Skip to main content

Family Culture – Story Prompts that Explore Your Family’s Unique Traits

Each family is unique. What behaviours, habits, beliefs, values or sayings best describe the spirit of your family? Explore these Story Prompts about family culture to ignite discussions and inspire written stories.

An unusual family, going running with their baby.

Unique Traits

What might other families find silly, strange or amusing about your family?

  • What do friends comment about?
  • What do guests to your home find peculiar?
  • What’s different about your home environment to accommodate your habits?
Example family tradition of spending time together by a fire.

Enduring Traditions

What traditions or traits do you hope to pass on to future generations?

  • Anything special rituals every day, week or month?
  • Do you have special times in the year when you do something special?
  • What makes them so special or fun?
The family tradition of going fishing together.

New Traditions

What new traditions would you enjoy adding to your family life?

Hand holding up five fingers.

Family Spirit

What five words would best describe your family spirit and why?

  • Words about your relationships, your family structure or your personality?
  • Words about your emotions, your physical characteristics or your way of living?
  • Get inspiration from this list of 1150 family adjectives
Family relaxing in each other's company.

Miss the Most

When meeting family has not been possible, what are the things you miss most?

  • They might be the ‘little’ things, like tea and biscuits or big things like family outings.
  • Think back to COVID-19, what did you miss then?
The father's physical traits are passed onto his son.

Inherited Traits

What traits seem to be passed between family generations?

  • Personality traits?
  • Physical traits?
  • Outlook on life?
The ultimate family home, overlooking nature.

Ultimate Gathering

Ignoring practicalities, what would the ultimate family gathering look like for you?

  • Think beyond a place – what would you do?
  • What time of year would you go and for how long?
  • By sharing it with family you’re sowing the seed of an idea – who knows where it might lead…
The number ten is written on a sign.

Ten Commandments

What would your family’s ’ten commandments’ be?

  • What are the values and beliefs you share?
  • Try this as a family and enjoy the debate.
  • Create a written or printed recording to remind you during daily life.
A seasonal family event - egg painting at Easter.

Seasonal Events

What seasonal events are important for your family?

  • Weather related?
  • Nationality related?
  • Religion or belief related?
Coffee mug with the quote, "I'd rather be in my garden".

Sayings & Expressions

What sayings or expressions best characterise your family members?

  • Capture those sayings popularised by family members.
  • Like DNA, what we repeatedly say often gets passed on to future generations.
  • You might realise that you’ve picked up some expressions from your family.
Christmas with family, as it used to be.

Evolving Traditions

How have family traditions changed over the years?

  • ‘Things are not like they used to be!’ – so how are they different?
  • What’s better today?
  • What do you miss from the old days?
Sticker showing text "I voted".

Religion & Politics

What religious or political preferences do you or your family have?

  • Do you know the preferences of your ancestors?
  • Wouldn’t it be nice to share some of your beliefs in this domain with future family?
Example of how a family crest could look.

Family Crest

If you designed a crest for your family, what would be in it?

  • Explore the meaning behind different design elements here.
  • Learn more about family crests and how to create them with children in this fun family guide.

Story Prompt FAQ’s

What is ‘family culture’?

“Family culture” refers to the distinct customs, traditions, values, norms, beliefs, and behaviours that define a particular family group. It includes how family members interact with each other, communicate, solve problems, celebrate special occasions, and handle conflicts.

What are ‘Story prompts’?

Sometimes it can be hard to get start writing a story. Story Prompts help by providing creative ideas as inspiration. Simirity’s Story Prompts have been designed to ignite discussions in your family and inspire you to ask questions about your family’s past.

How can I use Story Prompts with my family?

Stories don’t have to be written, they can be spoken too. They are designed for both you and your family. As you review the prompts, consider how your parents or a sibling might answer. It you don’t want to write a story down that fine – they can serve as great inspiration for interesting family discussions.

All prompts are built into the Simirity App. Within the app, you can send them to family members as Story Requests. This is a great opportunity to ensure important family stories get discussed and preserved for future generations.

Share

If you enjoy posts like this, you might also enjoy our newsletter

It’s dedicated to helping families thrive, and subscribers enjoy a 3-month premium subscription to our family app.