Family law solicitors often highlight the importance of emotional bonding after adoption, especially in the early stages. While legal processes provide structure and protection, it’s the everyday interactions that nurture connection and trust.
Helping your adopted child feel at home can be as simple as spending time together in the kitchen or creating something with your hands. These shared experiences are more than just fun—they foster attachment, build memories, and encourage communication.
With guidance from family law solicitors London, or those in Surrey, or wherever you may live, families can also feel legally supported during the transition. Here are five low-pressure, high-connection activities that help adopted children feel part of the family story.
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1. Create a Family Recipe Book
Invite your child to help compile a homemade recipe book. Choose a few simple family favourites and make them together, step by step. Let them decorate the pages, draw pictures, or add notes about what they liked best.
Cooking together supports routine and teamwork while creating delicious, tangible outcomes. It’s also an excellent way to talk informally, without pressure. Even very young children can stir, sprinkle, or taste as you go. For older children, this activity can encourage them to share foods they remember or associate with comfort, helping you to learn more about their identity.
You can even introduce “recipe nights” where each family member gets to choose a dish and take the lead. This offers your child the chance to take ownership of something in a way that builds pride and confidence.
The BBC Good Food website offers easy recipes designed for children and beginners.
2. Build a Memory Jar
Use a clean jar or box and decorate it with your child. Each week, encourage everyone in the family to write down something happy or meaningful that happened. At the end of the month—or even year—you can open the notes and read them together.
This encourages children to notice the positives and reflect on their place in the family. It’s a gentle way to reinforce that their contributions and moments matter.
You could also use prompts such as “I felt happy when…” or “This made me laugh…” to get the conversation flowing. Over time, this jar becomes a treasured record of your growing bond.
3. Make a Personalised Calendar
Design a wall calendar that includes family birthdays, school milestones, and special “just us” days. Add stickers or hand-drawn pictures for visual flair. The Adoption UK website is a brilliant resource, full of advice, forums, and events tailored to adoptive families.
Counting down to a baking day, a park visit, or an at-home movie night builds excitement and gives children a sense of belonging. It also helps them feel secure by knowing what’s coming next.
For children who have experienced change or instability, predictable structures—like a calendar—can provide much-needed reassurance. You might also include reminders for family meetings or goal-setting sessions to encourage inclusion and shared decision-making.
4. Paint a Family Tree (with a Twist)
Rather than focusing on birth relatives, make the family tree about your child’s current home. Include siblings, grandparents, family pets, and close family friends.
Use handprints or fingerprints to create leaves on the tree. This visual cue reminds children that they are rooted and growing in a new, safe environment.
For adopted children, this version of a family tree validates their story without pressuring them to reframe their past. You can also create a “family forest” where each tree represents a different part of their journey—birth family, foster carers, and current family—acknowledging all aspects of their identity.
5. Start a ‘Friday Fun’ Routine
Choose one fun activity to repeat each week—such as making homemade pizzas, building with LEGO, or doing silly science experiments. These consistent rituals help build trust and expectation.
It doesn’t need to be elaborate or expensive. The key is predictability, shared laughter, and your undivided attention. Routines are comforting for children adjusting to change and can anchor their week with something joyful.
Let your child take the lead in choosing the activity from time to time. This gives them a sense of agency and reinforces that their preferences and ideas are valued.
The Family Lives charity provides tips on building routines and improving communication with children.
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Why These Activities Matter
When children join a new family through adoption, they bring with them a unique blend of hope, history, and uncertainty. It’s common for them to feel conflicted—grateful one moment and distant the next. Craft and kitchen activities provide non-verbal, low-pressure opportunities for bonding that words alone often can’t achieve.
These activities also help reduce stress and offer a safe space for self-expression. A child who struggles to talk about their feelings may find it easier to open up while mixing batter or painting a tree. They provide moments where trust can be built slowly, through shared actions rather than expectations.
These ideas are not about perfection. They’re about presence. Messy cupcakes, wobbly calendars, and sticky fingers are all part of the process. Through creativity and collaboration, you’re saying: “You belong here.”
Additional Support for Adoptive Families
If you’re finding the transition challenging, know that support is available. Local authorities offer post-adoption services, and you can also seek guidance from your adoption agency Legal professionals can also offer reassurance around parental rights, contact arrangements, and educational needs.
Additionally, you may want to explore peer support groups or therapy options that specialise in adoption. Many families find that talking with others who’ve been through similar experiences brings relief, ideas, and connection.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. For help with adoption or family law matters, please consult a qualified solicitor or specialist support service.