Family Traditions
Ideas from The Book of New Family Traditions: How to Create Great Rituals for Holidays & Everydays by Meg Cox
Good Deed Paper Chain: Sara Tapley, the mother of six, hangs a multicolored paper chain across the bay window in her dining room, after writing the name of one family member on each link. Every morning, each person has to break a link and do a good deed for the person whose name he gets; if someone gets their own name, he passes it on.
Thankful Box: Put a cardboard box with a slit cut into the top on the kitchen counter the week before Thanksgiving, with a pile of blank paper and a pencil next to it. Everybody writes down things they're thankful for. Read them aloud during the feast, and guess who wrote that. (This could be done at Christmas dinner too.)
Ideas from Family Traditions: 289 Things to Do Again and Again by Caryl Waller Krueger
Pint-Sized Chefs: Make it a tradition that the kids work together to make Christmas Eve lunch or Christmas Day breakfast. This involves cooperation and creativity. Don't comment if it isn't a grand meal - just be grateful that you didn't have to make it!
Mystery Photo: A grandma has the tradition of putting a photo of a person in the center of the table each time she entertains her family. Everyone guesses who it might be and conjectures what the person did or does for a living or for fun. When dessert is near, the name of the photo person is revealed, as well as the real facts about his or her life. This kind of family "history lesson" builds memories as it educates.
Holiday Family Games
Source: familyfun.go.com
Pass the Snow Ball: Use an oversized white pom-pom as the snow ball. The children sit in a circle quite close together. Practice passing the "snow ball" to each other keeping hands behind backs. Have 1 child at a time sit outside the circle on a chair and close their eyes. When the ball is "hidden" the child has to guess who has the ball. When she guesses the right person, that person who had the snowball becomes the new "guesser".
You Could Even Say It Glows: WHAT YOU NEED: Pencil or marker, Construction paper, Scissors, Glue stick, Poster board, Blindfold, Red dot stickers
HOW TO PLAY: 1. Sketch a simple outline of a reindeer on construction paper, cut it out, and glue it to the poster board (or your kids can simply use a marker to draw Rudolph directly on the poster board). Remember to leave Rudolph noseless! 2. To play, hang the picture on a wall, blindfold the kids one at a time, hand each a red sticker, and let them try to restore Rudy's shiny nose.
SnowBlowers: Race against time and competitors to puff your ball to the finish line. WHAT YOU NEED: Large paper cups, Small prizes (candy canes, colored pencils, stickers...), Table, Ping-Pong ball, Paper towel tubes
HOW TO PLAY: 1. To set up, hang three large paper cups with tape off one side of a table, so that the cup openings are level with the table's surface. Fill each cup halfway with small prizes and clear away any chairs so players have an open pathway at both sides of the table. 2. Give the first two players paper towel tubes and explain that when you place a Ping-Pong ball in front of each of them, they must blow through the tubes like a snowblower. (Point out that a gentle breath is all it takes to get the "snowball" rolling.) 3. Each contestant will have 15 seconds to direct the ball across the table and into one of the paper cups; if the ball goes over the edge first, that player's turn is over. Each winner gets to pick one prize from the cup--and the playing continues until each cup is empty.
TIPS: Have the kids decorate their paper towel tubes with construction paper, stickers, ribbon, drawings, etc. Decorate the table with confetti, streamers and other items that will also blow around when the races begin.
Santa's Helpers: Wrap it up and tie it with a bow, one-handed, in this entertaining competition. WHAT YOU NEED: Party favors, Box, Wrapping paper, Tape, Yarn
HOW TO PLAY: 1. To set up, put out two party favors, one box, a sheet of wrapping paper, tape and yarn for each pair. 2. Each team must race to wrap the favors in the box and tie a bow. The catch? Each player must hold one hand behind his or her back, an impediment that makes it necessary for partners to communicate and work together. The first team to finish wins the gift.
Stuff the Santa: Race to create the stoutest Saint Nick of them all. WHAT YOU NEED: Balloons, One-piece extra large union suit
HOW TO PLAY: 1. Inflate an ample supply of balloons. 2. Divide contestants into teams of four to six players. Draw candy canes to determine which player will don the suit over his or her clothes; the player selecting the longest candy cane is It. 3. Teammates are given the task of stuffing the suit with balloons. Remind the players that a gentle touch is essential for keeping balloons intact. Set a timer for two minutes and see how many balloons the team can stuff into the suit before the time is up. 4. The next team of Santa stuffers must try to top the previous record, but first give Santa a chance to show off his lumpy physique.
For more holiday resources, go to Simple Holidays 101, Simple Holidays 102 or The Big O: Holidays.
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