Which childhood traditions created the best memories?

[ThisOchreLemur]

I'm a mum of a young child and I'm hoping to start lots of traditions and create lots of great family time and cherished memories for her. Which traditions made your childhood magical? Looking for ideas please. Thank you x

Weirdly little random things like always having a "toast tea" on a Sunday where we'd have beans or spaghetti hoops on toast. Nothing grand just the little routines.

Recording ourselves talking about the day was a fond memory, especially after a trip to the park, for example.

Definitely little things, and that’s what my adult children have remembered too.
We had toast done with a toasting fork on the fire after school on a Friday. I do that with my children too. Always having a picnic on the day we went on holiday, and you were allowed to start the sausage rolls as soon as we left the parish, even if it was 5am lol. We made/make our own advent calendars each year out of toilet roll tubes (Father Christmas/snowmen/Christmas trees) and put wrapped chocolates in each. We made paper snowflakes and put them on every window at Christmas, do that with my kids too.

Hand written holiday diaries with photos every day during the summer holidays. Good writing practice, and so lovely to look back on.

Sunday after church. We’d get a newspaper on the way home and then all have coffee while mum put the roast on.

Hate/hated church but the lovely slow after period was lovely.

They evolve naturally, rather than are forced. Often they are accidentally even or my necessity. Each family is different so start a habit like making a flask of drinks then picking up croissants and taking to the park on Saturdays or spaghetti hoops on toast on Fridays or whatever ... cheap ideas often are the memorable

As others have said it's little things. Mum remembering favourite breakfasts, the same cake or treat on birthdays, the Christmas day routine etc.

I think the best traditions are the ones that aren't planned, and are often the solution to an unexpected problem, but they turn out to be so much more enjoyable than the expected way of doing things that they stick around.

I don't remember why this started but I bought a cheap red velvet and gold crown and a red velvet cape and on their birthday each child wears he crown and cape at breakfast and is allowed to eat whatever they like for breakfast, usually ice cream and cake. Requests have matured as they aged. Then we take lots of photos. Also number balloons at each age but I guess many people do that.

Having a 'let's prepare for Xmas' party where we are gingerbread cookies, played Xmas songs, had warm berry juice (parents had mulled wine), put Xmas ham in the oven, decorated the house etc.

When we went food shopping in town ( no supermarkets) my mum always took me to a little cafe and my auntie joined us . She would have Ovaltine in a special cup and I was allowed red fizzy pop. I always wanted a milkshake but they were too expensive. Sometimes I would be allowed a comic. Happy days 😊

My two, now aged 44 and 40 still talk about when I used to drive them to the beach, complete with picnic, and spend the day just playing, rock pooling, napping (in the summer), shivering and going for hot chocolate (in the A/W). Funny, now I think of it, besides this, all the fun they had when they were kids and talk about now seemed to happen outdoors.

It's just random things for me, often because it was something that didn't happen often or went against the usual routine or was unexpected, little things.

Riding our bikes in the park, even though I pointed out the "no cycling" signs: my dad used to tell me it only applied to grown ups, once or twice we were reprimanded by a grumpy park keeper, giving me my "I told you so" moment. 😀

We had a special game of pretending to fly, which I look back at with great fondness. Each of us children in turn sat in a chair, while our parents lifted it a little and moved it about, and talked about the tiny scenery below. We were blindfolded so we couldn't see what was really happening, and it actually felt like flying. We usually did it outside, and my parents had a special trick that when they took the blindfold off, I was in a very different part of the garden from where I believed I had started, so I would believe that I had actually flown. We sometimes did other things besides flying, such as walking barefoot through water, pretending it was the beach.

I think my kids would say things like. Always having a Colin cake on their birthday. Even as a 22 year old I’m reminded by my eldest not to forget it. Each Xmas has to have a selection box, pyjamas and a book. We always go out for dinner the night before we go on holiday and Sunday nights are cook for yourself nights. I’m sure the kids have more but those are the ones that spring to mind

We had the Woman's Weekly birthday cake book and the dc would choose a cake from it every year and help make it.

I agree that these things just sort of happen. We've got loads of of strange traditions but none of them were implemented as traditions as such.

Finding the perfect rock to sit on and drink from old faithful and huge thermos flask of hot chocolate on long walks and hikes.

Homemade cake on birthdays. Child chooses the cake design/theme weeks in advance.

Walking out together for fish and chips then eating them in the park on Friday early evening (grass or bench depending on how cold it is)

Choosing the Christmas tree together, then a decorating party - playing with the ornaments that come down from the loft - old friends seen once a year.

Choosing one new Christmas ornament a year, usually on a holiday, so it acts as a souvenir and reminds us of good memories when we see it,

Holiday scrap books co written as a family. Even Dad begrudgingly writing some anecdotes. Done on holiday when we have time!

Pumpkin carving at Halloween- one per family member. Making pumpkin soup and toasted seeds with the insides.

Evening family walk after dinner (around 7pm) once a week, including a brief run on the playground when it’s deserted. We’ve done this since the kids were about 5 years old. Really nice way to reconnect at end of week (may be combined with the fish and chips!)

Writing letters to the fairies!

I would write a letter asking them questions and leave it outside next to a particular flower. A few days later a response would arrive - it really felt magical. Sometimes there'd be a little present too - shells, glitter etc.. I still have a little mirror from them, its sitting on my desk as I type this and I'm 47! My dad was a designer so the letters were really beautifully written in pen and ink with illustrations.

I LOVE your flying game! I wish mine were younger so I could have a go!

@JoinUsTonight Thst sounds lovely, writing to the fairies. I believed in the tooth fairy for a while, but I didn’t write letters though.

Meals in the garden in the summer.

Being allowed an ice cream from the ice cream van on the last day of the summer holidays.

Having a little party tea with family in the last day of school before a holiday.

Making our own cards for Christmas
Choosing a toy at the beginning of the summer holidays.

Baking

Making collages out of old comics and magazines

My childhood was pretty chaotic, lived in a few places and both parents did shift work plus i had a stint in foster care. So we didn't really have many traditions, but my grandparents were good when we went to stay. We had the exact same meal on arrival, got a ice cream at a particular location, and went to thier allotment to get things for tea. They also gave me a pack of polo mints.

I learned that anything that's re-inforced can be special and it just grows organically.

Yearly holidays in the same place. It was a carvan, and a joy!

All piling into the car just before Christmas and doing a ‘tour’ of the surrounding area, looking at their Christmas lights.

Going on holiday and having a ‘holiday present’.

Being bought a new book (sometimes a hardback!) at the end of the school year, my parents would write a lovely message inside.

Someone I know (who may be on mumsnet!) does a fab thing for her children’s birthdays. In their cards she writes ‘what are you like at (insert age)?’. I think the plan is to keep the cards until the children are 18 and give them back to them. Such a lovely idea.

@RoseUnder I love all of these!