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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!
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.
Monopoly – The Classic Edition
HedBanz Game – Edition may vary
Trivial Pursuit Family Edition Game
Pictopia-Family Trivia Game: Disney Edition
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.
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
