7 top tips to create a personal Naming Ceremony

A Naming Ceremony offers a meaningful alternative to a christening, if you don’t have religious beliefs, but want to celebrate your child’s arrival with family and friends. These are my 7 top tips to create a unique ceremony:

1. Tell your child’s story using pictures or words

Create a slide show, looking back at your child’s life so far: choose pictures that reflect important milestones as well as happy times spent with family and friends.

Write your child’s story: this can reflect their personality – what they enjoy and dislike doing and what they have brought into your lives as a family.

Make a Naming Book using words and pictures to record your child’s journey – photos and messages can then be added after your celebrations to create a special memento of the day.

2. Highlight the significance of your child’s name/s

Is there a specific reason why you chose them? Do they have a special meaning? And, if your child has being named after significant family members, who they are?

As a highpoint to the ceremony formally give your child their name/s.

3. Include a variety of readings and poems

These can be used at different intervals to set the tone, reflect what is important to you, introduce some humour and are an excellent way of involving friends and family members.

4. Make personal commitments/promises to your child

It is especially meaningful if you can write your own – think about what is important to you as a family and what your hopes and dreams are for your child’s future. But be realistic, rather than set goals that might be difficult to live up to, think about the environment you would like your child to grow up in.

5. Appoint the equivalent of God Parents – known as Guide Parents, Mentors or Supporting Adults

These are people who you would like to offer friendship to your child as he/she grows up and who can give you support as parents. During the ceremony explain their role and why you have chosen them. They can make a joint commitment to your child or write individual promises of their own.

6. Acknowledge significant family members, such as Grandparents

The role of grandparents is often a very special one, take time to talk about the relationship your child shares with his/her grandparents, this can include: what they are called, the things they like to do together and what they have brought into each other’s lives.

7. Include a symbolic act

These are an excellent way of breaking up your ceremony, involving different guests and also providing a special memento of the day. Ideas include: signing a naming certificate, planting a tree, lighting a candle, writing wishes for a wish tree, balloon release and making a fingerprint tree.

For more details on these please see this week’s posts on my facebook page

I hope that has helped and do get in touch if you would like to find out more about Naming Ceremonies