This is the time of year we hear a lot about traditions - holiday, family, cultural and religious. Why do we create and maintain traditions? "People need to experience a feeling of intimacy and a sense of belonging," says Bev Bos, director of the Roseville Community Preschool in Northern California and author of Don't Move the Muffin Tins, "We lead very busy lives and don't have many opportunities to connect with each other." Children may get the most out of traditions and rituals. They gain a sense of importance and belonging from traditions, whether it's as simple as pancakes every Sunday or as time-tested as using a great-grandmother's centerpiece every holiday.
It's easy to create and celebrate traditions throughout the year in your home. They don't have to be major productions and needn't cost a lot of money. Whether you revive an old family tradition or create a new one, the ritual can be simple, silly and fun.
To get started, close your eyes and think back to fond memories of your own childhood. "Often, what we remember are the ordinary, intimate moments we spent with our parents and brothers and sisters, baking cookies or washing the dishes," says Bos. "Intimacy often sparks conversation, which helps us to create a connection. We need to look at what times like those meant to us."
So whether your tradition is lighting candles or making taffy from marshmallows (as it is for one child in Bos' child care center), know that children will hold onto these rituals as they grow - and they will participate at their own level. The time you spend together is more important than completing the project.
BRINGING TRADITIONS TO A CHILD CARE SETTING
Explain what a tradition is and ask children to share any special family activities.
Talk about classroom traditions. Are there any the group wants to start, such as making holiday decorations for the playroom?
Ask parents to write down any traditions, from special meals to holiday rituals, to be shared with the class. Invite parents and children to share special traditional foods.
"As we grow older, we tend to focus our attention on those things we trusted and believed in when we were children." -- Christopher deVinck
Related Books
De Colores and Other Latin-American Folk Songs for Children selected, arranged and translated by Josˇ-Luis Orozco, Puffin Books (birth and up)
A colorful and rhythmic journey through Latin-America's musical and storytelling tradition. This rich collection of songs passed on from generation to generation, reflects the cultural diversity and richness of the Spanish speaking world.
In My Family/En Mi Familia by Carmen Lomas Garza, Children's Book Press (5 and older)
A colorful family album of the artist's childhood memories of the Latino cultural experience as lived in the Southwest.
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