Is it that time already? It may be hard to believe but a new year is just around the corner, bringing the opportunity to learn something different or pick up a hobby.
If you are feeling overwhelmed with all the ideas being thrown around or you haven’t got a clue where to start, BBC Bitesize has you covered. Whether you want a task to fill 15 minutes of your time or a whole year, have a read of these five activities you can try for 2025.
15 Minutes: Breathing
It’s something we do every minute of every day, but do you ever stop to think about your breathing? Deep or mindful breathing can be a great way to relax or reset your day.
Mindfulness might seem like a word that has become popular over the past few years, but meditation and taking time out to restore calm in your body has been going for a long time. Nobody is too sure on the date, but the earliest written records of meditation appear around 1500 BC and it plays a key role in practicing Buddhism and Hinduism.
So how do you breathe mindfully? It all starts with the environment you are in.
- Try and find somewhere that is comfortable, whether that is a chair, bed or rug.
- Slowly close your eyes and think about your surroundings. This will help you become more connected with your body.
- Then it’s simple - breathe in and out as you normally would but this time focus on your breathing and how your chest rises and falls. It's normal for your mind to wander but if you have any stressful thoughts, just go back to concentrating on your breathing.
- When the 15 minutes or so has passed, gently open your eyes and think about how good it feels to have given your body and mind that time to relax.
One day: Sew a tote bag
If you'd like to start a sewing project but don’t have several days on your hands, making a tote bag could be a fun project to do in a day.
A tote bag is a simple rectangular bag that you can fill with books, belongings or use as a reusable shopping bag and when you make your own, nobody else will have the same bag as you.
Making a tote bag is quite simple, so don’t worry if you don’t have any sewing experience. There are loads of tutorials online and you don’t need much kit. Make sure you take care when using needles, whether from a sewing machine or when hand stitching, or any other sharp instruments. If you are using a sewing machine, remember to keep your fingers well away from the machine’s needle.
To make a tote bag you will need the following:
- Two tea towels or two pieces of fabric measuring whatever size you want the bag to be. For example, our fabric measured 48cm (18.9 inches) x 55cm (21.7 inches).
- Two long pieces of fabric for the straps of the bag. This doesn’t have to be new fabric, it could be leftovers from the pieces of fabric you have already cut or leftovers from a different project. Cut them to the length you want, for example 100cm (39.4 inches) long and 9cm (3.5 inches) wide. The thicker the fabric, the more weight your bag will be able to hold so bear this in mind when filling your bag - you don’t want the straps to snap.
- Needle and thread (correctly attached if using a sewing machine)
- Scissors
So how do you make the tote bag? Use the arrow to scroll through the tutorial in the gallery below. Our fabric has a pattern on both sides but the pattern we want to be on the outside of the bag is slightly bolder than the inside pattern.
Image caption, Take the two pieces of fabric you have cut for the straps and fold them vertically so they remain the same length but are half the width, with the colourful/outer pattern you want to be seen being on the inside.
1 of 7
One week: Master latte art
When you visit a café, do you find yourself in awe of the delightful frothy drinks that the barista makes? If you keep practising throughout the week, latte art could be a new way to impress your family and friends.
As all good baristas know, you need to be careful when making hot drinks. Double-check that you have permission from a parent or guardian to have a go at creating latte art.
It won’t take you a week to make your hot drinks look pretty, but it could take you up to a week to learn and practise the art of doing it - practice makes perfect, after all. You can follow instructions on how to do latte art online but it’s as simple as having milk, a milk steamer or frother and a cup. And it doesn’t have to be a latte, you can do this with any drink that involves a frothy milk top such as hot chocolate.
One month: Learn to jump rope
Who remembers skipping round the playground when they were younger? It might seem like those days are far behind us, but skipping with a rope is a great way to exercise and have fun whilst doing so.
For many people, the new year is about starting a new fitness regime and sometimes this can be costly if need to buy equipment. The good thing about skipping is that all you need is a rope and your feet and if you can get really good at it, you could become a skipping world champion!
Skipping every day for a month can have positive results on your health including becoming fitter and having better body coordination. This is because skipping increases your heart rate by using a mixture of muscles in your body. Many sportspeople work out with a jump rope because it is an easy way to get fit and you can do it anywhere.
Before you start, it’s always best to check your surroundings as the last thing you want to do is damage something, someone or yourself. You should start the month by skipping for a few minutes each day, slowly building up how long you skip. You can make it more challenging by skipping on one foot or try moving faster with the rope. Don't overdo the exercise - it's not a skipping race! If you need to stop and rest, then you should do.
One year: Crochet a blanket
Although you can crochet in as little as one hour, this is a good project to spread out over the year and gift to someone at Christmas or just keep for yourself.
Taking time out to crochet can help reduce anxiety and improve skills you perform with your hands and your the way in which your brain works such as thinking and memory skills. If you’re having a hard day, crocheting can take your mind away from how you might be feeling as it involves really focusing on what you’re doing, as well as attention to detail.
All you need is yarn and a crochet hook, and you can follow handy step-by-step guides online or see if your local community centre hosts crocheting sessions. Although it’s a craft that you can do alone, crocheting has a huge community both online and in person so people are always sharing tips and advice. If you are heading out to an in-person session, let someone know where you are going.
There are different kinds of blankets you can crochet. You could crochet a 'temperature blanket', which involves crocheting a line a day using a colour that represents the temperature outside. You could also crochet a granny square blanket, which involves crocheting individual squares and joining them all up at the end to make a cosy blanket.
Whatever style you choose to crochet, this is a great way to create something over a year without having to rush.
This article was published in November 2024
Looking for quizzes, amazing stories and fun facts?
Bitesize Topical has it all!
Five things to learn in 2024
If you're thinking of making a New Year's resolution, BBC Bitesize is here to help with inspiration for five things to learn in 2024.
Five things to learn in 2023
Learning new things is proven to be good for your brain and can be even more fun when shared with friends. We’ve put together some ideas to get you started.
Five things to learn in 2022
A few fun and challenging ideas to help inspire a new you in 2022.
