Do Tiny Traditions Really Boost Family Connection?

What if the strongest memories your kids carry into adulthood come not from vacations, but from small everyday traditions at home?

We often think family traditions are reserved for holidays—Christmas, birthdays, vacations—but research shows that rituals and routines play a powerful role in shaping family culture, kids’ identity, emotional wellbeing, and long-term connection. When life gets busy, family bonding and intentional parenting often take a back seat. Before we know it, we’re missing chances to create connection in the ordinary moments.

The truth? You don’t need more time—just intentional family activities and micro rituals that anchor your home in love and belonging.

AFTER LISTENING, YOU’LL DISCOVER:

• How simple routines become meaningful family traditions that strengthen family culture.
• Real examples of family activities you can start this week for deeper connection (no holidays needed!).
• How traditions help kids feel seen, stable, loved — and why that supports long-term bonding.

In this episode of Parents Making Time we share some of our favorite traditions from raising our three kids: Friday movie night, bedtime gratitude, Sunday calls, special birthday rituals, and seasonal traditions we still look forward to every year. You’ll leave with practical ideas to build family culture and connection inside your home — even if you're short on parenting time.

00:00 Introduction and Free Resource Announcement

00:28 The Importance of Family Traditions in Parenting

01:04 Scientific Insights on Family Rituals

03:21 Examples of Family Traditions

11:06 Holiday Traditions and Their Impact

15:26 Conclusion and Next Episode Preview

When you finish listening, we’d love for you to connect with us on social media!

Follow us on Instagram and like our page on Facebook to keep the conversation going. It’s the best way to get quick tips, encouragement, and resources to help you make time for what matters most—your family.

Get our FREE resource, "30-Second Micro Moments of Intention with Your Kids", by going to: parentsmakingtime.com/freeresource

Parenting is hard. Intentional parenting can seem even harder. Motherhood, fatherhood, marriage, and all that goes with those important aspects of life can make it difficult to prioritize tasks, embrace intentional living, focus on present parenting, and build family bonds. We're here to help ease your parenting anxiety so that you can stop feeling overwhelmed, find joy in your parenting journey, and build family bonds that last for generations. Here at Parents Making Time, we are all about that parent-child connection, self-care for parents, and helping you overcome mom guilt and dad guilt. If you have a question or would like to share an experience about your own parenting, please feel free to reach out to one of us! Please note, we may use your question and/or comments as a part of a Q&A Parenting Advice segment on one of our episodes.

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Transcript

Anthony: [00:00:00] Hey everyone. Before we get started today, I wanted to make you aware of a free resource that we have called 30 Second Micro Moments of Intention with Your Kids. This is a list of quick and easy things that you can do to have meaningful connection with your kids in 30 seconds or less. You can get that by going to our website at parentsmakingtime.com/freeresource.

Go there today so that you can start building lasting memories. One micro moment at a time. 

Jennifer: I love a good tradition. Those small, simple things that I can look forward to each week, month, or year. And traditions don't have to be elaborate to be powerful, and they're not just for the holidays. So today we're exploring the small, memorable rituals your family will actually look forward to and how they will help you build deeper connections that last.

Anthony: This is Parents Making Time. The show that helps busy parents put family first without burning out. 

Jennifer: We are Anthony and Jennifer Craiker. We don't just give parenting tips. [00:01:00] We help you become the parent you want to be.

Anthony: In 2002, the American Psychological Association's Journal of Family Psychology released a 50 year study of family routines and rituals. And what they found was that family routines and rituals play a direct part in marital satisfaction adolescent sense of personal identity. Children's health, academic achievement, and stronger family relationships.

Jennifer: Yeah, so also in that article you can read about how that study gave definitions of what a routine and what a ritual is, and I think that's pretty important. In the article, it says that routines involve instrumental communication that conveys information. That's this is what needs to be done and involve a momentary time commitment so that once the act is completed, there's little, if any, afterthought, while a ritual involves symbolic communication and conveys this is who we are as a group and provides continuity and meaning [00:02:00] across generations. It went on to say that any routine has the potential to become a ritual once it moves from an instrumental to a symbolic act. 

