Family Traditions for the Entire Year

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One fun way to build memories with your kids is to create family traditions…traditions you do each and every year.

Here are some easy family traditions for holidays throughout the year! I wouldn’t recommend doing ALL of these. Instead, choose one or two to incorporate into your year.

Traditions for the Entire Year:

Birthdays:

Decorate your child’s door so she wakes up to a surprise.
Interview your kids. Ask them the same questions each year, questions like: what is your favorite food, what is your favorite movie, who is your closest friend, what do you want to be when you grow up, etc.
Measure your child’s height to see how much he’s grown in the past year.

New Year’s Eve:

Get out some glasses and enjoy sparkling grape juice.

Measure your kids’ heights each year to see how much they’ve grown.
Make individual or family new year’s resolutions.
DIY Balloon Drop
Make a scrap book, family photo album, of photo collage of the previous year.
Throw a New Year’s Eve party. Dress up, eat fun snacks, make a photo booth, have a dance party, watch movies, or play games.
Write down some of your favorite memories of the year in a journal. (My husband and I do this each year on our anniversary. It’s so fun to go back and read previous years’ memories!)

Valentines Day:

Make some heart shaped food or chocolate covered strawberries. I made these pancakes for my kids last year by using a cookie cutter. (It’s DEFINITELY not pinterest-worthy, but you get the idea.)
Do a random act of kindness for someone as a family.
Go on a special date with each child.
Cut out construction paper hearts and write on them reasons you love your family members. Then decorate your home with the hearts.
Play one of these fun Valentine’s Day games that The Better Mom shared.
Have a Jesus Loves You Party at home with your kids.
Make Heart Crayons to share with family or friends.

Easter:

Make resurrection rolls.
Use Resurrection eggs to tell your kids about the true meaning of Easter.
Enjoy some customary Easter activities: egg hunt, easter egg dye, etc.
Make cinnabunnies. (Again, not Pinterest-worthy, but my kids loved them anyway!)
Do one of these other ideas from We Are That Family to celebrate Jesus.
Wear matching outfits to church.

Independence Day:

Make a fruit flag, flag cake, or other celebratory food. The fruit flag is super easy. Blueberries in the corner, and bananas and strawberries cut in half to make rows.
Go on a picnic each year at a park or play an outdoor game.
Watch a parade or firework show at your local park.

Halloween:

Dress up in fun costumes for the day.
Watch a not-so-scary kids movie.
Go to a pumpkin patch.
Carve a pumpkin or paint a pumpkin.
Shine your light for Jesus during a typically dark holiday. Here are some ways to do it.
Play Pin the Spider on the Web or another fun Halloween game. I remember using toilet paper and racing to see who could make a “mummy” out of my mom the fastest when I was a kid.

Thanksgiving:

Write on a Thankfulness tablecloth each year. Ask your kids one thing for which they’re thankful. Then write (or have them write if they’re able) it on the tablecloth. I also love to trace my kids’ handprints. Someday, our tablecloth will be full of blessings and will be so much fun to look at.
Create a family gratitude journal. Ask everyone to write each year what they are most thankful for.
Make a thanksgiving tree or a thankful door.
Do one of these fun Thanksgiving day activities from The Happy Housewife.
Go around the table at dinner and have everyone share one thing for which they are thankful.
Put up the Christmas tree after the meal.
Serve somewhere together as a family.
Write on a pumpkin all the things for which you are thankful.
Invite someone to join your family meal who might not have anywhere else to go.

Christmas:

Fill a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child.
Do one of these Christ-centered traditions.
Deliver homemade treats to someone: fireman, police officers, neighbors, postal workers, trash service men, church staff, a family in need, etc.
Decorate a Christmas tree together.
Go look at Christmas lights around town.
Drink hot cocoa and read Twas the Night Before Christmas.
Take pictures with Santa.
Read Jesus’ birth story from Luke 2.
Enjoy a family dinner, complete with sparkling grape juice.
If you celebrate with Santa, make him cookies on Christmas Eve. (If you don’t, make cookies anyway to share with your neighbors.)
Make a birthday cake for Jesus.
Watch a Christmas movie together. I personally love It’s a Wonderful Life and Elf and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Go through your possessions and give things away to ministries or people in need.
Get a free personalized video from Santa for your kids.
Do a fun Christmas craft.
Give a gift to Jesus.

What are some of YOUR favorite family traditions?

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Lindsey Bell

About Lindsey Bell:
Lindsey Bell is the author of Unbeaten and of Searching for Sanity. She’s also a stay-at-home mother of two, minister’s wife, avid reader, and chocolate lover. You can find Lindsey online at her website: www.lindseymbell.com.

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