Family Traditions are the things we remember, cherish and that can make family time special. Read here why. But sometimes the hard part is thinking of them. Here’s a bunch of ideas that come from our Sophias.
- Weekly/Monthly Meal Rituals
- French Breakfast Sunday: “We went out and bought croissant every Sunday, made hot chocolate and called it French Brunch. It was nothing, but our boys looked forward to it and still talk about it (now they’re in their 20s).”
- Pancake Parties: “Once a month we dedicate a weekend breakfast to pancake parties. Fun shapes, chocolate chips, and sprinkles make it special.”
- Bring your ‘friend’ to dinner night. “Every Tuesday we do ‘bring your friend to dinner night.’ The kids each pick a stuffed animal or doll or whatever toy is their ‘friend’ and they bring them to dinner. It’s easy and changes it up. When we get to leave the house, we’re going to switch it to once a month so it’s easier to continue.”
- Saturday Sundae Bar: “We had a set routine on Saturdays, late in the day we’d set up a sundae bar – ice cream, candy, whatever they wanted to put on it. As the kids got older, we would go to the bulk candy place and one of them gets $5 to pick the candy for the week. The ‘who’ rotated by week. It’s a fun, unbridled indulgence that they love.”
- PJs All Day: “Once a month we have a PJ All Day family day. It’s not so complicated. We just stay in PJs all day but it’s a fun vibe and the kids love it. If there’s an activity that we have to go to that day, we all have to keep some part of the PJ wardrobe if possible.”
- We’ve Got Talent: Kids love talent shows. Many moms told us they created a family talent show where everyone prepped a talent. You decide if your family can handle voting for winners – for some families that’s a recipe for disaster – or just create silly prizes.
- Game Night: “Once a week we all sit down for a board game or puzzle we do together. It’s usually only 30 minutes but we rotate who gets to choose and everyone always looks forward to it, especially when it’s their turn.”
- Family Movie Night: “Every other Friday night we would have Family Movie Night. We’d pull the sofa up closer than we’d otherwise allow, throw gummies and popcorn together in a big bowl and all sit together on the sofa. It is nothing really but the kids love it, look forward to it and never want us to miss it.”
- Birthday Rituals:
- Birthday Fairy: “We created a Birthday Fairy story and a simple surprise around it. After the birthday boy or girl went to bed and was fast asleep, we’d blow up balloons, and tape up (masking tape to not ruin paint) the balloons, crepe paper streamers and curly streamers and plastered the room with them. When the birthday boy or girl woke up, the delight on their face was priceless. We took everything down when they fell asleep that night and left a SMALL treat under their pillow and the pillows of their siblings.”
- “Every year we do cake for breakfast on their birthdays – it’s novel and they aren’t bouncing off the walls before bedtime!”
