Year Round Family Traditions- Family Nights

"Family traditions counter alienation and confusion.  

They help us define who we are; they provide 

something steady, reliable and safe in a 

confusing world." ~Susan Lieberman

I was thinking about the importance of traditions and making memories as a family.  It is so important to me that my children have a deep rooted appreciation for family time.  I truly believe that traditions help shape a family and it somehow creates a sense of unity.  As I am nearing the birth of my daughter it has become that much more important that I create some special ideas that will make her childhood more than just ordinary and form strong bonds as a family unit.  Here are a few ideas I would like to start doing!

Family Night:  One night a week where we spend the night as a family doing something fun. This night will be special because we will have a nice dinner, dessert, and a fun activity.  Would love to give everyone in the family an official invite to that weeks Family Night at the start of the week so they have an idea of what we'll be doing and can look forward to that time!  This also sends a message to our children that the night is important and reinforces the priority of family.  The kids can invite others to family night...  as long as we're all together, that's what REALLY matters and we want this to be something they really look forward to!  
"When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses." ~Joyce Brothers
  

Possible Activities:  

Movie Night-  The whole night can be themed around whatever movie is being watched that night.  We would have dinner that fit with the theme, maybe an activity that would go hand in hand with the movie, a concession stand, ticket stand, comfy seating, and review the movie before going to bed...  everyone gives it a star rating, little kids can draw a favorite scene or character, older kids can write a quick blurb of what they thought and if they'd recommend it, etc.  Can also do a double feature where we do a fun family movie and then take an intermission to put the kids to bed so mom and dad can have a movie night together cuddling and enjoying a more adult flick. www.commonsensemedia.org/  is a great site to check out how appropriate a film is, what it's about, what parents should know before seeing it, "appropriate age", and topics to talk about after seeing the film!  http://www.thedatingdivas.com/date-night/at-home/ has some wonderful movie themed ideas too!
"I think cinema, movies, and magic have always been closely associated.  The very earliest people who made film were magicians." ~Francis Ford Coppola


Game Night-  The night can also follow a theme depending on what games will be played that night.  We would keep a family scoreboard from the games we've played so we can look back at some of the highest and lowest scores people have had.  Winner could get an award of some sort...  a medal, their name on reigning champ board, etc.  We'd have fun gaming snacks around the table while we play.  Family game night is a great chance to teach children how to win and lose with a great attitude.  Make it fun no matter how well they are playing, but don't let them win just to win.  It's a great life skill to learn how to lose gracefully and enjoy the time spent playing.  Have a wide variety of games to choose from and pick ones that are different or even draw the game from a jar to make it "fair".  If a game isn't going well, feel free to switch to another game that people may be more interested in that night.  Some nights just aren't nights to run around acting like a chicken and may be more sitting down playing some strategic card game.  Go with the mood and just enjoy the time together!  http://www.hasbro.com/games/en_US/ has some great tips on picking games and making a great game night!  
"It's not about winning or losing.  It's about how you play the game" ~Grantland Rice


Cooking with Mommy and Daddy- This would be a themed night around a certain "culture".  So there would be Mexican night, Chinese night, Italian night, American night, etc.  Music and table would be set up to reflect the culture.  We would take the time to have everyone help out in the kitchen making our recipes from SCRATCH.  Building a pizza from just the authentic ingredients would make it that much more special when we sit down to enjoy it.  To make the cooking more fun we can have aprons and chef hats.  While things are cooking we could have the kids decorate their own place-mats.  When the kids are older we can encourage them to get creative and write down their recipes that were successful.  We could even do a little game where they get blindfolded and have to guess the ingredient.
"Cooking is at once child's play and adult joy.  And cooking done with care is an act of love."  ~Craig Claiborne  


Art Night-  This night can be so many different activities: painting, crafting, sculpting, collages, paper mache, etc.  It's important to set up a space where you won't have to worry about things getting a little messy.  Encourage them to make a mess and have fun creating whatever it is their little heart desires!  We can all do our own little art project and then at the end all work together to create one "family masterpiece".  Afterwards the artwork can be displayed as a little gallery dedicated to our families creativity.  When it's time to put up new art projects we can take pictures/scan the old art work for a scrapbook and store them away.  One idea I heard that was really neat if things pile up is to host a little art show where we could invite our extended family to see the years collection and possibly "buy" these pieces if they'd like.  Just some pocket change for the kids, but a great way to keep the clutter down and allow the grandparents, aunts, and uncles in on the fun art we've made!
"Art is the only way to run away without leaving home."  ~Twyla Tharp


Tourist for the Night-  This night would be all about exploring new areas around our town we haven't tried out before.  Of course we'll make sure we have the camera and a little spending money if there is anything really neat we come across.  It's a great chance to try a new restaurant, check out a little store, visit a new park, or do something that a tourist would find really interesting in the area that you just don't always get around to or think of when you live in the area!   
"The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one's own country as a foreign land."  ~Gilbert Keith Chesterton


Activity Jar-  This family night is left to luck with us selecting an activity from the activity jar in the morning (gives mom time to get things ready depending on what we're doing).  This is how you can add a WIDE variety to family nights without overdoing some of these activities that take more time, money, planning, or you just want them to be more special.  Fill the jar with many fun ideas...  you can edit the jar to be a few depending on the weather, money, and time.  A few ideas for the Activity Jar:  Bowling, Take Fun/Silly Pictures, Scavenger Hunt, Make a Family Movie/Film, Build an Elaborate Indoor Fort, Mini Golf, Treasure Hunt with Map, Water Fight (complete with water balloons, water guns, etc), Food Fight (hershey syrup, caramel, marshmallows, etc), Formal Dinner at Home, Wash the Car (this can be a blast), Capture the Flag, Tag, Frisbee, 4-Square, Biking, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Laser Tag, Movies, Backyard Campout, etc.  The variety is endless and highly customizable to your family.
"Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally the by-product of other activities."  ~Aldous Huxley