Time together is important to your child’s development, but it can also be a lot of fun. Implement some fun family night ideas and just watch the fun unfold.
Fun Family Night Ideas with Games and Activities
Research has shown that children who eat dinner every night with their family are 40% more likely to get As and Bs on their report cards than their peers who didn’t eat together. Here are some ideas for family night that incorporate games and activities.
1. Making Dinner Can Kick Off Your Family Night Fun
Some tasks are obviously too dangerous for a preschooler to do. Chopping vegetables and putting stuff in the oven are just a couple. But, a child can put the vegetables you’ve chopped up in a bowl.
Think simple, especially if your children are young. Making a pizza is a fun and easy dinner to make altogether. Use a premade crust and let the kids help you put on all the toppings (after everybody has washed their hands). Give each child their own topping to put on, or let everybody do it together. It can be a lot of fun to make your own combinations. One of the best things about making homemade pizza is the freedom to add less than traditional toppings if you want to.
Place the pizza in the oven and have your kids watch it cook through the oven door. They will be excited to watch the fruits of their labor.
As your pizza cooks toss together a salad. Use a premade salad mixture and add whole vegetables like cherry tomatoes to minimize the need to chop up vegetables. Once all the food is done cooking, eat it all together around a table without any electronic influences like television or cell phones.
2. Craft Activities for Kids
One fun family night idea is to make arts and crafts projects. It’s a simple way to entertain children indoors. Plan a craft around a specific theme such as a holiday like Christmas, the winter season, a movie, or a favourite animal. Many craft activities are available free on a variety of art or craft websites. Select simple, age-appropriate art materials and enjoy an afternoon of crafting fun.
As an alternative to a product-based craft project, try exploring a process-based art activity. This may include puppet making, free painting, colour mixing with finger paints or shaving cream, cutting and gluing (collage), or simply drawing with crayons.
3. Movie Madness
Family night activities can also include movie madness night! This depends on the age of your children. Older kids might want to watch a monster movie marathon (PG 13, of course), whereas young kids might enjoy the latest animated movie. To make the family night movie a little more special, gather all the pillows and cushions around your house and make a big, giant bed for everyone to lay on and watch together. We actually drag the bed from our guest room into the living room for an authentic on the bad experience. Or you can make a fort or a tent, and view the movie from there. The point is to make it something fun and unusual. Kids get tired of the same routine every single time. Try and keep things fresh and new.
Of course, deciding on a movie can be a challenge in itself. Find something that is age-appropriate. You want to steer clear of anything that may give the little one’s nightmares, have excessive violence, or adult content. Nowadays, film companies try and make family movies that will be entertaining for adults and children, so don’t worry.
Grab some blankets and pillows, pop some popcorn, turn down the lights, and snuggle up together to watch.
4. Card Games
Card games are also a fun activity for families. The following are some card game ideas:
- Uno
- Contact or Shanghai Rummy
- Hearts
- Go Fish
- Apple to Apples
- Crazy Eights
5. Board Games Don’t Leave You Bored
At some point in your own childhood, you probably huddled around the coffee table or dining table, dice in hand ready to take your turn and move your piece for a board game. Maybe you remember silly arguments among your siblings, laughter from your parents, and staying up late. Mostly you remember the fun.
Board games can be a lot of fun on family night. They keep everyone engaged, and it’s nice to turn off the television.
Most board games are fairly inexpensive for the use you will get out of them. Old classics like Monopoly are great but don’t be afraid to try new ones either. Even Monopoly has been revamped with the U-Build option.
Young kids can play matching games or easy games like Candyland. Keep in mind the age recommendations on the box. You don’t want your four years old to play Trivial Pursuit. They might have a serious disadvantage. Whatever game you decide to play, make sure you don’t take it too seriously. Above all else, have fun.
Many board games have been converted to computer formats for a more interactive experience. Newer televisions come equipped with USB ports to allow a hard drive to be plugged in. This makes the television to become a large monitor.
Some board games that are great for four or more players and are available on a board or PC format are listed below:
- Monopoly
- Scrabble
- Yahtzee
- Life
- Pictionary
- Sorry
- Boggle
Take advantage of the kid’s desire to spend time with you when they are young. The only thing holding you back is your imagination. Spend the time together and plan a weekly fun family night full of ideas with games and activities. You’ll be happier and so will your children!
Card games and board games are a popular choice for family night at our house too.