Family traditions looked specific ways to many of us growing up. In big families, it might look like going to a particular person's house for a particular holiday. In smaller families, it might look like a Sunday night dinner.
Many of us grew up with traditions that had been passed through the family. Maybe those traditions have fallen to the wayside over the years. Alternatively, you could have grown up in a family that didn't do a lot of tradition. Whatever the case, you may be looking for the things that traditions can bring to your family to keep bonds close.
Modern families are developing their own traditions that they hope will go the distance in their families. These traditions, some on a regular basis and others on special occasion, can bring something to your family that is uniquely your own and help in creating a lot of wonderful memories together.
Projector Movie Nights
Projectors give your family the flexibility to watch their favorite movies anywhere in the house or out. Set up a sheet as a screen, and watch a movie under the stars from your pool in the summer. In winter, watch on a wall from a floor fort near a fireplace. Pick how often to have these movie nights, and see how many creative ideas your kids come up with.
One-on-One Nights With Your Kids
Make a tradition out of one-on-one time with each of your kids. Go to dinner and a movie, do an activity you both love, or spend time learning something new together. It's a unique time to bond and strengthen each individual relationship in the family.
Go See Your Favorite Team
Taking your kids out for a game day can be a once-a-year experience, but it'll make your whole year. Professional sports can be pricey, but if you've got a local team you love, you can make it a more regular occurrence. Either way, it can be a lot of fun.
Make a Full Moon Ritual
For a family who loves being outside, celebrate full moons with special family activities. Some families might take a chance to get outside and look at the sky before taking in some horror or fantasy movies. Special snacks are also encouraged!
Birthday Countdowns
We count down to holidays and other special events, so why not birthdays? Find something special that celebrates your kiddo to do in the number of days leading up to their birthday that reflects the age they're turning. By the time they're old enough for that to become daunting, you'll be able to negotiate a new deal.
Interview Your Kids Every Year
Choose a particular day, like a birthday or the first day of school, to take a minute and ask your kids some questions. You can write down the answers and keep them in a special book, take videos you can save and edit together as the years go on, or find another creative way to keep the answers.
Adopt a New Holiday
Heard of a bizarre new holiday you're obsessed with? Maybe you want to adopt a historical holiday that's no longer celebrated. Whatever the case may be, you can adopt a new holiday as a family and treat it like you would any other for some built-in fun and quality time each year.
Make Your Own Family Recipe
Find something you really love as a family and fine-tune a recipe to make it your own. Over the years as tastes change, you may keep working on it, but you'll always know it's your own. It also guarantees your kids know how to cook at least one thing really well before they go off into the world on their own.
Family Book Club
Finding books you can read together as a family — and later, on your own — and discuss, is a tradition you'll cherish more and more as your kids get older. You can log your books in a reading journal that kids can look back at when they're older.
Make a Family Time Capsule
If you've ever felt like you want to bottle up a moment in your family's life to treasure, this is the activity for you. You can make a new time capsule every few years to preserve special moments and revisit them later in life.
