Over the past 12 years that I’ve been a mummy there are a few things i’ve learnt. One of them is that children like to know what they are doing and so it really helps to have a few structured activities across the week which they can look forward to. For us we always have a family movie night on Fridays, for this we draw up a timetable every couple of months and take it in turns to choose a film. The person who chooses the film also gets to decide upon the dinner and snacks. It works brilliantly as a way to end the week, bond as a family and all come together.
Another activity that i’m trying to install is going for a walk on a Sunday morning. Sunday mornings used to be filled with swimming lessons or film screenings but we’ve recently discovered how revitalising it can be to get out into the countryside and just go for a ramble. So far we’ve discovered that the Grand Union Canal isn’t far from our house and is a great place to go for a stroll. We’re also lucky in that we live next to a fantastic park and close to the Chiltern beauty spots of Ashridge and Dunstable Downs. These walks give the children the chance to have a discrete chat with either or us and enables me to to introduce a bit of stealth learning in natural history and social history.
Of course there are other family rituals which can be quite important, many of them are tied to various holidays and celebrations. But for me these are the two weekly activities are the ones which I think I’ll remember most fondly when I’m an old lady.
I’d love to hear about your family rituals, what do you do? Can you remember the ones from your childhood?
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