10 Family Memory Making Ideas

1. ABC Movie Night – Start with A and plan a movie night around that letter. Movie - Aristocrats

Food - Avocado and Turkey Wraps

Dessert - Apple Pie (Make it together to make even more memories)

Next up, B!

2. Share Highs and Lows at Dinner – This one is so simple, but really has a lasting impact. First, collect all devices and put them in the middle of the table. This encourages conversation! Secondly, go around the table and take turns sharing highs and lows from the day. For example; my high for today, it is my son’s 20th birthday. My low, he is in Vermont at college so we can’t celebrate together.

3. Plan a Picnic Breakfast – Picnics are fun anytime of the day. They are even more memorable when they are unexpected. Quietly pack breakfast items, gather a blanket, and invite your children to join you for a picnic breakfast. You can take them to the park or your favorite spot in your own backyard. For even more memory making, take along some music, nature journals, or books to read. Some of my favorite picnic breakfast ideas are: Cinnamon Rolls, Pigs in a Blanket, Fruit Kabobs, and Muffins.

4. Have a Dance Party – As an adult, there aren’t many times we feel that we have permission to be silly. This is one of those times. You have permission to get SILLY! When our kids see us being silly, it encourages them to do the same. Let each member of the family pick a song and dance away. If you want to take this further, learn a dance together. You never know when your family will have the opportunity to show off their mad dancing skills.

5. Read Books – This one memory maker can do wonders for you and your children. Not only will reading books (and I mean real books, not books on a device) make memories; it will help your child fall in love with words and reading. It is imperative that you choose good books to read. Make sure they are age appropriate. For infants and toddlers, choose board books. Some of my favorite authors are Sandra Boynton and Margaret Wise Brown. For preschoolers, choose good picture books. I love Eric Carle, Mem Fox and Laura Numeroff. For elementary age, choose good chapter books. I suggest starting with Encyclopedia Brown or The Magic Tree House series.

6. Game Night- Game night can be one of the best memory makers ever! However, I have discovered that you must be realistic about your expectations when it comes to games. It is best to keep the games very simple for preschoolers, such as I Spy, Go Fish, and Hi Ho Cherry-0. For elementary age children, consider: Bananagrams, Spot it, and Yahtzee, Jr.

7. Create a Family Song – You don’t have to be a musician to make this memory. All you need is the willingness to put together some lyrics that mean something to your family and add a tune. In my book, The Homegrown Preschooler, I tell the story of our camping trip that lead to a new family song. For a good laugh, check it out. It has been many years since that camping trip, but we continue to randomly bust out that song. Your family will enjoy having a special song and hopefully it will be passed down for generations to come.

8. Write a Family Story – This memory maker can be done in a variety of ways. One option is to only work on your story when you are in the car together. This makes traveling something to look forward to. Create characters for your story and go from there. You will be amazed at how quickly your story will take off. Another option is to tell a story about a recent family event. For example, you could create a book about your last vacation or trip to the grocery store. Really, anything can make a great story. It is the collaboration involved in creating the store that makes the memories.

9. Share Childhood Memories- I don’t know about you, but my children absolutely love it when I tell them a childhood story. I have told them about the time I got into trouble for sneaking to the school across the street, so I could go down the giant slide. I told them about the time my dad let me get a squirrel monkey, only to make me get ride of it because it pooped all over our house. I even told them about the time I was cheerleader and fell and busted my hiney because I was trying to show off in front of the football players. It doesn’t really matter what the story is, it just matters that you are willing to share part of your past with your children. Another fun idea is to ask them to share a childhood memory. No they haven’t lived as long, but they have stories to share! Honor them and LISTEN.

10. Make a Blessings Jar – One of all time favorite gifts was receiving a blessings jar. I had never even heard of a blessings jar before that moment. Our jar came with the following instructions: Don’t forget to count your blessings. Write them down and add them to the jar. At an appointed time, read all of the blessings and share a moment of gratitude. This can be done in several ways. Originally, we kept our jar going for an entire year. However, I think it is better for young children to do it a month at a time. Of course, you can save the “blessings” throughout the year and re- read them on New Year’s Eve or another special occasion.