Family traditions give everyone something special to look forward to each week, month, or year. They also reinforce your values and create a shared identity. It’s never too late (or too early) to begin a new tradition.
These traditions are important because they give every member a sense of belonging, a feeling of stability and routine, stronger relationships, and positive memories. A tradition is much more likely to hold if it’s one that everyone in the family enjoys.
Think about the things your family likes to do. Do you play games often or does your bunch have a competitive streak? Games, sporting events, and family challenges may be a good choice. Whatever you decide, involve the whole family in decision making, that way, everyone feels included.
Weekly and monthly traditions
- Themed family dinner nights: Designate a specific day for a theme, like Taco Tuesday, Breakfast for Dinner Fridays, or making pizzas together. As kids get older and schedules get more packed, sharing a meal around the table gets harder. But starting this family tradition in the early years can help safeguard against missing out on the benefits of eating together.
- Game or movie night: Set aside a regular night for board games, card games, or watching a movie with popcorn and take turns picking the movie.
- Family meeting: Hold a monthly meeting to discuss schedules, plans, and for everyone to share their thoughts.
- One-on-one dates: Plan a monthly date with each child where they get to pick the activity.
- Creative time: Have a family art or craft night.
Bedtime stories: Read to younger children or have older kids read aloud. - Family walk/bike ride: Go for a walk or bike ride together on a regular basis, such as every Sunday afternoon.
Annual and seasonal traditions
- Holiday celebrations: Choose an annual tradition for each holiday, such as an Easter egg hunt, visiting a pumpkin patch in the fall, or cutting down your own Christmas tree.
- Birthday celebrations: Celebrate those special days with a birthday breakfast or dinner. Make them extra special by decorating their bedroom door or by creating a homemade crown or sash for them to wear.
- Baking traditions: Bake a special recipe together for a holiday or have a weekly baking session.
- Family photos: Take an annual family photo to track your growth and changes over the years. While you certainly can, you don’t need to book a professional photographer or pick out matching clothes. All this family tradition takes, well, is one take—or click—of the camera.
- Seasonal outings: Make an outing a tradition, like strawberry picking in the spring or a picnic on the first day of summer.
- Family vacation: A family vacation is a great way to experience new things, explore new places, and make life-long memories together.
Memory and legacy traditions
- Time capsule: Put items in a time capsule to open at a future date. Bottle-up (or box) those special memories and milestones from the year and put them away for 5 or 10 years. Invite everyone to contribute something personal and a little note as to why they picked it.
- Scrapbook or photo album: Create a family scrapbook or album to preserve memories.
- Record family stories: Record stories from older relatives to pass down.
- Happiness jar: Ultimately, the idea behind making a “Happiness Jar” is about preserving memories and helping us all document the little things. Have everyone write down a happy memory or something they are thankful for each week and put it in the jar. At the end of the year, read them aloud.
- Plant a tree: Plant a tree or shrub to honor a family member.
Community and service traditions
- Volunteer together: Dedicate time to serve the community, such as working at a soup kitchen or participating in an annual neighborhood cleanup.
- Donate to a food pantry: Make a tradition of buying and delivering food to a local food pantry.
Family traditions foster stronger bonds, emotional safety, and lasting memories for every member of the family. By starting new things now, they quickly turn into traditions over time. Whether big or small, the traditions and routines the families you work with decide to celebrate will play a significant role in creating a stable and connected family environment.
These traditions can include traditional and chosen families and can be for everyday moments of connection or yearly gatherings, especially around the holidays.