How To Create Family Traditions- 6 of My Favorites
Thanksgiving is almost here. It’s my favorite holiday; the cooking, the baking, the wonderful aromas coming from the kitchen, but most of all, spending time with my family. My children are grown, and each year before we take our first mouthful of delicious turkey, I ask them to share what they are thankful for. I started this wonderful tradition many years ago. And while there have been lots of groans and “Oh Mom, let’s just eat,” it just wouldn’t feel right to dig in without sharing. If your family doesn’t have a special tradition, why not start one this year, even if you have young children.
Here are six of my favorites:
- Visit the library and chose a few age appropriate books about Thanksgiving to read with your little one each day. And as they get older, talk about gratitude and thankfulness.
- During the holidays, many grocery stores have food drives. Talk to your toddler about those less fortunate and buy a few extras to donate.
- If you are going to be hosting the family dinner, give your toddler construction paper, markers, crayons, stickers and let her make some pretty place cards.
- Show your toddler how to help set the table for the holiday dinner. Toddlers love to help!
- Make a special Thanksgiving photo book for each child starting from their very first year. Take his or her picture each year, and add a caption. What fun to look back through the years to see how they’ve changed.
- Each night as your tuck your little one in, tell them how much they are loved and how special they are.
Wishing you a Wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Enjoy each minute as you create those wonderful memories.
Blythe Lipman, President and Founder of Baby Instructions based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is a nationally recognized baby and toddler expert, a parenting consultant, an author of three award-winning books, Help! My Baby Came Without Instructions, More…Help! My Baby Came Without Instructions, and Help! My Toddler Came Without Instructions, a teacher, a caregiver, a keynote speaker, a blogger AND host of Baby and Toddler Instructions, a weekly Parenting Internet talk radio show which airs live every Wednesday at 11:00 am EST on itunes and toginet. She is owner of the online parenting magazine My Best Parenting Advice and the site Baby Instructions.
My Best Parenting Advice: How To Create Family Traditions- 6 of My Favorites by Blythe Lipman
