When you think of some family traditions examples, what do you think of? Hopefully, your family has some traditions that you do. If not it’s never too late to start.
Family traditions are important to have. Do you have some family traditions examples? What is the importance of them, you may ask?
Having family traditions for your family brings each member of the family together as a unit. Your family needs to feel like they all belong as one unit and not just like strangers living in the house together.
Your family needs to have a strong family bond and by having family traditions you can create or help enhance that bond.
Family traditions also can connect older generations with the younger generations. Some of your family traditions examples may be those that have been passed on from generations ago. Keeping some of those traditions alive can keep some of those memories alive as well.
If you have a family tradition that your parents or grandparents always did then you can teach them to your kids. You can tell your kids about your memories and about those relatives they may not have been able to meet. For kids, knowing their family’s history can help them realize the family ties they have to past generations.
So, there are family traditions and there are family routines and schedules and just fun things you do here and there.
With all of that said it can get confusing on what a tradition is versus a routine or other.
To me, a family tradition is more of something you do with the family that is intended to be repeated through the years and passed down to generations to come. Usually, it has something to do with your family’s beliefs, religion, or family culture but doesn’t have to be. In this day in age, it seems like it’s a mix of it all. So it’s what your family decides to do as a tradition to carry on.
For example: I would say having a cleaning night each week as a family would be a routine/schedule we created not a tradition. Popcorn movie night would be a routine we created but I guess it could be a tradition and your kids could do that with their kids. So, I guess a tradition can be a mix of older traditions passed down and new ones you create as a family, and this could involve holidays but doesn’t have to.
I’ll give you some family traditions examples we do/or did as a family. Some will be ones that were passed down from generations and some were ones we started as a family and who knows maybe our kids will pass those on.
I will list them according to month since a lot of our traditions coincide with holidays, but some can definitely be done at other time frames.
Family Traditions Examples
January
Celebrate New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day – We would celebrate New Year’s Eve early when the kids were little with dinner and then a stay up a little late celebration. A countdown with sparkling cider and party horns. Some years we would have little handheld poppers or sparklers to celebrate with. Of course, as the kids aged to teens and beyond the family tradition changed to them out with their friends but that is how life goes.
- On New Year’s Day we would have that family tradition of having ham, mashed potatoes, and black-eyed peas. Don’t want to miss out on black-eyed peas for good luck.
- New Year’s resolution was something that we’d talk to the kids about and see what they wanted to – get better at this year, try something new, or something they needed to work on as an individual.
February
Valentine’s Day – This is a great day to celebrate with your family. A great time to really share and show how much you love each family member. You want to always share and show how much you love your family, but this day is for sure all about it.
- My kids enjoyed making cards for each family member and loved receiving them. As parents, my husband and I would always get some type of chocolate and a small gift for the kids. I remember growing up and always getting some type of candy from my parents as well.
- One year my daughter wanted us to have a Valentine’s dance, so that began a new tradition where we would have a fun family dance. We would all dress up and play some of our favorite music and dance around the living room together in the dimly lit room with Christmas lights.
March
St. Patrick’s Day – Don’t forget to wear your green on St. Patrick’s Day or you will get pinched around my house. My kids always had fun making sure they wore green because their daddy would pinch them if they didn’t. They always hoped he’d forget to wear green, and they could pinch him.
- Making 4 leaf clover cookies is fun to do with the kids and they can put green icing or green sprinkles all over them. Take a walk and be on the lookout for some lucky 4 leaf clovers or leprechauns. Finding some gold coins that the leprechauns leave behind in the house or for them to find on a walk together can be fun.
April
April Fool’s Day – My husband and I are quite jokesters and introduced that fun to our kids. Some kids won’t like the jokes and you must really know them as to what you can or cannot do. My daughter loved playing jokes on everyone, and she could take it. My son on the other hand had fun dishing it out but not receiving it. It was a good lesson for him to learn from.
- I think all kids should have a little joking fun with their family. This will help them if it happens at school or with a friend so they won’t get too upset and will understand when something is a joke. Also, for them to understand if they do it, they need to expect it in return.
- Some little jokes you could do are to put a fake bug in their room or make mashed potatoes and serve them like it was ice cream and then you can say April Fools! Silly little things are fun but of course, they could escalate to big jokes. Just be prepared and not do things that your family will get mad at. The goal is to do a trick and then be able to laugh about it afterward.
Easter – This is a great holiday for family traditions examples I can share. I can recall so many family memories of Easter Egg Hunts with my family, Easter Sunday Church, leaving our basket out for the Easter bunny to add some goodies to it, and just a fun family day. Oh, and I can’t forget decorating/coloring boiled eggs and making fun cookies to decorate. This is a tradition that we have carried on with our kids. Also reading Easter books throughout the month was something we did that the kids enjoyed.
- Easter egg hunts even with my kids in their twenties are so much fun to watch. Of course, now the kids just want money in their eggs. With kids being of age to drink it can be fun if you buy a 6 pack of their favorite beverage and hide those. They then must find their beverages hidden around the yard. We did that for one year for the adults in the family and that was fun.
May
Mother’s Day – Celebrate Mother’s Day with your mom/kids’ grandma and show them how you love your mom as your kids love you. Let your kids celebrate with mom/you by making a special card or gift. My husband was always great helping the kids make me a gift. And I still have and treasure them.
Memorial Day – This is a day to honor all those who died while serving our country in the military. It’s great to educate your kids on what this holiday is about. If you want to do a family activity to help decorate the graves of those who have lost their lives serving our country you could do that. Talk about anyone in your family that has served or is serving in the military. Let your kids know that they sacrificed a lot to help us have freedom and the rights we have as citizens.
