Childhood and family traditions

Childhood and family traditions

• What traditions does your family have?
• What did you do as a child that you do not do now?
• Complete: “When I was younger, I ___.”

When I was younger, I visited my grandparents every holiday.

Teacher reformulation: So, you used to visit your grandparents every holiday.

Words for family memories

Talking about the past

Used to + base verb

Use used to + base verb for:

• an old habit that is not true now;
• an old state that is not true now.

I used to live in a small town.
My family used to visit relatives every holiday.
We used to play outside after school.

The form of used to

Important: After did and didn’t, write use to — without d.

Did you use to live near your grandparents?
We didn’t use to buy many presents.

Would + base verb

Use would + base verb for a repeated past action. A time phrase often makes the repetition clear.

Every winter, my family would have a celebration at home.
After dinner, my grandfather would tell stories about his childhood.

Use would for actions, not states.

Past simple for one finished event

Use the past simple for one completed event, especially with a specific time.

Choose by meaning

Compare:

We used to visit Grandma every summer.
Every summer, we would visit Grandma.
Last summer, we visited Grandma.

The first two sentences describe a repeated past habit. The last sentence describes one visit.

Common mistakes

Choose the best past form

Connect each meaning with its structure

Connect each sentence type with the best structure.

Select the correct phrase

Choose the form that matches the meaning.

1. When I was six, I [___] in a small town.
2. Every weekend, my brother and I [___] hide-and-seek in the garden.
3. In 2019, our family [___] house.
4. My grandmother [___] very strict, but she is relaxed now.

Complete the sentences

Say the complete sentence, then type the missing words.

1. When I was a child, I [___] in a small town.
2. Every weekend, I [___] with friends after lunch.
3. Last Sunday, we [___] our relatives.
4. Did you [___] to decorate the house for holidays?

How life has changed

“When I was a child, life was very different,” says my grandfather. “We used to live in a small village near a forest. There were no computers or mobile phones, so children used to play outside every day. After school, my friends and I would ride our bikes, play hide-and-seek, and make small houses from branches. On winter holidays, our family used to gather at my grandparents’ home. My grandmother would cook a large dinner, and my grandfather would tell stories about his childhood. We did not use to buy many presents, but we were happy with simple toys. One Christmas, when I was ten, my father gave me a wooden train. I still remember that day. Now families often live far from each other, and children spend more time online. But I think family traditions are still important.”

1. Where did the grandfather use to live?
2. What did the children used to do every day?
3. What would the grandfather do during winter holidays?
4. What happened one Christmas when the grandfather was ten?

Difficult words

• branches — parts of a tree that grow from the trunk
• gather — come together in one place
• wooden — made of wood
• presents — gifts
• simple — not expensive or complicated
• forest — a large area with many trees
• far from each other — not living near one another

What to remember

Quick grammar chart

Tradition vocabulary card

tradition • custom • holiday • celebration • family gathering • grandparents • childhood • toy • hide-and-seek • visit relatives • decorate • cook together • tell stories • play outside • move house

Check the key ideas

Exit sentence: “I used to ___, but now I ___.”