Today’s post is from guest writer Hannah Whittenly.
With school, work, hobbies, and other activities, it can be hard for everyone to set aside time in their schedules for family time. If you want to spend more time all together, you must make an effort to create new traditions. Here are a few family tradition ideas that will get the whole family together.
Read Bedtime Stories
Before bedtime every night, gather the whole family together for story time. This is an especially great idea for families with young children. Gathering together and reading can have a profound positive effect on your kids. It can jump-start their development and give them a head start in school. Reading together can also improve their memory, imagination, motor skills, emotional development, and social development. What could be better than an activity that leads to so many positive effects?
Pizza and Movie Night
Turn one night every week into pizza and movie night. The whole family can come together on the couch and enjoy a film. You can take a break from cooking one night and get pizza delivered, too. Rotate who gets to pick the movie every week so nobody feels left out of the festivities. Then, sit back, relax with your pizza, and enjoy each other’s company.
One-on-One Time
Instead of gathering the whole gang together, make a tradition out of one-on-one time. Some people also call these daddy and mommy dates. Once a month, Mom and Dad take one child out to spend quality time with them. Let your child pick the activity and spend the whole day together. The next month, do the same with your other child. This way, each child gets to spend equal time alone with their parents without someone else trying to grab their attention.
Family Walks
During the spring and summer, take the whole family outside to enjoy some fresh air. Early in the morning or after dinner, go for a family walk around the neighborhood. This is a great way to work some light exercise into your routine while still enjoying time together. On the weekends, consider going further than your neighborhood and exploring a local hiking trail. Family walks are a great tradition to get started today. They combine being together, exercising, and enjoying the outdoors, all in one.
There are plenty of new traditions that you can start to get more time together as a family. It’s not about what you do as long as you are doing it together.
Hannah Whittenly is a freelance writer and mother of two from Sacramento, CA. She enjoys kayaking and reading books by the lake.