Turn Weekly Traditions into Life Lessons for Your Kids

Kids are goofy but parents can turn that goofiness against them by turning simple daily tasks into small family traditions. Each day of the week has a very specific rule that can help teach kids how to deal with daily trials and tribulations. As parents, we can use these weekly traditions in our own lives. The hope is that these daily traditions will overflow into the other days of the week making us better people and ensuring that goofiness lives on even though we are technically adults. These rules don't take long to do but can teach kids lessons they can use for a lifetime.

Moaning Monday

Everyone hates Mondays, including kids. Make Monday a moaning Monday and let everyone in the family moan and whine for five minutes about their day. Five minutes is the most time they get to get the day's woes off their chests. Once they do, everyone will be in a better mood.

Lesson: There is a time to whine and a time to stop. You are allowed to complain for a short period of time then you need to solve the issue or just let it go.

Tightrope Tuesday

Have everyone in the family walk in a straight line. As they are concentrating on tightrope walking they can talk about how they are juggling school work, sports, and other activities. If you want to go to extreme measures make the kids tightrope walk for an entire evening. They don't have to talk the whole time because it's just a fun thing to do.

Lesson: Life is a balance and the kids will just have fun doing it.

Wake Up Smiling Wednesday

Wednesdays are now self-explanatory. This is perfect for the grumpy people in your house (in my house it happens to be me). If everyone wakes up smiling then you know their day will be starting off good. I wake the kids up with the announcement that it's 'wake up smiling Wednesday' and they have a smile plastered on their face all morning, which makes me giggle.

Lesson: Wake up happy and your day looks brighter.

Thumbs up Thursday

Thursday is a day of congratulations. We can be so caught up in ourselves that we forget about others. Have each person tell what good they've accomplished throughout the week and the other family members have to give them two thumbs up.

Lesson: Acknowledge your accomplishments and praise the accomplishments of others. This also helps in developing good sportsmanship.

Festive Friday

You can do festive Friday in different ways. The point of Fridays is to explore something new and find the best in it. It can be a food from another country, researching a unique culture, or learning about a different career. Keep festive Friday simple and make it an introduction to something new.

Lesson: Never stop learning and trying new things.

Compliment Sibling Saturday

There will be no name calling or fighting between the kids on Saturdays if you make it so the kids can only pay each other compliments. It may actually be quieter around your house if they use the 'if you can't say something nice then don't say anything at all' mantra.

Lesson: Be nice to others. Plus, it's easier on mom and dad.

Sundae Sunday

After a week of hard work and play it is now time to celebrate. This is your reward (and the kids' reward too, I guess) for following the rules. Take a break and make sundaes or go out for ice cream. Everything is better with a little ice cream.

Lesson: Reward yourself for a job well done.

Life lessons don't have to be mundane rules if you can sneak them in as traditions during the week. If the kids have fun then they may continue your weekly traditions when they have families of their own.

For more family fun read:

Create Your Own Dinosaur Dig

Exercising While Playing with Your Kids

Family Christmas Traditions