Last day of School – We would celebrate with a cake and a small gift. The gift they would have to search for by playing a game. You give them a card with a message on it like a rhyme and they must figure out where to look and then find their next clue and so on until they find their gift. This was a way to celebrate all the hard work they had done throughout the school year. We continued this throughout school till they graduated from high school.
June
Father’s Day – Help your kids make a gift/card for their father. My kids and I will make a cake or some yummy dessert for him also. Spend the day playing games, going for a walk, or something fun. And of course, giving him some time to just chill if that’s what he needs.
July
4th of July – We started this fun tradition to go to a 4th of July parade when the kids were little. First, we would stop by a donuts shop grab some donuts, and head to the parade. Pack some water and a blanket to sit on. Getting there early we could find a nice spot to put a blanket out across the grass or sidewalk and eat our donuts while we wait for the parade to start.
- Part of the 4th of July fun is of course all about the fireworks and popping them yourself or watching a display somewhere. Sometimes we celebrate with extended family or friends and other times we celebrate just as our family.
August/September
Back to School or First Day of School – Depending on when your child’s school begins. We would celebrate the first day of school with a cake when they got home. This is something I started and continued till the last year of my kids’ school in High School. It was a little something to help them get through the dreaded first day. They truly enjoyed that! A tradition that my kids’ grandparents did each year was to take them back to school shopping for clothes before each first day and that was nice.
October
Halloween – Trick-Or-Treating Fun. I have lots of memories of trick-or-treating as a kid. We continued that tradition with our kids, and they always trick or treat too. Some of the fun is creating or finding the right costume. On Halloween, I would always put together some fun/creepy dinner items before trick or treating. As the kids got older, they would invite their friends to join in on the fun dinner.
- Now my kids get together with their cousins and create a haunted house for kids to go through. This has been a fun change but most of all it’s fun interacting with our kids and creating a fun house for kids to get a little scare from.
- Can’t forget about the pumpkin patch or corn or hay maze. Our kids would have so much fun checking out all the different sizes of the pumpkins and exploring the area. The hayride was always a top priority. This can be a yearly family fun event.
- Carving a pumpkin started when my firstborn was probably about 7 months old. Her daddy would cut open a pumpkin and let her put her hand in and feel the slimy stuff. As she got older each year she enjoyed helping. Your kids can color/paint the small pumpkins and help carve the big ones.
November
Veterans Day – Help your kids understand what Veterans Day is and how they can show support to those serving in the military.
Thanksgiving – Since we live close to my sister, we usually always celebrate with her and her family. It’s great to celebrate holidays with family and we are happy we can. Use that day to help your kids understand what they are thankful for and how to be grateful. Play a game or talk about what you are thankful for. Make sure each person can talk about what they are thankful for. And it’s great to show appreciation for what you have.
- Of course, we have the traditional meal of Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry salad, pecan pie, and pumpkin pie among other items I’m sure I’ve left out. We basically stuff our bellies and then play games.
December
Christmas – We have a lot of family traditions examples in December having to do with this special day. I will briefly mention them and go into more detail in my blog about Christmas.
- First off is the Christmas books. When my kids were little, I would wrap 25 Christmas books each individually. On December 1st my kids would pick one of the wrapped books to open and we would read that book. My kids would take turns choosing the gift/book to open each day and so on.
- Decorating the family Christmas tree and their little Christmas trees in their room.
- Looking at Christmas lights in our pajamas with a cup of hot cocoa.
- Gingerbread house – We would just buy a kit or make ones with graham crackers and icing or marshmallow cream with lots of candy to decorate with.
- Baking cookies and desserts – My kids enjoyed making holiday desserts with me.
- Watching Christmas movies – My family always had popcorn movie night on Friday nights. So, during the month of December, you could definitely bet someone was choosing a Christmas movie to watch.
- Christmas Eve and Christmas Day – Christmas Eve or Christmas Day church
- Traditional Christmas meal with lots of family.
Other family tradition examples are done when birthdays occur in your family or other ones you have created to do when it’s the best season or time frame.
Birthdays – are another great family traditions example for us. It’s great to show your family how much you love them. We celebrate each person’s birthday with our family with a cake or dessert of their choice. As well as a family dinner being at home or out.
- I started a tradition of having a birthday breakfast. Usually, the mornings are fast, and breakfast is something quick and simple and something they like. So, most of the time it was donuts, cinnamon rolls, pancakes, or pop tart with a candle in it. It can be something so simple but done in a way to show your child how special they are and help start their day off right.
- The biggest part is the candle and blowing it out singing happy birthday to start their day off. I kept that up till they graduated from High School. As siblings it’s great to have them make a card or gift to give their sibling.
Family Camping – This can be a tradition that you set. We have a tradition of camping with our family every September or October. While kids are in school fall break can be a great time for that.
As I said we really have so many family traditions examples centered around holidays, but you can definitely make your own traditions or have them whenever you want.
The most important part of having a tradition is to do something as a family that you have fun doing together.
If it is something that you are forcing everyone to do, and no one is having fun then maybe it’s one to drop. Or maybe it needs to be changed up a bit. Nothing should be set in stone and must be so serious that you can’t have fun.
Some traditions are fun for your family as they are young and may only be done then and that’s okay. As your kids age you might adapt or change a tradition or create a new one and sometimes that is what your family needs.
Having family traditions is all about having each member of the family feel a sense of belonging to the family. Creating quality time with each other and enjoying each other’s company.