Family values and traditions. What are family traditions, what are they for, what kinds of traditions are there and how to create them - our article is about all this.
Every woman, becoming a mother, wishes only the best for her family. She strives to pay attention to her husband and children, strengthen family relationships and build a harmonious and happy family life. At the same time, she wants to do a lot. Get everything done: how planning can help mom
How can a mother manage to devote time to her family? Family traditions and rituals help a lot in this endeavor.
Open the calendar
The modern way of life, when everyone is busy with their own business, strong family ties have become a rare occurrence. But this did not make the need for each other any less. And we still need our loved ones just as much, if not more. So why not try to cross out the dullness of everyday work and have a holiday? Do you think there is no reason? Well, let's open the calendar. Almost every day is marked by some event.
Fisherman's Day, Builder's Day, Chemist's Day, First Phone Call Day. The list could take a long time. There are 365 days in a year, and there may be more holidays. Each day can be made a family holiday.
Among your family and friends there will probably be those who love to go fishing. And, most likely, there will be a cheerful company of avid fishermen. You can take fishing rods, a basket of supplies and the whole family - adults and children - go for a picnic at the nearest pond. And the main treat is to make a signature fish soup from what you managed to catch. In the process, you can learn a lot of new things about each other, starting from the front-line exploits of your beloved grandfather and ending with your son’s story about saving a cat, which he brought home from school just today. Such a family holiday strengthens friendship within the family and promotes better mutual understanding.
On the builder's day, you can call all your relatives in advance and agree to go together to the dacha to your beloved uncle, who is building a dacha house with his own hands. You may ask, where is the holiday if you have to work? Do you remember the statement of the cat Matroskin that joint work unites? And the holiday will be precisely the fact that you are all busy doing the same thing together, and the opportunity to relax under the roof of a house you built with your own hands is also a good bonus. You can also barbecue and relax together.
Why are family traditions needed?
We all come from childhood. Growing up, we transfer the traditions and rituals instilled in our parents’ family into our own. Some of them lose value, and some we come up with and start on our own.
Why is it so important to have traditions?
1. They help strengthen family relationships. Many can remember how pleasant and fun it is to decorate a Christmas tree for the New Year. General pre-holiday mood, feeling of joy, expectation of a miracle. The smell of pine needles and cheerful lights on the ceiling. Family unity during preparation for the main holiday of the year.
2. Maintain connection with history, continuity of generations. To this day, some families have a tradition of naming children after relatives, such as grandparents. The creation of dynasties of certain professions (doctors, artists, military men, teachers, etc.) can also be attributed to a family tradition.
3. Create common interests of all family members. Indicative in this case is the tradition of making greeting cards with your own hands. A surprise card is prepared together with the children for each family member for a birthday or some other holiday. In the process of its creation, warm and strong relationships are formed between parents and children. DIY gifts - 10 ways to do things with your children
It is very important to instill family customs in your children. They are the ones who give a feeling of stability and confidence in the future. They help instill certain norms and rules, discipline and allow the transmission of cultural heritage.
Mom is the main word
How long have you told your mother, grandmother, or mother-in-law about how dear they are to you? How you sometimes need their advice, how knitted scarves and hats keep you warm, how nice it is to wake up to the ringing of the alarm clock given by your mother-in-law. Think there's only one Mother's Day for that? But no. It turns out that Mother's Day is celebrated at different times around the world. Of course, you don’t have to wait for the next November 25th. Choose: May 6 - Mother's Day in Lithuania, August 15 - in Costa Rica, December 8 - in Panama. On any of these days, you can gather the whole family around a set table and once again say how dear your mothers are to you. Perhaps the tradition of celebrating Mother's Day not once, but 5 times a year, will become a family tradition. After all, the date is just a reason to thank, hug and share your tenderness with those who are closest to you.
But Father's Day is not among the official holidays in our country. Just like Grandparents' Day. For them, they even came up with a kind of Day of Older People; The name of the holiday alone smells of mothballs. But if you look through the calendar more carefully, you can choose the day when your family will celebrate Father's Day. For example, let it be June 17, as in Japan. And Grandparents' Day is September 9, as in Canada.
