Good family traditions can increase a child’s sense of security and emotional well-being. Here are a few ideas:
- Read stories or books aloud together.
- Film family celebrations or take pictures that help children recall pleasant memories.
- Place photos in frames or in albums to view together.
- Tell family stories.
- Watch movies or television shows together that are educational or that reinforce your values.
- Set aside an evening once a week when you eat pizza or popcorn and watch a movie or play a game together.
- Participate in bedtime rituals such as telling or reading a story, singing a song, and/or saying a prayer.
- Share interests such as gardening, woodworking, singing, baking, hiking, playing an instrument, being active in a sport, etc.
- Do activities together like taking walks, having picnics, visiting museums, attending sports events, volunteering, or participating in school functions.
- Prepare traditional foods made for certain occasions (see “Is Family Mealtime Important?”).
- Work together making meals, setting the table, cleaning up, etc.
- Use a special dinner plate for a family member who has a reason to celebrate: for example, for a child who won a blue ribbon, sang a solo, or for a parent who received a promotion.
- Make a sign to welcome a family member home after a trip.
- Commemorate birthdays, graduations, weddings, anniversaries and holidays together in your own distinctive way.
- Use balloons, crepe paper or other traditional decorations for special occasions.
- For a birthday celebration, take a photo of the child with his/her birthday cake. Through the years display the pictures together to record the child’s growth.
- Encourage kindness. When your child does a good deed, acknowledge it in some way.
- Bake items or make handmade cards to express caring for others.
- Ask your children to suggest new family traditions.
- Have family meetings to discuss concerns, happenings and to set goals.
What are some of your favorite non-holiday family traditions?