Create a Family Night

Having a family night and reconnecting is important and can be invaluable for kids.

Here are some fun, helpful tips on creating a family night for your family:

Pizza and Game Night

Make every Friday a Pizza and Game night! There are so many fun games a family can play together. Some of our favorites are:

• Watch Ya Mouth
• Uno
• Scrabble
• Unstable Unicorns
• Pie Face
• Spoons.
• • How to Play Spoons:
    • Arrange the spoons in the center of the table and deal four cards to each player. Each player tries to make four of a kind. The dealer takes a card off the top of the deck to have five cards in his hand, removes one and passes it face down to the left. Each player discards to the person on his left. The last player places his discard into a trash pile. Cards are picked up and passed quickly around the table until someone gets four of a kind and takes a spoon from the center. Once the player with four of a kind takes a spoon, anyone can take a spoon. The player left without a spoon gets a letter. If at any time the draw cards run out, pause to reshuffle the trash pile and keep going. The winner is the last player remaining. Players move closer to elimination each time they don’t get a spoon and take the next letter in the word S-P-O-O-N. Spell it and you’re out. The player who reaches four of a kind first has a variety of ways he can take the first spoon. A demonstrative grab leads to a wild free-for-all. Either way, it’s hilarious.

Camp Inside

• Create an outdoor camp out in your living room: get your sleeping bags, flashlights, books, and games, make s’mores, and tell stories by the fireplace. You can take it a step further and make a fort. Pull together tables and chairs and drape blankets over them to create your own hiding places. 

Read Together

Have a special story night where your child can pick out 3 – 10 books to read with you. Better yet, pick out an entire series to read together. Many of these have been made into movies, so as you finish the books you can watch the movie together. 

Book Series for Elementary and Middle School:

• The Chronicles of Narnia
• Percy Jackson & the Olympians
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid
• Ann of Green Gables
• Harry Potter 

Book Series for Tweens and Teens

• The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
• The Hunger Games
• Twilight Saga
• Divergent Trilogy
• The Maze Runner

Book Series Teens and College aged

I get that at a certain age you will not sit around reading out loud, but our family reads all the same books and then we can discuss them like a book club. 

• Unwind series
• Scythe series
• Uglies series

Cookies and Milk

• Have cookies and milk, as a special treat. Have a time set aside with no devices where you just sit and talk to your child. Take it a step further and make cookies with your kids. Crinkle Cookies are easy to make and delicious.

Cook Together

Prepare a specially cooked meal together as a family putting the kids to work as your helpers. Set the table with candles, fancy glasses, and special music. Here are some easy meal families can make together: Easy Corn Chowder and Fancy Pants Chicken Casserole

Create an Indoor Picnic

Put down a blanket, plates, and silverware. Prepare picnic food of your choice and your child will love it.

Make a Movie Together

Make a little movie or a TikTok with your cell phones – explore slow-motion and other features – then enjoy watching them together and laughing.

Play Legos

Get out the Legos and create your own city.

Pray with Your Kids

Last but not least and not really a once a week kind of thing. Have a time where you list all of your blessings and thank God for each one. My favorite night devotional to do with kids is Jesus Calling for Kids.

Family night is a cherished tradition in many households. It’s a time when families can come together, bond, and have some fun. There are lots of games that are great for family night. What’s your family’s favorite? One popular game is charades. You can never go wrong with a classic like charades. If you’re looking for something new, there are plenty of other games out there too. Family nights are all about spending time together and having fun, so try out different games until you find one that everyone enjoys. Whatever game you choose to play, remember to have fun and enjoy each other’s company.