Today’s modern families look nothing like those pioneers of yesteryear.

Between texting, iPads, MP4s, laptops, video games, chat groups, and online games for preschoolers, families spend less time actually interacting together then they ever have.

But regardless of whether you are part of the traditional mom and pop family setup, or you are a single mom or dad raising your grandchildren, research shows that children whose families spend quality time together are happier, have better self-esteem, are more resistant to peer influence.

Rituals are a great way to bring your family together without placing a whole load of stress on your family.

Because rituals are predictable, they are something that family members can anticipate, as well as look back upon with fond memories.

Plus, rituals usually involve the whole family, so each member can feel special and a part of whatever event you’ve got going on.

Many people think of rituals as occurring only during holiday times. In reality, any time can be a good time for a ritual, if you know how to set things up.

Here are 7 tips you can use to create rituals that will bring your family together:

Involve the whole family

If you plan on creating a new family ritual, make sure it’s something that everyone can join in and participate.

Older children and teens may initially complain about it, of course, but if you make an effort to treat each member’s contribution as equally important, those complaints will eventually fade out.

For example, if you plan on making a meal once a week that everyone must attend, let your children help plan the menu, shop, and prepare the food.

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Don’t make a huge deal out of it

Of course you want this time to be special and meaningful and all that, but remember that the specialness comes from the event itself-not the hype around it.

Plus, too much hype puts a lot of pressure on the participants to make sure that everything goes right.

A better choice would be to be low-key about things, and let the success of the ritual speak for itself.

Make sure it’s regular Whether it’s a special breakfast on the first day of

school, or a weekly dinner, make sure you do whatever it takes to keep the flame going.

Creating a family ritual may not be easy in the beginning. You’ve probably got enough things to do, your kids may complain, and your partner might think you’ve been reading a new self-help book again.

But if you keep it up, your family will have the pleasure – years later – of remembering those special moments that actually made you happy to be alone with your family.