Get rid of depression, create a holiday for yourself
There are days when some kind of premonition of a miracle reigns in the soul. And you arrive at work on time, and your bosses accept all your ideas with a bang. This sentiment needs to be shared. Perhaps for your loved one everything is exactly the opposite, and the child is upset and gloomy about something. You have the power to change everything. Just share your good mood and celebrate at home. Only yours, which is not and will never be in any of the world’s calendars. Day of Surprises – why not a family holiday? Organizing such a holiday is not at all difficult. In itself it will be the first surprise, a beautifully set table will be the second. And small, but very necessary gifts can quite cheer up both your son and your loved one. You need to choose gifts that are not abstract, but that correspond to the tastes and preferences of those to whom you will give them. There may be several such small gifts; they can be hidden in different places: under towels in the bathroom, on the computer system unit, under the pillow. The places can be the most unexpected, the main thing is to pack the surprises beautifully, so that it is immediately clear that there is something interesting inside. You can wrap this surprise gift in several layers of paper, adding extra anticipation to unwrapping it. And if you ask to guess what is in the gift, then such packaging can be misleading due to the discrepancy between form and content, which will add intrigue and fun.
Winter is a wonderful time of year. Although it seems that there are more than enough winter holidays, one more, believe me, will not be superfluous. But it can be another reason to spend time with your loved ones and relax in the fresh air. Just have a Snowman Party.
Pack your skis and sleds, dress warmly, don’t forget carrots and a small bucket (the main elements of a snowman!), stock up on sandwiches and a thermos of hot tea. If you are planning to make a small fire, then grab dry logs, call your relatives - and go to the bosom of nature, where the frost stings your cheeks, the snow crunches cheerfully under your feet, and the steep hills beckon you to slide down. But the most important thing is to build a snowman! Have a competition to see whose snowman is better (taller, bigger, prettier). Or even not just one snowman, but a whole family of snowmen. Still, we are talking about a family holiday, and competitions can be organized either within the family or between families. During such impromptu competitions, adults sometimes fight and compete more passionately than children.
How to make a holiday interesting for everyone?
If you are closer to outdoor holidays, with fun competitions and contests, you may need to prepare for such a holiday in advance. Come up with competitions, make or buy prizes, prepare treats. You can team up with your friends’ family to make it easier to prepare and not waste all your energy and energy on this process. If you plan to gather several married couples, even better! With or without children, it doesn’t matter at all; adults love holidays no less than children. You can share responsibilities. And expenses, which is also important.
To ensure that no one gets bored, include in your improvised scenario special sports games for family holidays held in the fresh air. They will depend on the time of year.
In winter, these can be fun starts: a real ski relay race, in which the whole family can take part, or a sleigh race. Sled dogs are a rarity in our latitudes, so dads can easily replace them. You can arrange snow fights and turn a regular snowball fight into a battle for heights or a snow fortress. Bright scarves tied to ski poles could well become banners. Just make sure that the fight is on equal terms. The number of players must be the same. And from those who are left out of work, you can assemble a separate team. If there is only one person left out of work, make him a judge.
A summer occasion for a family holiday can be berry picking. A seemingly boring activity can be turned into a real bright event. The main thing is to find the correct interpretation, which will help not only to pick berries, but also to have fun.
Games can be not only sports, but also intellectual. Arrange a quiz of flowers, medicinal plants, insects, birds. Such a holiday does not have to end upon returning home. It can be continued: after weighing the berries, determine the winner and make him a personalized jar of jam. If you use your imagination and slightly change the recipe for a sweet treat by adding cinnamon or vanilla, you can name a new variety of jam after the winner. It is possible that you will like the recipe so much that your personalized jam will become the main winter treat!
How to organize a children's party in the family
A children's holiday is associated with a large number of children, noise, commotion, a lot of entertainment, minor conflicts and... headaches for parents. But this is only if the holiday is not organized. If the celebration is well organized by adults and has its own program, it will become a bright and interesting event that the child will remember for the rest of his life.
Basic moments
First of all, it’s worth thinking about the guest list: the younger the children, the fewer invitees there should be: this way it will be easier to involve them in common games.
The age of the children also plays a role: in order for kids (3-5 years old) to have an interesting and fun time, it is better to gather a company of peers or with a difference of 1-1.5 years: after all, even each age has its own tastes at the table.
In older children there is a larger age difference (6-10, 7-11). In any case, who to invite to visit should definitely be discussed with the child.
Holiday time: for young children (under 4 years old) 2 hours will be enough, for older children plan 3-4 hours. It is better to distinguish between gatherings with relatives and a children's party: determine their own time for each.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBQCJIaFSpk
It is better to start preparing for the holiday in advance, at least a week in advance. Think together about how to decorate the room and what kind of invitations to arrange, what to cook and how to decorate the table.
