Fun and Unique Holidays Families Can Celebrate

Many of us celebrate bigger holidays in some way, such as Independence Day, Halloween, and St Patrick’s Day. But did you know that there are many lesser-known holidays throughout the year as well? One or more of the following holidays may offer fun and unique ways for your family to form new traditions.

January 4: National Spaghetti Day – Spaghetti is a favorite for many families, since it’s delicious and quick and easy to make. On this day, your family can try something out of the box like having a spaghetti breakfast or trying new additions to your sauce. You can even try making rainbow spaghetti. To do this, cook and drain spaghetti noodles and divide into bowls depending on how many colors you’d like to make. Add a drop of food coloring to each bowl and mix well, adding a bit of water if necessary. After five minutes, rinse under cold water.

February 9: National Pizza Day – It may be true that pizza is your child’s favorite food. If so, February 9 is their day to celebrate their love of pizza, either by making homemade pizza together or ordering delivery from your favorite restaurant. Having a family pizza party is an ideal way to celebrate this holiday while spending quality time together.

March 14: National Children’s Craft Day – On this day, your child’s imagination and creativity can run free, and so can yours. You can work on a single craft together as a family, or have your child choose what crafts to make. It can help your child develop their curiosity and confidence to decide on a craft project and what materials they’ll need to see their vision come to life.

April 23: National Picnic Day – Whether or not it’s actually picnic weather where you live, this is an ideal day to have a fun family meal. You can pack a traditional picnic lunch to eat outdoors, or bring the outdoors inside and spread out a picnic blanket on your living room floor. Encourage your children to help you pick out or prepare the food, and bring some picnic-friendly activities like board games or birdwatching.

May 15: Astronomy Day – Help your child learn about the stars and planets by reading books, visiting educational websites, and drawing pictures together. If the evening is clear, you can even take some binoculars outside and let your child discover the wonder of the stars firsthand.

June 21: National Daylight Appreciation Day – This is a great day to get outdoors and get some fresh air and sunlight with your family. Whether you go for a walk around the neighborhood, visit the beach, or spend some time in the garden, you and your family can create some memories together. As always, be sure to wear sunscreen and sun protective clothing so you get the benefits of daylight without the harmful UV rays of the sun.

July 12: National Simplicity Day – In our always-connected world, this day can be an ideal opportunity for your family to remember the simpler things in life. Some ideas for this day are: put devices away or turn them off all day, make no plans at all for the day, make a meal together entirely from scratch, take a long walk together, or spend the evening journaling or drawing together.

August 16: National Tell a Joke Day – This day is sure to be a fun one for every member of the family. Invent some jokes together or find some in a book or online, and see who can make everyone laugh the most.

September 6: National Read a Book Day – Reading books together as a family is a great way to bond and form some memories. Reading to your child is an ideal way to celebrate this holiday, but you can also take the opportunity to model a love of reading by designating quiet time for everyone to read separately while together.

October 21: National Apple Day – If you have an apple orchard near you, this is an ideal day for the family to visit and pick apples together. You can also spend this day baking and eating your family’s favorite apple-related treats.

November 13: National Kindness Day – This holiday is celebrated in several countries throughout the world. You can discuss kindness with your children, and find ways to show kindness to others all day long.

December 4: National Cookie Day – With the holiday season in full swing, National Cookie Day is a good time to get the whole family involved in baking cookies, whether to share with others, or to enjoy at home. Depending on the age of your child, they can get involved by helping to measure, pour, and mix ingredients.