Family Fun Night, a night to slow down and spend some time together. Couldn’t we all use a little more of that? Whether you designate one night each week or each month, it is still a great chance to have fun together. Our family has a few variations on this night to make it exciting each and every time. And some nights we just make it up as we go. When we are all feeling bogged down with our schedules we pick a night that works for everyone and call it…Family Fun Night.This night is a break from ball practices, dance classes, schoolwork, laptops and telephones. It is usually something simple, and doesn’t take a lot of prep or clean up time. We rotate around a couple of themes that capture the interest of our little ones, but be creative and find something that works for your family.
Movie Night
This is an easy way to slow down together. Because our children our still young (our oldest is 8), this works best for us at home. But older children may enjoy a movie at the theatre together. We pick a movie that we have at home or sometimes all go together to the movie rental store. Sounds easy enough…right? This is actually the hard part for my family. We negotiate back and forth on the titles. With one big girl and one boy and one little girl who already has an opinion, this takes a while.
This is an easy way to slow down together. Because our children our still young (our oldest is 8), this works best for us at home. But older children may enjoy a movie at the theatre together. We pick a movie that we have at home or sometimes all go together to the movie rental store. Sounds easy enough…right? This is actually the hard part for my family. We negotiate back and forth on the titles. With one big girl and one boy and one little girl who already has an opinion, this takes a while.
Once we pick a title, we set the stage. Usually we make a pizza together or order one in. Sometimes the kids like to make their own snack bags. They each get a Ziploc bag and head to the pantry. They dump pretzels, fruit snacks, Cheerios, M&Ms and anything else they can find. Or we pop popcorn, pull out the T.V. trays, use the silly straws and bake some cookies. We have even used a picnic blanket on the carpet to sit on. We all eat dinner together while we watch the movie. This may sound simple enough, but when was the last time your whole family sat down to watch a movie together? The kids really love when you watch a “kids” movie with them. It is a great time to talk about the movie, and spend some cozy, quality time together.
Game Night
This is another favorite family fun night. Each child picks a board game or other type of game and brings it to the table. We take turns playing each game together. My children love Candyland, Cheerio Bingo (or any kind of Bingo), memory games or sometimes even a bowling game. Don’t forget the old family favorites of Twister, Uno, Clue, Trivial Pursuit, Chess or card games. There are lots of new games out there, too.
This is another favorite family fun night. Each child picks a board game or other type of game and brings it to the table. We take turns playing each game together. My children love Candyland, Cheerio Bingo (or any kind of Bingo), memory games or sometimes even a bowling game. Don’t forget the old family favorites of Twister, Uno, Clue, Trivial Pursuit, Chess or card games. There are lots of new games out there, too.
To make this night more exciting, pick a fun snack or dessert to share together. Making s’mores, ice cream sundaes, root beer floats, popcorn balls or a fun cheese dip and chips are just a few ideas. Anything messy that they are not usually allowed is a guaranteed hit.
Other ideas for fun nights together include bowling, painting pottery or having a picnic. Just about anything that you do together as a family will get rave reviews from your children. I can always tell when my children have had it with our everyday schedules, are missing dad after a work trip or just plain need a break. One of them will say, “I wish we could have a family fun night.” And right then and there we stop and pick a night and start talking about what we want to do. Your family has done some or all of these things together before. It’s when you make a night of it that your children realize how fun and important your family is.
Happy Family Fun Night to you and yours!
