how digital culture continues to shape everyday language. Oxford University Press selected rage bait, a term for online content designed to deliberately provoke anger or outrage to drive engagement. Merriam-Webster chose slop, referring to low-quality digital content, often produced in large volumes by artificial intelligence. Collins Dictionary highlighted vibe coding, a phrase used to describe writing computer code by giving natural language prompts to AI tools. Cambridge Dictionary selected parasocial, a word that describes one-sided emotional connections people feel toward public figures or influencers.
Dictionary.com’s choice stood out the most with 67, a viral and intentionally vague Gen Alpha slang term often used as an interjection, showing how even numbers and abstract expressions can take on meaning through online culture. Together, these words capture the tone, habits, and conversations shaping language right now.
These officially chosen words can be really interesting to explore with kids, especially as a discussion starter about whether they’ve heard these terms before and what they think they mean, but for a classroom or family word of the year worksheet, it’s often more helpful to encourage students to choose a positive, guiding word that supports their goals, feelings, and intentions for the year ahead.
Download the Word of the Year Worksheet PDF
This printable word of the year worksheet PDF is completely free to download and use. It includes all three pages in one easy-to-print file and works well for classrooms, homeschool, or personal reflection. Whether you’re looking for a word of the year worksheet PDF free for January activities or something to revisit throughout the year, this pack is designed to be flexible and easy to use.
Terms of use: Our word of the year pdf is free for personal use and classroom use.
A word of the year template like this helps students focus on intention rather than pressure. It’s not about being perfect or achieving everything at once, but about having a guiding word they can return to during different moments of the year.
More New Year Reflection Activities for Kids
If your students enjoyed this activity, there are lots of other simple reflection ideas you can try at the start of the year. New year goal setting pages, best year of your life worksheet activities, and choose the right word worksheets all pair beautifully with a word of the year exercise and help students think positively about the months ahead.
- Word of the Year Generator for Kids (Free & Easy Reflection Activity)
- How to Make Your Own Vision Board For Kids (with printable template)
- Free Printable 2026 Calendar for Kids To Customize and Draw Each Month
- New Year’s Resolutions Writing Pages for Kids
- 12 months of the year worksheet
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