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Such a Time As This

Faith, Hope, & Love

12/05/2015

How to Easily Create a Family Fun Night

This post contains affiliate links.  Please see my disclosure policy.

 

How to Easily Create a Family Fun Night

About four years ago, I decided to implement a once-a-week Family Fun Night.  It all started when we purchased Uno Roboto for Christmas in 2011.  As a result, come January, we made it a tradition to play it every Friday night.  For at least one year, we played Uno Roboto before we started adding other games into the mix.  We love that game because it is so easy to understand (it is simply just matching colors or numbers and let’s be real – we love that silly robot voice most of all!) As time went on, however, we started adding to our mix.

 

The truth is all kids ages 4 and up join in the Family Fun Night.  Over the past year, we have also transitioned to adding in movies to Family Night – when none of us wanted to play a card or board game.  I love it so much (as do the kids) that I think everyone should try to create a Family Fun Night to their weekly routine!

how to create a family fun night

 

Here is how to start a family fun night:

 

1. Pick a day of the week and use this same day consistently.  

Choose a night that you know you don’t have anything going on and pencil it in your calendar.

 

2. Choose a favorite or easy dinner 

We usually choose pizza.  It is easy and fun for the kids.  Sometimes we make our own – other times we order in.  The kids love to help bake our pizza.  I’ve even mixed it up a bit and made “bagel pizzas” with pepperoni, shredded mozzarella and a jar of sauce.  The kids loved it and it was so easy to make.

 

3. Make a fun dessert

Our go to is ice-cream sundaes.  I try to keep caramel sauce and hot fudge on hand, along with whipped cream and sprinkles.  Sometimes we make homemade cookies – and I even get the kids involved in helping make cut out sugar cookies or chocolate chip.

 

4. Get one or more card or board games to play

We have purchased many board games over the years because they are a great way to get the kids to play together without using a screen.  Games have become a wonderful way to introduce my oldest son (who has autism and developmental delay)  to social situations, strategy, math, and reading.

 

5. Let the kids in on the fun

Let them pick dinner, dessert or the fun game or movie.  We like to rotate who gets to choose.  Each of my three older kids gets a say each week.  One picks the game/movie, one chooses dinner and the other dessert.

 

Some of our favorite games:

Before purchasing a game take into account how many people are in your family, how many will be playing, the ages of the kids and their developmental ability level.  We started with the kid version of many games (like Sequence for Kids and Monopoly Party Edition) before moving on to the classic versions.  At times, we pair up in teams so that younger kids can learn to play a more difficult game.

Sequence Game

Sequence for Kids

Ticket To Ride

Monopoly – The Classic Edition

Sorry!

HedBanz Game – Edition may vary

Pictionary Game

Trivial Pursuit Family Edition Game

Monopoly Junior Party

Pictopia-Family Trivia Game: Disney Edition

UNO Roboto Game

Crazy Eights & Old Maid- Bicycle Classic Kid’s Card Games (6-Pack)

 

 

Some Favorite Movies: 

When choosing a movie, it is important to take into account what types of movies you allow your children to watch, the ages of your children, the ratings of the movie, and the individual child’s sensitivity level.  We’ve chosen some, in the past, that I wish we hadn’t – or at least wished I had read some reviews of (from trusted sources).  We usually rent from RedBox, stream from Netflix or Amazon Prime – but most recently discovered VidAngel.  I never realized that you could filter streaming movies before I found out about VidAngel.  I also like to check PluggedIn and Common Sense Media before watching (or allowing my kids) to watch a movie or show.

Cinderella (2015) 

Frozen

Inside Out

Tomorrowland (Theatrical)

Home

Paddington

Mr. Peabody & Sherman

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

 

I hope this helps give you some ideas on how to implement a family fun night in your family.  What do you like to do as a family?  Do you have any special traditions?


You might also be interested in:

The 8 Best Games That Will Make You Think

Top 5 Board Games to Play with your Kids

Wink: One of Our New Family Games

How to Break Through Your Child’s Screen Time Addiction

Filed Under: Family Life, Large Families, Uncategorized Sasha

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Comments

  1. denise low says

    12/05/2015 at 10:56 pm

    Thank you for sharing. When our kids were little we had just playing games. We loved it.

Trackbacks

  1. Warning: Don't Forget to Make a Meal Plan Now -- It's Sunday Night! | Such a Time As This says:
    10/22/2017 at 8:43 pm

    […] Dinner – Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, GF Noodles (maybe a spaghetti squash) and a salad Dessert Night (It’s Family Game Night) […]

  2. The Ultimate Board Game Gift Guide - How to Pick the Perfect Game | Such a Time As This says:
    11/23/2017 at 12:36 am

    […] interested in Uno, then later Ludo, then Monopoly and Yahtzee.  Games are what draws us together for family time.  We’ve created an if, then list for you to check out some new games for your family this […]

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Hi There! I'm so glad you're here! I'm Sasha, wife to my best friend and mama to 7 kids. My passion is homemaking, homeschooling, and encouraging parents of kids with special needs. We are all on a journey. Find what you were made for with some hope and encouragement on the way. xo Sasha

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