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Looking for fun and new ways to bond as a family? You are in the right place! With a new decade set to take shape in a few short weeks, I decided to make it my resolution to find 20 new family traditions to try in 2020. To this day I’m still very close to my parents and I believe it’s because I grew up in a family filled with traditions. The great thing about traditions is that they can change to fit your family’s needs. These are simply suggestions, but only you know what works best for your family.
Should You Start Your Own Family Traditions?
Bonding with your children is so important and with time fleeting having fun family traditions make spending time together even more exciting. This year I’m making it a priority to spend as much time together as a family as possible. Children are only little for such a short period of time that it’s so important we act fast. Your children will remember these traditions for years to come and will be eager to share in these traditions with their own families. One tradition that’s been in my family for years is family movie night on the first Friday of each month. When I was a child we wouldn’t make any plan for the first Friday of each month and we would rent a family movie, make popcorn and cozy up on the couch. Even with a calendar full of activities I still make this tradition a priority for my own family and it’s something we all look forward to each month.
How Can You Start Your Own Family Traditions?
Not all families are the same and you might not have a lot of traditions to pass down to your children and that’s ok! Instead, why not start your own family traditions? Sounds great, but you might be wondering how exactly to start your own traditions. The answer is so simple – just start! Is there something you’ve been wanting to try with your family? Do it! That could be your first new tradition. If you are stuck on what traditions to start with your family allow this article to help guide you. Once you are done I would love to hear about what traditions you do with your family in the comments below! Without further adieu here are the 20 Family Traditions to Start this Year.
20 Family Traditions To Start This Year.
Weekly and Daily Family Traditions
Try adding in small weekly or daily family traditions that work for your family. Here’s an example of the weekly and daily traditions my family does together.
Game Nights – Every Sunday is designated for family games. Before bed every Sunday we all gather around the dining room table to play a family game. Some of our favorite games include Battleship, Headbands, 5 Second Rule and so many others. Game nights make for such fun weekly family traditions and its definitely something my family looks forward to each week.
Go Out To Eat or Order In – Every Friday is fun food Friday which means we either order take out or try a new restaurant. To make things more interesting at the beginning of each year we each take a few minutes to write down 10 restaurants we want to try or love and write them on a popsicle stick then in a jar. We do this so when its time to try a restaurant we pick one from the bottle instead of arguing! The kids love it. It makes for a super fun family tradition.
Daily Photos – This is a family tradition I started last year and wish I started it sooner. At some point each day I take a photo of my child in the same spot. At the end of the year, I made a time-lapse video to see how far they’ve grown. It’s incredible to look back at a full year of photos in one shot. You will love doing this – I promise. My son hates having his photo taken, but when he saw his video he was the first one to line up for his photo of the day!
Movie Nights – As I mentioned above, the first Friday of each month is family movie night. We try to watch a new movie as a family, but if it’s Christmas time we watch one of the classics. My kids love knowing that we have this standing tradition and we make it even more special by trying a new snack. My son loves watching Tasty videos so we make it a point to find a video we can recreate as a family for movie night. My son loves being in charge of the snacks and he’s learning valuable life skills at the same time!
Seasonal Family Traditions To Start This Year
Let’s be real, most kids LOVE the change of seasons so why not capitalize on that by incorporating new seasonal family traditions. They are many wonderful family traditions you can add to each season. Some seasonal family traditions include:
Spring Bucket List – As the weather breaks and the days grow longer it means Spring is on the way! Why not celebrate in style with a family fun Spring bucket list? You can create your own by sitting down and writing out what everyone wants to do this Spring or you can use mine to help guide you and your family.
RELATED: Spring Bucket List
Summer Break Bucket List – We only have 18 Summers with our kids before they are off to college. Eighteen, that’s it! Make the most of your Summer by planning fun activities to do as a family. Summer is my favorite time of year to create fun family traditions. You don’t have the stress of school, homework and planned activities. You can sit back and really enjoy each other’s company. If you need help planning a great Summer for your family you can check out my Summer bucket list post.
RELATED: Summer Bucket List
Apple Picking – Once Summer is over and the weather gets cooler its time to delight in one of our favorite family traditions – apple picking! We head to our local orchard and go to town! Once we get home it’s time to bake! We love making fresh apple crisp. It’s not really Fall until the first slice of warm apple crisp.
Pumpkin Picking – Next up on our seasonal family tradition hitlist is pumpkin picking! Fall officially kicks into overdrive once we make our annual trip to the pumpkin patch. We love to carve, paint and make delicious pumpkin treats. What do you do with your pumpkins?
Related: Pumpkin Decorating
Halloween Traditions – Pumpkin picking is the first part of our annual Halloween traditions. We spend 31 days and nights getting pumped for Halloween. To find out exactly what we do each year to get ready for Halloween be sure to check out my Halloween Traditions article.
Thanksgiving Traditions – Halloween ends and we quickly shift our attention onto Thanksgiving. Over the last few years, I started incorporating Thanksgiving traditions into the mix because I felt Thanksgiving was being overshadowed by Christmas. Thanksgiving is a very important holiday for kids to recognize and having family traditions to help celebrate Thanksgiving makes it even more memorable.
Winter Bucket List – Once the New Year hits it’s time to celebrate Winter. Winter doesn’t have to be cold and boring. Having fun family traditions in place can make the winter much more bearable. Crafting, baking, and outdoor winter sports are only a small portion of the family traditions we do each winter.
Travel Traditions To Start With Your Family This Year
Traveling is another great way to build fun family traditions. Here are some of my favorite family traditions when it comes to traveling.
Annual Trip – If your situation allows, find a place you can visit with your family year in and year out. For our family, it’s Kalahari resorts. On the last day of school, we pick up the kids and go straight to Kalahari. The kids start a countdown that makes for a very exciting time in their lives.
Matching Outfits Yes, we are that family! If we go away anywhere, chances are we are wearing matching outfits. Not matchy matchy, but color-coordinated at the very least. It makes for perfect pictures if you want my opinion.
Vacation Photos – Another great travel tradition is to take fun and silly vacation photos. Once a vacation is over the only thing you will have are your memories and photos. Make sure you take a bunch!
Road Trip Games – If you are planning to take your family on a road trip make sure you plan a bunch of fun games to play! It helps pass the time and makes for some great memory-making.
Holiday Traditions to Start With Your Family This Year
Yearly Ornament – Each year we purchase a family ornament for the year. This is something we can look back on every year and be reminded of the Christmases of years past. In addition, I have the kids create an ornament of their own each year. I love looking at all of their handmade ornaments – they make for the sweetest memories.
Family Photos – Each Christmas I plan a big photoshoot for our family. We get to meet Santa and get our family photos done at the same time. It works out perfectly for us and it’s a tradition our kids look forward to each year.
Baking and Crafting – Every December we spend a lot of our time baking and crafting to help make Christmas the best it can be! My kids love being in the kitchen and we make so many delicious treats. It’s fun for all of us.
FAMILY TRADITIONS SHOULD BE FUN
In closing, remember when it comes to family traditions they should be fun and easy. If you find yourself stressing than that’s not the right tradition for your family. You know your family better than anyone so do what’s best for your crew. Enjoy making memories together!
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