You need to choose a topic together with your child; it must meet some requirements:
- be interesting and familiar to the child and his friends. Do not impose your own interests: it is unlikely that any of the children will be interested in a holiday with heroes typical of their parents’ childhood;
- match the age of the invited guests;
- meet aesthetic standards. Agree that even if a child and his friends are in love with “The Vampire Family” or “Monster High,” you should not dress them up as “dead people” and decorate the table with “drops of blood.”
Preparing a treat
It’s better to prepare simple food so that you can run up to the table and have a snack if you want: sliced vegetables and fruits, cheese, canapés, bright little sandwiches, tartlets. Serve hot once: it can be mashed potatoes, baked fish, chops, meat baked with cheese, cutlets or meatballs.
Please note that some children may be allergic to certain foods, or for some other reason parents do not allow their children to eat certain foods. It is advisable to call the parents of the invited children to avoid troubles and complaints.
Get creative and name each dish according to the holiday theme. For example, French fries can turn into pirate spears, and assorted pizza into a space plate with sausage and cheese.
The decoration of the holiday table should correspond to the overall theme. Just do not oversaturate the cutlery with details, as it will be uncomfortable for small children to eat.
Make sure that drinks are freely available throughout the evening.
Developing a script
Creating a script is a creative process that begins with an idea: it determines the success of the holiday. For a children's party organized at home, a script is necessary: at least in general terms, imagine what the guests will do. Adult participation as facilitator is required.
• Meeting with guests
Just as a theater begins with a hanger, a children's party begins with the meeting of guests. It is important that from the first second each guest is immersed in the festive atmosphere. Therefore, every child needs to be greeted at the door.
If necessary, introduce the children to each other and definitely to the house: show where everything is, where they can play and where not, and what they should absolutely not do.
• Entertainment
After the children have settled in and eaten, you can start having fun.
When creating your own holiday, it is useful to turn to the experience of other parents.
For example, Alexandra Kozyreva, a mother of five children, called one of the holidays (for 7-11 years old) “Spy Birthday” and began it like this: “We are glad to see you at the Academy of Young Spies! Becoming a super agent is not easy.
To enroll in the Academy you will have to pass entrance tests. For each successfully completed test you will be awarded points.” In accordance with the topic, she selected the following competitions:
- a well-aimed secret agent: a sheet of cardboard is attached to the wall and there are balloons on it, twice as many as there are children or even more. One or two darts are prepared. Children take turns throwing darts at the balls from a certain distance. There are as many attempts as it takes for the child to burst one ball;
- poker face: the players’ task is not to laugh and maintain a serious expression so as not to be heard. Envelopes or bags are prepared in advance for the competition. One contains funny questions, for example: “Is it true that you sleep in diapers?”, the other contains answers. There should be at least twice as many questions and answers as there are children;
- competition for attentiveness: we divide the children into pairs. Each pair stands opposite each other and carefully examines their opponent. Then the children turn their backs to each other and change something about themselves (unbutton a button, roll up a sleeve, etc.). But no more than three changes. Turning around, the children should notice all the changes in each other.
- pantomime: in this test, children will have to communicate in sign language. To do this, you should prepare funny phrases and concepts in a bag or envelope in advance, which the children will take turns explaining;
- disguise: we divide the children into two teams and give them each a bag with approximately the same set of clothes. The set may include parents' jackets, long skirts, high-heeled shoes, hats, sunglasses, and scarves. Children disguise one of their team members. Players from the other team must guess who is hiding in the “suit”;
- secret weapon: find and destroy the cake - a chain of clues leading to the refrigerator.
The cake is found and destroyed. The children are happy. The end of the adventure is the presentation of prizes. This could be a certificate of completion of the Spy Academy and some kind of “spy” attribute (invisible pen, dark glasses, flashlight, listening device, etc.)
For children 4-7 years old, you can organize a “Pirate Party”: the hosts - Captain Flint and Doctor Aibolit - should be parents or older children.
You need to draw a conditional plan of the apartment in advance, using symbols that children can understand. For example, a chandelier is the sun, a closet is a fortress, a refrigerator is an iceberg, a bathroom is a waterfall or fountain.
Then the “encrypted path” will be as follows: standing under the sun, we take five steps towards the fortress, turn left and go to the waterfall... And the like.
Depending on how many pieces you tear the “map” into, the number of tasks the children will have to complete.
