How to Create Holiday Traditions with Young Children
The holiday season is a wonderful time to make lasting memories with your little ones! Creating simple, meaningful traditions can help children feel connected to the season while nurturing family bonds. Here are a few easy and age-appropriate traditions for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s that toddlers and preschoolers will love!
Thanksgiving Traditions
Thankful Jar Set out a “Thankful Jar” and encourage your child to add something they’re thankful for each day leading up to Thanksgiving. You can use colorful paper or drawings to represent each item. During Thanksgiving dinner, read the notes together to reflect on all the blessings of the year.
Kids’ Table Decorations Have your child help make decorations for the kids’ table! Simple crafts like handprint turkeys, painted pine cones, or paper placemats are great ways to get them involved in the preparations. This tradition is a fun way to include little ones in the big meal.
Family Nature Walk Take a family walk on Thanksgiving morning to explore the fall landscape together. Collect leaves, acorns, and pine cones, then use them in a simple craft or sensory bin later on. This can become a beloved tradition to appreciate nature’s beauty before the holiday festivities begin.
Christmas Traditions
Countdown Advent Calendar Create a simple advent calendar for your child to enjoy counting down the days until Christmas. Each day could feature a small treat or activity, like coloring a Christmas picture or making hot cocoa. This daily countdown builds anticipation and helps little ones understand time leading up to Christmas.
Ornament Making Making ornaments can be a fun, hands-on activity each year. Choose a simple ornament project, like decorating salt dough shapes, filling clear ornaments with colorful pom-poms, or making pine cone reindeer. When you hang them on the tree, you’ll have a growing collection of ornaments that mark each year.
Christmas Pajama Movie Night A cozy Christmas Eve tradition is to have everyone get into their holiday pajamas, make some popcorn, and watch a classic holiday movie together. With cozy blankets and maybe a cup of warm milk or cocoa, it’s a simple tradition toddlers and preschoolers will look forward to every year.
New Year’s Traditions
Noon Year’s Eve Countdown Celebrating the New Year doesn’t have to happen at midnight! For little ones, consider a “Noon Year’s Eve” party, counting down to noon with fun music, dancing, and a balloon drop (you can even drop a bunch of blown-up balloons from a blanket or net). This way, kids can celebrate without staying up late.
Family Goal Jar Begin the tradition of setting a few family goals or “wishes” for the New Year. Have each family member share a simple goal, such as “play outside more” or “read together before bed.” Write these goals down, add them to a jar, and review them as a family at the end of the year to celebrate each accomplishment.
Memory Jar from the Past Year To close out the old year, go through photos or share memories from the past 12 months. For each happy memory, place a note or photo in a “Memory Jar.” Revisit this jar the following New Year’s to remember all the special moments from the past year, making this a cherished tradition as kids grow.
Making Holidays Meaningful for Young Children
Holiday traditions don’t have to be complicated or expensive. Simple, repeatable activities are what young children will look forward to and remember. These ideas encourage family togetherness, foster creativity, and help toddlers and preschoolers learn to appreciate the beauty of each holiday season.
With a little planning, you can create holiday traditions that your family will treasure for years to come.