Anthony: When we're not purposeful about our day-to-day actions, and we're not thinking about creating simple rituals or routines that can become traditions for our families.

We're missing out on really meaningful experiences and we fail to see our day-to-day interactions as meaningful if we don't have these rituals or routines or traditions. A lot of times we think of traditions as just being for only the holidays, but really, traditions, rituals, routines, whatever you wanna call them, can occur throughout the year, right?

They can recur weekly, monthly quarterly, yearly, whatever. And they don't just have to be geared towards the holidays.

The article that Jen mentioned [00:03:00] previously says that routines and rituals offer stability during stress and transition. And so the consequence of not creating simple yet intentional traditions is a lack of stability and an increase of stress in your family life. And those are consequences that I think we'd all

like to avoid. 

Jennifer: Yeah, for sure. So as we've thought about this and we've talked about sharing this with you all, we decided we wanted to share just maybe a list of some traditions that we've seen that have helped our family over the years and things we just love, even from our own childhoods as well.

So we're gonna go through a few of those today and maybe it gives you a chance to think about your own traditions or maybe even traditions you want to start.

So the first one that I'm gonna talk about was. From the time, actually, I wanna say it was when our first child was like two weeks old, someone gifted us a cd.

'cause back then you listen to music on CDs and we were having a hard time getting her to go to sleep. It was the CD was Baby Mozart. [00:04:00] And we tried it, we put it on for her and it seemed to help her go to sleep. So it became this thing. It wasn't super intentional, like this is going to be a tradition.

But it became one over 

Anthony: time. Yeah. It became a ritual. Every night we would put that CD on. 

Jennifer: We literally used that CD until the CD wouldn't play anymore. 

Anthony: Yeah. For all three of our children. All three. 

Jennifer: In fact, I know that it was still played at anytime one of our children went to sleep until our son, our youngest was in first grade.

Anthony: Yeah. That's amazing. 

Jennifer: It's funny to think about. I can still I just think I can hear all the songs in my head just thinking about it. 

Anthony: Sometimes I hear them as I am laying down to go to sleep at night. And I hear the dun, that's I could probably still if I thought through it, I could probably still remember people sleep well.

What else I think is 

Jennifer: funny is I think that our children, if they heard it might get sleepy. 

Anthony: Yeah. 

Jennifer: It was such a trigger for them to get sleepy and calm down. Yeah. And I think it still would, 

Anthony: and I should say too, that we, you and I would [00:05:00] listen to that. CD because we would hear it through the monitor.

Yes. When we put the kids down and when they were really young. And yeah. So it's part, it almost became part of our ritual each night as well, which was fun. 

Jennifer: It's part of our family tradition for sure. The next one I can think about was Friday movie night. Do you remember the first time we did this?

Anthony: I don't remember necessarily the first time. I do remember the first time we watched Star Wars. 

Jennifer: Of course you do. 

Anthony: Because I was so excited to show it. That 

Jennifer: was years after we started the tradition, though. We started this before Ethan was even born. And so you were in law school and I think that, we didn't have a lot of money.

We didn't have. A way to get out and do a lot of things. And I think one evening I was trying to come up with something fun 'cause sometimes you're always trying to entertain the kids. Our girls were small and I remember they had these fluffy, almost like recliner chairs that they would sit in.

And we have a picture of it with big bowls of popcorn and blankets. I don't know what we watched, but we started a Friday movie night tradition. It was like [00:06:00] pizza and movie. Yeah. And we homemade the pizza 'cause we couldn't even afford to deliver it, but. We started that tradition. 

Anthony: Yeah. That, yeah, that was fun.

We, and we did Friday night movie nights for a long time and the movies got better over the years. Yes. As the kids got older. So better for us at least. Yeah. But yeah that, that's a fun one. And we, yeah, we would have pizza and popcorn. And what I love about movies as a tradition is it gives you.

A story to kind of bond around. So for example, when the kids got old enough, we showed them all of the Marvel movies, right? And there was a time where Marvel was like the big thing, right? And anytime a new Marvel movie came out, which seemed like it was happening, like all the time, every other month you had to go see it.

And so it became this thing where we would talk about the movies and. We would bond through these stories, these archetypes that, were entertaining but also had some. Good values or [00:07:00] lessons or whatever. And it was just a special way. So family movie night became that.

