Did you know that family rituals are hugely beneficial for children and parents?⁠
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Over 50 years of research on rituals in families shows that they create stability during times of stress, improve marital satisfaction, help build children’s sense of identity, health, academic achievement, build stronger family relationships, and can help them feel safe during changing times. 

Family rituals are important as they can help the family to create memories, share important moments, develop important skills, and enhance family connection and satisfaction. More specifically, family routines can also help with language development, academic skill development and social skill development.

A ritual, such as a nightly dinner time routine can expose children to a broad range of language skills and provides opportunities to reconnect, organize and structure ways in which the family communicates. Reading with your child before bed for a few minutes can also support in the development of literacy skills and can encourage children to enjoy reading in later years. Routines are an important way for families to organize themselves, and as way to spend time together.

Family rituals and traditions often reflect a family’s values, interests or beliefs. It can also represent your own culture and is one of the best ways to keep family connected and can be passed from generation to generation.

15 ideas for fun family rituals:

1. Monthly dinner on the beach at sunset (keep it simple, bring sandwiches or pizza)
2. Work on a community service project together
3. Read or sing bedtime stories together
4. Family movie, game, and pizza nights
5. Create a family memory jar
6. Monthly adventure days. The whole family picks a day to explore a new place or try new foods
7. Eat dinner together every night
8. Have a personalized handshake with each child
9. Invent special holidays like kids’ days, yes days or half birthdays
10. Have a camp out in the living room occasionally
11. Go on weekly hikes/walks together
12. Weekend morning snuggles with kids in bed
13. Lazy weekend mornings with pancakes for breakfast
14. Hold family meetings so everyone feels seen and heard
15. Take turns going out so each child has a special night out with mom/dad or caregiver

Family rituals and traditions come in all shapes and sizes, from the smallest repeated gestures to the elaborate celebrations. Traditions are any activity that family does ritualistically, and these often begin naturally as families repeat the activities they enjoy doing together.

Other traditions are created intentionally, either because they’ve been passed down through the generations or because families want to purposely create a sense of unity. Whatever the reason, rituals and traditions bring family together and focuses attention on what truly matters – family and togetherness.