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Ritual

  • 40 Fall Activities to Bring Your Family Closer Together

    You could say I’m a Fall enthusiast, but that would probably be the understatement of the year. I’ve had my Fall decorations up since the beginning of September. Pumpkins, leaves and harvest signs are taking up most of the space in our humble abode, and I’m not one bit sorry about it!

    The Fall traditions run thick in this household, and I can’t think of a better time for family activities than during this festive, gratitude-rich season.

    In order to galvanize your family members and get the Fall flare going, we’ve compiled a list of our 40 favorite Fall activities that will bring your family closer together. All of these ideas are family friendly for kids of varying ages, and can easily become traditions for the harvest season. Eventually, they become activities to look forward to year after year!

    So why are family activities and traditions important?

    A review in the December issues of American Psychological Association’s (APA) Journal of Family Psychology states that “family routines and rituals are alive and well and are associated with marital satisfaction, adolescents’ sense of personal identity, children’s health, academic achievement and stronger family relationships.” We couldn’t agree more!

    Additionally, studies show family traditions are the basis in creating family culture. Some of the many benefits include nurtured bonds between siblings and parents, a further developed sense of belonging, and the making of a memorable childhood. Can’t help but love those perks!

    A few of the Fall activities require prior planning and others can be done on a whim. That’s why we love this list and encourage you to add some family fun in your busy Fall schedule.

    One of our Fall must-dos is a family hike during the weeks of foliage. It’s wonderful to behold the colorful leaves and to appreciate nature’s beauty that only comes around once a year together as a family. Again, the activity doesn’t have to be extravagant. Something as simple as backyard football can bring your family closer together.

    To make planning even more simple here are a few quick links to find Fall activities near you!

    • To find Fall festivals (broken down by state) check out Funtober.com
    • To Find an upcoming 5K near you here is Active.com
    • A list of super scary films for movie night ranked by rotten tomatoes
    • Some family Halloween costume ideas
    • To donate blood and give the gift of life as a family, find a blood drive near you

    Enjoy the season and don’t forget to check out our Grateful Tree Activity!

    What are some of your favorite fall activities? Comment below!

    August 2, 2021
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  • The Importance of Family Traditions and Ones You Can Start Today

    The Importance of Family Rituals and Ones You Can Start Today | Rock It Mama | How to Strengthen Your Family Connection

    As we move into another year, are you ever left wondering where the time went? How can we savor these moments more?

    I sure have.

    In two weeks, I will be heading back to work and to be honest, I have been overly sensitive about losing the precious hours spent at home with my children.

    See the importance of family traditions ideas you can apply to your family all year long below!

    The Importance of Family Rituals and Ones You Can Start Today | Rock It Mama | How to Strengthen Your Family Connection
    While preparing for this new season in time, I want to be sure that our family is continuing to form impactful, shared experiences in the busyness of our every day lives. I don’t want me being away to negatively impact the family dynamic. So this year, my focus is to continue to add more family rituals and traditions into our household. Here’s why.

    Studies show family traditions are the basis in creating family culture – you are nurturing bonds between siblings and parents, developing a sense of belonging and helping to create a memorable childhood. A review in the December issues of American Psychological Association’s (APA) Journal of Family Psychology found that “family routines and rituals are alive and well and are associated with marital satisfaction, adolescents’ sense of personal identity, children’s health, academic achievement and stronger family relationships.”

    And when I say traditions and rituals, I don’t mean they have to be extravagant or expensive experiences. They can be any simple daily, weekly, seasonal traditions your family can come to expect and look forward to. For example, we have a bedtime routine we stick to each night – dinner, bath, a book, three songs and lots of hugs and kisses. Some weeks we have breakfast for dinner or Taco Tuesday. Every month, we usually have a movie night where we get a Red box rental, stay up late and have popcorn. And of course we have our list of seasonal bucket-list traditions like visiting the pumpkin patch, driving around to see Christmas lights, decorating cookies, or going on a long family trip.

    “Family routines and rituals are associated with marital satisfaction, adolescents’ sense of personal identity, children’s health, academic achievement and stronger family relationships.”

    As each year goes by and as our family continues to grow, so have our traditions. I can see the impact they make on my oldest son and not only how he anticipates these established routines, but also how well he thrives on them. So while I will be losing time during the day with my littles, I know I will be able to savor the precious moments with them through the rituals we have fostered and the ones we will continue to add each year.

    And what better time to start adding new rituals than now?! Below are some great ideas that you can implement with your family today and some of which I will be adding to our family’s list as well.

     

    Remember, the rituals you create will establish key values for your family and will be “magical memories” for your children to look back on and possibly pass along to their own families and generations to come!

    What are some of your favorite family traditions? What family rituals do you want to add into your week? Share in the comments below!

    If you enjoyed this post, you might enjoy 5 Family-friendly Ideas for Thanksgiving Day

    Family Traditions

    January 8, 2019
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  • Teaching Gratitude Through a Grateful Tree

    On long, exhausting, frustrating days with my boys (lets be honest we all have them) there is one thing I lean on to pull me through: Gratitude.

    I started practicing intentional gratitude after my first was born in an attempt to ease anxiety. I learned quickly that when I regularly took time to give thanks and share a sense of abundance around me, I attracted a goodness that elevated my mood and carried me through the day. What better time to emphasize gratitude than the month of November, when Thanksgiving is at the forefront of our of planning. I came across the idea for a Grateful Tree while in the seasonal section of Target (where else) and I must say, it will now be a staple of our holiday celebration. The Grateful Tree is a fun and interactive way to engage your kids while instilling the value of gratitude.

    There are many ways to create your own Grateful Tree, but here I’ll give you the tools to build a tree like the one we have on display in our home. You will need:

    • A Glass Cylinder
    • Pine Cones
    • A stick (ideally with numerous branches)
    • Construction Paper (Red, Orange and Yellow)
    • Hole Punch
    • Yarn
    • Permanent Marker

    Fill the cylinder with pine cones. This will hold the stick in place and keep it straight so you can hang your leaves. Position the stick up right so that the leaves will dangle colorfully from each branch. Use the construction paper for the leaf cutouts. You can also purchase them here. Punch a hole in each cutout, and carefully weave the yarn through the hole to create the hanger.

    Practicing gratitude may reduce aggression and alleviate negative emotions such as envy and resentment

    For every night in November we’ve added a leaf to our Grateful Tree. It has become the pre-bedtime ritual. I ask my oldest son to tell me one thing in his life that he is grateful for, and we use the permanent marker to write it down on one of the leaves and hang it on a branch. Just a tip: defining grateful to an almost-three-year-old proved to be tricky. I explained to him that the things in life for which we show gratitude make us happy. Basically he gives me items throughout his day that brought him joy, which, to me is close enough! We can expand on that down the road.

    There are many benefits to exercising gratitude, and introducing this practice early on in a child’s life may increase mental strength, boost empathy and augment overall well-being.

    Studies show that gratitude may also reduce aggression and alleviate negative emotions such as envy and resentment. And seriously, the Grateful Tree is a super cute piece of decor to add to your Thanksgiving collection. I think it will be fun to look back on our grateful leaves next year, and see how he grows in his understanding. Hope you find this project to be as beneficial as we have. Enjoy your Grateful Tree!

    PS. If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out our post on our Table Talk Thanksgiving Conversation Game(hint: it includes a  free printable)!

    November 6, 2018
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