And then we also, we look back and think about, oh, movies that we watched that weren't very good. Oh, that movie was terrible. And we laugh about it and we laugh about it. Or we, or there's movies that we. Really love. And so we've watched them again over the years and it's just a i love cinema and so that, that was a really cool thing that I'm glad we did that as the kids were growing up.

Jennifer: It also was a way for us to share our childhood with them because we could share movies from our childhood. Yeah. Or our teenage years, and so that was fun too. Another one that I think of a lot, it goes back to my family growing up, is my parents created this tradition of. We would have family nights on Monday night.

I'm the baby of six kids. This tradition started long before I was born, but there was a certain song, it's called Love at Home. They would all gather the children on my parents' lap and they would sing it. So . I'm 45 years old that started before I was born. That tradition continues today.

We don't do it weekly like we did then, [00:08:00] but anytime my extended family, like my side of the family is together, we sing that song and it's become important, not just to me, I would say it's become important to Anthony. Yeah. It's become important to our children, so the grandchildren are carrying this on.

It's a really neat, unifying thing. That we have as our family. 

Anthony: Yeah. And it's just a simple song. It's a actually hymn that we sing in church. And it's a it's a beautiful little song and really creates this tight knit bond. Another one that we've done that has been really meaningful is Sunday evening phone calls with our parents, particularly with my mom.

We had for years as the kids were. Growing up a kind of a standing 7:00 PM phone call on Sunday evenings where I would talk to my mom and then we'd pass the phone around and all of the kids would get a chance to talk to their nana. And that was, really special. It was something that we looked forward to, but we live far away right from [00:09:00] her, so we only get to see her.

Maybe a couple of times a year if we go to Texas or if she comes to Florida. And so that was a way for our kids to really stay connected to her. And it was something that we did weekly. It was it was a routine or a ritual that kind of became a tradition. 

Jennifer: Yeah. And we've carried that on now that our girls are away from home Sundays.

I can remember last year when our second daughter left home and she was struggling with. When do I call home and how do I stay connected? And we had to sit her down and be like, don't forget to call us on Sundays. 'cause she wasn't, she was filling her day. Yeah. And we're like, Sundays is the day to check in.

Yeah. You can check in other days too, and please do, but. Leave time for us on Sundays. 

Anthony: Yeah. 

Jennifer: Yeah. It was important. So another thing I remember from my childhood is waking up to my dad making breakfast on Saturdays. It probably didn't happen every Saturday, but it is something I just, it's a memory that I have.

He was off work. He would make us breakfast that morning because he liked to and it was a way he showed love to us. And so sometimes your [00:10:00] rituals, your routines, it is that those small ways that you can share and show love. For your children, and they'll remember those things.

Anthony: Yeah. There's other little things that you can do. Like we mentioned in last episode, we talked about , our weekly ritual with Ethan that we do on Sunday nights now, but we also have a nightly ritual that we do with him where we u we usually watch a show together like a 30 minute sitcom show.

And then we, before bed, we will, we'll read a, some scriptures together. We'll say our prayers. But another thing that we've recently added in is just taking a moment for each of us to say something that we're grateful for. And that's become a, an important part of our evening ritual and gives us time to just reflect on the day and, anything that happened that we're grateful for or just something going on in our lives or just a person that we feel grateful for or a thing that we feel grateful for that particular night.

Jennifer: Yeah, and it helps, [00:11:00] especially on those bad days when you aren't sure what to be grateful for. To be like, wait, I really do have something that I can be grateful for. So we've talked a lot about these rituals or routines and traditions that ha can happen on days other than holidays. But holiday traditions are important too.

You have birthdays and it's really can be fun to create some specific things that happen around those birthdays. One of the things I think of is my parents always calling me, but all of us and singing Happy Birthday. And my dad passed away three years ago, and I know our oldest has told me that she still has a recording of my parents, of both my parents singing Happy Birthday to her.

And she says she will never delete it because it means so much to her. 

Anthony: Yeah. Yeah. They would. Every grandchild, every birthday and every child too. Yeah. And you included child in law. Yeah. They would call me on my birthday and sing Happy Birthday. And it was really cute and sweet and definitely meaningful.

