The kids poured into daycare after the Christmas break, buzzing with excitement and eager to share stories about their holiday adventures. The room was filled with laughter and chatter as they gathered in small groups, each child speaking animatedly about gifts, family, and holiday fun. Ms. Choi stood by, smiling as she listened, letting the kids have their moment.
"I got a toy robot!" Hyun announced, eyes shining with pride. "It even talks!"
Mina clapped her hands. "I got a tea set! My dad even played a pretend tea party with me!"
Lily's eyes lit up. "David got me a big, soft blanket with stars on it!"
Joon rubbed his stomach, looking slightly embarrassed. "I ate too many cookies… My tummy still hurts."
The group burst into laughter, and Ms. Choi clapped her hands to get their attention. "Alright, everyone! I have an announcement." She waited until the excited chatter died down, then continued with a grin. "Tomorrow, we're going to have a mini New Year's party right here at daycare!"
A cheer erupted as the kids bounced with excitement. Ms. Choi continued, "We'll need some creative helpers to make decorations and plan activities. Who's up for it?"
Hands shot up in the air, and the room filled with ideas.
"We should make paper hats!" suggested Hyun.
"How about a dance competition?" added Mina.
"What's a party without decorations?" Ms. Choi laughed, glancing around the room. "I'll need all the help I can get!"
Lily waved her hand excitedly. "I can draw stars!"
Hyun nodded. "Let's make a big sign that says 'Happy New Year'!"
Mina chimed in, "Can we have a singing contest too?"
Joon grinned, leaning over to Lily. "Only if there's cake!"
Everyone laughed, and the group hurried over to the arts and crafts table, diving into stacks of colorful construction paper, glitter, and glue. Lily and Mina paired up to make paper stars, concentrating as they carefully cut out shapes and added sparkles. At the other end of the table, Joon and Hyun struggled to make a straight "Happy New Year" banner.
Joon held the paper, squinting. "Hyun, you're making the letters too big! They won't fit!"
Hyun shot him a playful glare. "You're the one gluing it all crooked!"
Lily laughed, pointing at the banner. "It kinda looks like a snake!"
Mina smirked as she finished a star. "At least our stars are perfect!"
The table was soon covered with scraps of paper and glitter. But no one seemed to mind the mess, too wrapped up in creating their colorful decorations. Ms. Choi smiled as she watched them work, clearly amused by their enthusiasm.
After a while, Ms. Choi clapped her hands again. "Who's ready to play in the snow?"
A loud cheer broke out, and the kids scrambled to put on their winter coats, scarves, and gloves. They rushed outside, where a fresh layer of snow blanketed the playground, sparkling in the sunlight.
Mina carefully shaped her snowman, patting it proudly. "Mine has a carrot nose!"
Hyun, squinting at his own creation, called out, "Mine's taller!"
Suddenly, Joon ducked behind a snowbank, grabbing a handful of snow. "Incoming snowball attack!" he yelled, launching a snowball at Lily. She squealed and ducked.
"Nooo! You missed!" Lily shouted back, laughing as she scooped up her own snowball.
The playground erupted into a snowball fight, filled with laughter and squeals as the kids dodged and threw snow. They giggled and cheered, rosy-cheeked from the cold, until Ms. Choi called them back inside to warm up.
"Hot cocoa break!" she announced, holding up a tray of small, steaming cups. The kids eagerly gathered around, holding their cups and blowing on them, sipping the warm cocoa gratefully.
"I didn't get hit once!" Lily announced, looking smug.
Joon rolled his eyes. "That's because you hid behind Mina the whole time!"
Mina gasped, feigning offense. "Hey! That's true!"
Hyun grinned. "Next time, you're the target, Lily!"
They all laughed, sipping their drinks and sharing marshmallows. Some of them had marshmallow mustaches, which only added to the laughter around the table.
When they were done, Ms. Choi helped them finish their decorations. Joon insisted on adding a big rocket drawing to the banner, explaining it was for "blasting into the new year."
Lily watched him draw with interest. "It'll look like the stars are flying into space!"
Joon grinned. "Exactly! It's gonna be awesome!"
The banner, now bright and colorful, had stars, rockets, and glitter covering every inch. Ms. Choi nodded approvingly. "It's definitely… unique," she said with a warm smile.
Joon nodded, clearly pleased with their work. "It's not just unique—it's the best banner ever!"
As the day came to an end, parents began arriving to pick up their kids. The children shared their excitement about the party, discussing what they'd wear tomorrow.
Joon grinned. "I'm going to wear my rocket T-shirt!"
Mina beamed. "I'll wear my sparkly shoes!"
Lily nodded, clutching her bag. "I'm bringing my star blanket!"
They waved goodbye to each other, their faces filled with anticipation for the party. As Ms. Choi watched them leave, she chuckled at the glitter-covered classroom. She knew tomorrow's party would be worth every sparkle left behind.
December 31.
The daycare was buzzing with excitement as the kids arrived, their energy lighting up the room. Lily burst through the door first, her star-patterned blanket tied snugly around her shoulders. She struck a dramatic pose and declared, "I'm a star superhero today!"
Ms. Choi, standing by the door with a sparkly headband on, smiled warmly. "A superhero? That means we're all safe today. Who's your first mission to help, Lily?"
Lily thought for a second, then pointed dramatically at the class's "Wishing Wall." "I'll make wishes come true!"
Before Ms. Choi could respond, the door flew open again, and Joon sprinted inside. "Guess what?" he shouted, pointing to the bright red rocket on his T-shirt. "I'm the fastest kid in the galaxy today!"
