Rituals involving the extended family broaden a preschoolers horizon and introduce him to grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who can all help him feel special. Rituals Provide a Hidden Source of Family Strength . Research done at George Washington University's Family Research Center indicated that children fare better in households where ritual is established and preserved, even if disruptive problems, such as divorce or alcoholism, are present. A nightly dinner ritual of setting the table together, sitting down as a family, discussing the day's events, or saying grace before the meal can slow down the hectic pace of today's families and provide a sense of meal planning and order to the day. When family members are upset with each other, daily rituals can pull them back together and provide the setting for working out problems.
Rituals are also a positive way to help families affirm their beliefs and values.
Attending a house of worship, donating groceries to a food bank or recycling together to help the environment can show a preschooler the importance of a family's community involvement. Rituals Help Young Children and their Families Deal with Stress. Rituals are events that happened in the past and will continue in the future no matter what is happening in the present. Rituals provide a sense of continuity and security that can often help children and their parents work out fears or deal with stress. A nightly ritual of a warm bath, a bedtime story and a prayer can ease children into a restful state.