Something to look back on with a lot of fondness and yeah, 

Jennifer: maybe they felt awkward doing it, but we all love it, especially, now that. [00:12:00] Grandpa has passed. It's a sweet memory. 

Anthony: Yeah. And some traditions can be really short lived but also meaningful. So for example, one of the things that we've done with our kids, we started with Bella, our oldest a few years ago.

It's been more than a few. Five. What, how many? She, it'll be 

Jennifer: five year. She turns 22 in December. Yeah. Five years ago. In a few weeks. 

Anthony: Crazy. No, that's not five is it? Four. No, it's four. We dunno our math. Okay, so isn't quite bit five. We need to go back to school. Yeah. We decided that when she turned 18 we would take her out to this Brazilian steakhouse.

And and if you've been to a Brazilian steakhouse. They're awesome. Amazing. They're also not super cheap usually, and it was a big deal to take her out to a little bit nicer restaurant and spend a little bit more money than we normally would when we eat out. And so that was fun.

And so then we did that with Natalie when she turned 18, and now Ethan's looking forward to that, and so that [00:13:00] tradition will die after. Ethan. 'Cause we don't have any more kids turning 18, but Bella, who is what, a three semesters away from graduating college now. She has lobbied and now committed us to take her out to a Brazilian steakhouse when she graduates college.

That's right. So she says 

Jennifer: it's motivating her. 

Anthony: So when she graduates college we'll do it again with her. So the 

Jennifer: other thing about that though that I was thinking as you were talking is that specific place is a place you and I have gone for special occasions. Yeah. And the kids know that and they've never been invited.

So to get to go to this place that they know mom and dad go to for special occasions, now they're invited. It feels really special to them. Yeah. 

Anthony: Yeah, for sure. There's also. Obviously Christmas time, Thanksgiving other meaningful holidays that people celebrate Religious holidays, Easter, Hanukkah, what, whatever it is, there are, a ton of different traditions that people can do that are meaningful and important.

[00:14:00] And some of them are even just silly things, but they they help us to connect with our family. One of the things that my family did and I didn't have the most functional family growing up. We had a lot of challenges. I think I maybe talked about that in the first episode that, that we did for Parents Making Time. But but one of the good memories I have growing up is we would usually, right after Thanksgiving, the day after, usually that Friday after Thanksgiving, we would watch Rudolph the Redose reindeer and decorate our Christmas tree.

And that was like. A fun tradition. And that's something that we've actually carried on into our family. And so every year with our kids, we, either the Friday after Thanksgiving or shortly after Thanksgiving we gather together and we watch Rudolph, the Redose Reindeer, and we have, food and all that.

And then we decorate the Christmas tree together. And that was a way for [00:15:00] us to make a meaningful tradition with our own kids, but it also helps me stay connected to good memories from my own childhood growing up 

Jennifer: well and connects our kids to the generations before them. And in fact, I think it was two days ago, Bella told us she was watching Rudolf the Redose reindeer, and Ethan said, it's not time.

Anthony: Yeah. 

Jennifer: He was like, you ruined it. It's not time. Although she pointed out she won't be home for it this year. So yeah, she was in the clear. 

Anthony: So we would love to hear from you about your traditions or rituals or routines that have become meaningful to you and your family. So send us a DM on Instagram or Facebook and let us know what you do or what.

What you're doing to make rituals and traditions special for your family, and we invite you to think about whether there might be new routines or rituals or traditions that you could implement that would be meaningful for your family going forward.

We would also love if you haven't [00:16:00] done so already if you would leave a rating or review for this show on Apple or Spotify.

That helps us to get the show out there. And also if you found this episode meaningful or helpful, we would be grateful if you shared it with a friend and help spread the word about the show. 

Jennifer: Yeah. So coming up next week, if you have ever felt whiplash from all the changing parenting advice out there, one expert says this, another says that, and somehow you're supposed to keep up.

You are not alone. In our next episode, we're breaking down why all that expert noise can create so much unnecessary anxiety and how to stay grounded when the opinions constantly shift, and how to trust yourself more as a parent. Until next time, make time to become the parent you want to be.