Lily turned to him with mock seriousness, her cape swaying behind her. "Fastest? I can catch you in no time, Joon. Watch this!"
She spun in place, her blanket trailing like a comet, but quickly lost balance and fell into a fit of giggles. Joon laughed too, patting his rocket shirt proudly. "You've got a long way to go to catch me."
The chatter grew louder as Mina walked in, proudly showing off her shiny new shoes. "Look at these, everyone! They sparkle, just like fireworks!"
"Whoa, Mina!" Lily exclaimed, crouching to get a closer look. "They're like real stars on your feet!"
Hyun came in last, carefully holding a small rocket model. "Forget shoes and capes," he announced. "This rocket is the coolest thing here."
"Your rocket doesn't sparkle," Joon teased, pointing at Mina's shoes.
Hyun shot back, "Cool rockets don't need glitter. They just fly."
"Enough about rockets and shoes, everyone," Ms. Choi interrupted with a playful clap. "Let's kick off our New Year's celebration!"
The kids cheered, rushing toward the decorated classroom. Banners with bright colors, paper stars, and rockets hung from the ceiling, their own creations from the past week. Joon gasped, pointing at a paper rocket dangling near the window. "That's mine! It looks so awesome up there!"
"And look at those stars!" Lily added, craning her neck. "I can't believe we made them."
"They're amazing because you all worked so hard," Ms. Choi said. "Now, who's ready for some dancing?"
Cheers erupted from the group. Ms. Choi explained, "We'll have a dance contest to see who has the best moves for the New Year!"
Joon darted to the middle of the room, claiming the first turn. He immediately started spinning on the floor in a wild attempt at breakdancing, his arms flailing as he tried to keep his balance.
"Go, Joon!" Lily cheered, clapping along.
When Joon finally stopped, slightly dizzy, Mina stepped up, doing a graceful twirl before stumbling and laughing. "That was supposed to look cooler!" she said, joining in the laughter.
"Watch me!" Lily called out, spinning wildly with her blanket-turned-cape flowing behind her. She tripped on her third spin and landed with a giggle. "Oops! Superheroes don't always stick the landing."
Hyun stepped up next, attempting a robotic dance with stiff arm movements. "I'm the best robot here," he declared, striking a final pose.
Ms. Choi even joined in, twirling awkwardly before breaking into a silly shuffle. The kids roared with laughter, clapping and chanting, "Ms. Choi! Ms. Choi!"
The room was filled with laughter and applause by the time the last kid had their turn. "You're all winners," Ms. Choi announced, smiling as she guided them to their seats.
After the excitement of dancing, the kids settled down for a craft activity. Ms. Choi handed out paper plates, markers, and glitter. "We're making countdown clocks to welcome the New Year! Decorate them however you like."
The room grew quiet as the kids focused on their work. Lily and Mina sat side by side, carefully spreading glitter across their plates. "Mine's going to sparkle so much, it'll look like a shooting star," Lily said, dabbing glue onto the edges.
Mina grinned. "Not more sparkly than mine! I'm using all the glitter I can."
Joon sat across from them, carefully drawing rockets around the edge of his plate. "Glitter's overrated. Rockets make clocks look cooler."
Hyun leaned over, smirking. "What kind of rocket doesn't sparkle?"
"Cool rockets," Joon replied confidently, adding more details to his drawing.
Ms. Choi walked around the tables, admiring their work. "Your clocks look amazing. These will help us count down to the New Year in style!"
When the clocks were done, Ms. Choi brought out a tray of snacks. Cookies shaped like stars, rockets, and clocks were met with excited gasps.
"These are the best cookies ever!" Joon exclaimed, grabbing a rocket-shaped one. "This one makes me run even faster!"
Lily held up a star cookie. "This gives me star powers!" she said dramatically before taking a big bite.
Mina giggled, holding up a clock cookie. "I'm eating time!"
"You can't eat time!" Hyun replied, already munching on one of each shape.
"Can too," Mina shot back, sticking out her tongue playfully.
As the kids enjoyed their snacks, the chatter and laughter filled the room. Ms. Choi soon gathered them for a special activity. "Now it's time for New Year wishes. Take one of these star papers and write or draw your wish for the year."
The kids grew quiet as they focused on their wishes. Lily held her star close, whispering, "I wish for more fun days with my friends."
"My wish is secret!" Joon declared loudly, making sure no one peeked.
Mina grinned as she wrote, "I hope my sparkly shoes never stop sparkling."
Hyun grinned mischievously. "I wish for… more wishes!"
Ms. Choi chuckled, helping them place their stars on the "Wishing Wall." "Great job, everyone. These wishes will make our New Year magical."
As the day wound down, Ms. Choi led the kids in a practice countdown. "Let's count down together: Ten… nine… eight…"
The kids shouted each number, bouncing in excitement.
"Three… two… one!"
"Happy New Year!" they yelled, tossing colorful confetti into the air. Laughter echoed through the room as the kids celebrated.
When it was time to go home, Ms. Choi gathered them for one final moment. "Before you leave, share one thing you want to do in the New Year."
Lily raised her hand first. "I want to learn a new dance!"
Joon grinned. "I'll run faster than ever!"
Mina twirled. "More sparkles!"
Hyun stretched his arms high. "I'm going to be the tallest!"
Ms. Choi smiled warmly as she waved them off. "See you all next year!"
The kids left in high spirits, their laughter and excitement lingering long after the classroom grew quiet