Doctor Aibolit: Hello, children! Maybe you can help me? This bully Barmaley stole all my medicines and even the tube through which I listen to the bellies of my little patients!
Captain Flint: Mr. Aibolit, don’t you see how many brave sailors have gathered here today! We will help you in your grief! I learned that the bully hid all your pills and tweezers in a secluded place, drew a plan, which he tore into several parts! This is where we have to work hard! Still, I am sure that everything will work out for us! Isn’t that right, pirate guys?! Come on, who wants to join the ranks of the glorious pirate brotherhood? Line up!
Competition one: “Balls on the yardarm” : a strip of fabric or ribbon representing a yardarm is laid out from wall to wall. At its opposite end, balloons are suspended (according to the number of participants).
The balls contain pieces of paper with different images, one of which will be a fragment of the map. Children reach the wall along the “yard”, pop the ball and check what is written or drawn on the paper.
This is where the first fragment of the map is located.
Competition two: “Who is the odd one out at the bottom of the sea?” : A large box decorated like the seabed is required. We put various items related to navigation in it: toy binoculars, a spyglass, an anchor, a fish, an octopus, a compass, a steering wheel, etc.
There must be a matryoshka doll among them, in which you put a piece of the map. Conditions: blindfolded, the child takes out a toy and determines what it is.
Then the presenter asks which of the found things is superfluous (not suitable for the other purposes), and that they will have to search it - and this is how the next part of the map is found.
Third competition: “Flotilla, let’s start!” At the opposite end of the room there are newspaper boats according to the number of players. They contain different leaves, one of which is a piece of a map. There are strings attached to the ships. Pencils are tied to the ends of the laces. At the signal, the children begin to wrap the laces around the pencils, bringing the boats closer to them.
Fourth competition: “Mystery Bottles” Everyone goes to the bathroom; Here water is pre-filled and plastic bottles of different sizes float.
Children are given two tablespoons, or a colander, or ladle, with which they will each catch a bottle, and at the same time. Naturally, one of the bottles will contain part of the map.
In addition, put a congratulatory leaflet for the birthday boy in one of the bottles.
Competition five: “Weapon stock” A player from each team must run to a basket with “cannonballs” (these will be different balls), take one “kernel” and return back. This continues until all the balls are gone. The last part of the card will lie at the bottom of the basket.
Fragments of the map are added up, and a plan is obtained, which indicates the place where the first aid kit is hidden. The diagram should be understandable to children.
The Doctor's bag can be filled with real aspirin and a thermometer, but add something there according to the number of children: chocolate, hematogen, juice in 200-gram boxes, dragees, chewing gum, etc. These “medicines” are worth signing: “chocolate for courage”, “jelly beans for loud laughter”, “chewing gum for true friends”, “candies for raising pirate tone”, “juice from the seven seas” and so on.
Simple and fun for little ones
Adults need to take a more active part in the children's holiday; the scenario may change slightly depending on the mood of the children.
For children (2-4) you can dramatize the fairy tale “Turnip”: you will need character masks (7 masks). Who will portray whom will be decided by lot.
Or organize an animal relay race:
Stage one – “Penguin” – Participants move from one end of the room to the other with a ball sandwiched between their legs.
The second stage - “Frog” - Participants jump like frogs: that is, first they squat, then stand up and squat again...
The third stage of “Kangaroo” - Participants cover the distance by jumping together on two legs.
The fourth stage – “Dog” – Participants cover the distance on all fours.
Fifth stage - “Cancer” - They move backwards.
The sixth stage - “Caterpillar” - participants stand one after another, bending their right leg. Hold the shoulder of the person in front with your left hand, and your bent leg with your right hand. And all the guys reach the finish line together.
After such a relay race, everyone is awarded prizes.
A bag of secrets: at 3-4 years old, children are not yet ready for real logic games, but they already love to solve riddles. A large bright bag is filled with toys, fruits or other objects known to children. Kids should be able to guess by touch what they get their hands on.
• End of the holiday
After entertainment and competitions, it’s good to drink tea. A bright end to the holiday can be a cake with lit candles accompanied by music or homemade special effects - sparklers, small firecrackers.
Cake and sweets are the most important part of the children's table. Use candles and decor.
Children are prone to overexcitement, and children's parties must end sooner or later. When seeing off little guests, it would be nice to give them small gifts: soap bubbles, crayons, stickers for clothes, unusually shaped notebooks, key chains, reflectors, etc.