6 Inexpensive Traditions You Can Do With Your Kids

Traditions are a valuable and joyful way to strengthen families and create memories to last a life time. This year, during the winter month’s I was thinking about our family’s traditions with our kids and as a family. Sure, we have a lot of traditions during the holiday seasons though I couldn’t help but think what are some other traditions we do throughout the year. I’m writing this today as a way to catalog and share what we do, hoping that I can inspire you with new ways to create memories of your own.

The Importance of Traditions

Not only do traditions leave us with lasting memories, but they provide us with a source of identity of who we are and where we came from. As a parent I find it important to really understand how traditions effect us. What do I mean by effect us, I mean traditions bring families together, provide security and comfort and reinforce family values. And aren’t we all trying to teach our kids to be good people? I believe traditions can help with that.

Here is a nice list of 6 inexpensive traditions our little family does together.

Every Day

1. On the way to dropping the kids off at school, we listen to music which really sets the tone for the day. Here are a few we’re enjoying right now: Jock Jams (Ha! Anyone remember that?), A Bushel and a Peck (an oldie and so cute), The Greatest Showman Album (who isn’t still obsessed with this? We are!) and Hangin’ Around (from Eric Church’s new album, we love country!).
2. When the kids are sick they get to drink ginger ale, we aren’t normal pop drinkers so this is a treat and really helps their tummies.
3. Typically once a week in the winter months, we will have a family movie night. We get snacks and cuddle up with warm blankets. Not only do we love new movies but we currently are loving older movies like Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! Who doesn’t love Dick Van Dyke?
4. On the weekends, we sleep in or lay in bed together for a good 15-20 mins, cuddling or just talking about what we plan to do.
5. When I workout the kids grab their yoga mat(s) and do their own work outs along side me. I drew stick figures doing jumping jacks, mountain climbers, bicep curls (the kids use 2lb. free weights), lunges and sit ups. They will also play with these yoga cards and pick a few to do.
6. When our kids get upset, I have taught them simple ways to meditate. I’m hoping this will teach our kids to control their emotions and energy. Here is a quick grounding technique…think about the “thing” that is bothering you. Imagine that thing is a red glittery stone that moves from your head to your tummy and all of the way of the bottom of your toes. As the stone leaves your toes wiggle your toes. This exercise should help to calm anyone down. I’ve been known to do this myself. 🙂

Here are a few other seasonal traditions we do.

Spring

• With the itch for nicer weather, we tend to run out of things to do. Making DIY things for outside is something we’ve enjoyed, like painted garden stones, or DIY painted bird houses.
• School carnival, book fairs, school concerts; we love to share these times with grandparents and great-grandparents.
• Planting our garden; the kids and I get a catalog and make a list of what we want to grow.

Summer

• Outdoors; drive-in movie theater, campfires, picking raspberries, landscaping and gardening, hiking, forts in the woods, fishing, eating outdoors or having a picnic, fire fly catching at night.
• Watching movies outside with a projector that connects to your phone, here is a kind that we’ve used. You can project on a white sheet, or light colored wall.
• We take a family photo to not only use for Christmas cards, but as a way to catalog our growth. It’s fun to look back at how small our babies.

Fall

• Outdoors; the rodeo, raking leaves into large piles and jumping into them, attending kid’s sporting events, hiking, scavenger hunt for beautiful leaves
• First day of school pics; I draw on a piece of paper with their name, age and what they want to be when they grow up, it’s fun to see how things change.
• We enjoy having an easy dinner near our campfire at our house. This is fun, since we don’t eat out there often.
• We love the Packers. Sunday tends to be a football watching kind of day/night. We wear green and gold and shout at the TV proudly. lol!

Winter

• Outdoors; Building snowmen (here’s a great kit from amazon), Ice Skating (we all just learned to skate this winter, it’s been really fun to teach them not to be afraid), sledding, snow shoeing, building snow forts, ice fishing
• Attending Christmas concerts or recitals, Daddy Daughter Dance, picnic indoors, blanket forts indoors
• At the end of every year, I make a Shutterfly book which includes ALL pictures taken throughout the year. I organize the pics month by month and the remaining pictures that don’t fill the monthly pages, I add to a collage at the end of the book. This is timely but is so special, I’ve been doing this since we got married. The days seem to fly by and this is a great way to remind us of what we’ve done and gone through together. The kids love looking at previous years and giggle!

NEW for 2019 Resolutions

This year I’m working on myself and self care, I recently wrote a post about what self care is and the importance. I’d like to teach our kids the importance this as well.

Do you have any fun, easy or inexpensive traditions that you did as a child or do today with your family? I’d love any ideas. We’re always looking for new ideas! Comment below 😉

Our gorgeous photos were done by our favorite gal, Andrea Wagner. Check out her beautiful work!!