Family traditions are important for creating family memories and solidifying family bonds and relationships. Take a look at this list of unique and traditional Family Traditions to Start Now!
Family Traditions
I was not raised in a big family. Obviously, with five kids, I have a big family now. As my family has grown, the amount we can do with extended family has decreased (if that makes sense.) In a more direct explanation, it is hard to fly seven people. When are are able to travel, not everyone wants to house a large group of people for holiday. While big and small holidays have become more and more about our immediate family, it has caused me to create our own NEW family traditions.
Have you ever sat and read the Family Tradition Hank Williams Jr. lyrics? Don’t. PSA they are not family friendly. If you are looking for family tradition examples, I promise you they will be far from the family traditions Hank sings about in his well-known Family Traditions country song. I will however, commit to one lyric…
“I’m just carrying on an ole family tradition…”
What is a family tradition mean?
Family traditions are a set of activities you repeat within a family. They can be traditional family activities, cultural traditions or they can be unconventional and modern family activities. Family traditions make each family unique as they are experiences that not every family will have. When you combine family traditions, you create your own unique family blueprint.
Why are family traditions important?
Family traditions are important for creating family memories. Family memories are important for creating family bonds. When conducting research, I learned most family traditions are not very big. Rather it is the family activity that is done together that is important. It is in those family bonding moments, memories are formed.
Family traditions enrich your life together and contribute to your child’s well-being and security. They create long lasting family memories.
How do you make family memories?
If you think about the photographs of one’s life, how many can you pull to the forefront of your mind? Memories are created when something out of the ordinary happens. The same “ole” day to day activities, will not create a new synaptic gap (photograph) in your mind. They are routine and can easily be done with little thought. When new activities come in to play, new things are experienced and new things are seen. They are indexed as a nerve connection (new file) in our mind. These are the dots that are added to our road map of life.
Think of this example as a real road map. You drive down the road form city to city. The places you recall are the places you stop. A restaurant, a hotel, a theme park, a landmark and more. When you are on the road, everything appears the same and does not create a new dot on your road map. However, when you park the car, get out and visit an attraction, a dot is added on your journey.
Before you check out these family bonding ideas, I am sure you will also love…
Christmas Traditions for the Family
Family Birthday Celebrations & Ideas
Family Memorial Ideas for those who have passed
Examples of Family Traditions
I am sure you are asking yourself, What are some good family traditions? If you are looking to start your own family traditions and add memories to one’s childhood, take a look at these family traditions ideas. Let’s create some examples of family traditions to add dots on our road map of life.
Birthday Interview
We have a number of ways to celebrate Birthdays with Your Immediate Family. One easy tradition is this printable Birthday Interview. Ask your child the same questions every year and put them together in a time capsule (this does not have to be a box buried in the ground, keep it in a plastic bin in the closet!) | Frugal Coupon Living
Family Game Night
Turn one weekend night a month into a regular reoccurring Family Game Night. This is actually a funny family tradition for us, so many of our belly laughs and the laughs that make you cry come from a weekend game night. | Frugal Coupon Living
Family Bucket Lists
Start seasonal Family Bucket Lists. You can do a new bucket list every holiday or do fewer with one in winter, spring, summer, and fall or one the entire year. Keep this bucket list on the fridge and check off the activities as you go. | Frugal Coupon Living
Pray Together
An important family tradition is praying. It can be as simple as praying before bed. This has been an activity we have done every night for as long as we can remember. Try the ACTS Prayer Method (pray with 1.) adoration, confession, thanksgiving and close with supplication or requests.) Children thrive on routine and find security in deepening relationships. This gives them a glimpse into how you are feeling when you share your concerns and praise to the Lord. My husband and I have also created the tradition of listening to the Bible in a Year Podcast. This tradition has created deeper discussion among us has has been an excellent way to start the day.
Eat Dinner Together
Eating together is important for maintaining relationships. You can even have special dinner nights like Taco Tuesday, Meatless Monday or Sheet Pan Supper Wednesday. In order to stick to this dinner family tradition, start with just one night that is set apart. Perhaps give each member of the family a role in creating the complete recipe. One person can set the table, another create the prep, another serve the plates, etc.
Volunteer Together
Paying it forward is as much a gift for someone else as it is for you. Find a service project you can commit to for a season or once a month. There are many reasons to volunteer and instill the act of volunteering in our kids. Volunteering offers the chance to give something back to the community or make a difference to the people around us. It provides an opportunity to develop new skills or build on existing experience and knowledge. Plus, intrinsically, it gives to you just as much as it gives back to someone else!
Travel
Traveling is an example of doing something out of the norm. Take a cruise, go on a road trips, or even have a staycation week. Either way, make sure it is very different from your norm. If you are home, use a staycation to plan for future travel.
Dinner Questions for Conversation
Speaking of supper, download this set of nightly Dinner Conversation Starters. Dinner is the perfect occasion to communicate and often the opportunity is lost because of the distractions of the minutes. If dinner questions are not need, get to know your children and their day by every member sharing three good things about their day and one bad. This also provides an opportunity to focus on the “positive” yet still recognize the challenges a day can hold.
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Cultural Family Traditions
Have you take a 23andme test? Did the results surprise you. Whether you are learning about a new culture or want to celebrate one you’ve already known, help your children celebrate their heritage by incorporating cultural family traditions. Visit a restaurant from your country, attend a cultural festival or cook a special meal on a certain day each year.
Annual Christmas Card
One family tradition you can keep (and you won’t regret this when the kids are out of the home) is taking an annual photo. It can be with a photographer or something information. Turn these yearly photos into annual Christmas Cards. One way to display your yearly Christmas cards is on a binder ring. Just add a hole punch to the corner. You can keep a binder ring for your family and a binder ring for the cards you get each year just like we see from Minted.
When writing your Christmas envelopes, make sure you take a look at these hand lettering tutorials and idea!
Pay It Forward Traditions
We have spoken many times about our family birthday idea. Take a look at this random act of kindness as a fun way to pay it forward on on your birthday at the Dollar Store or in the Dollar Spot at Target!
Valentine Family Tradition
This is one family tradition we do year after year and keep up for a long time. Add a sweet heart to your child’s do from February 1 to February 14th. The message is why they are a wonderful member of the family, a positive trait you see in them, etc. I even have my children each make a heart for each other once or twice during this period of time. It’s a great way to encourage your child.
Funny Family Traditions
They say laughter is the best medicine. Instead of following some of these traditional traditions for the family, try something unique only to your family. If you can incorporate humor, do it! For example, have a dress up night where you all eat hot dogs and Doritos on your best china. Play family board games including charades and Gestures (one of our favorites that always leads to belly laughs.) Take a look at these Weird Family Traditions from The Atlantic for some inspiration.
What are some of your favorite Family Traditions? I would love to hear from you so we can add to our list and share with others traditions for the family they might want to begin.
Also take a look at these Family Reunion Ideas for more extended family traditions for your bigger family. Pin to Pinterest.
For the holiday season, also look at these Christmas Traditions to start now! Pin to Pinterest.
WHAT’S TRENDING? Get ready for Teacher Appreciation Week with these ideas and downloads!.
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