FAMILY NIGHT

Family night ideas for fun…

Take the Time to Create Family Fun and Memories

Family nights are essential these days if you ask me. And I’m not talking about everybody going to the ball field to watch a son or daughter play. I don’t mean going to the movies, arcade, mall or any other place where the family unit doesn’t sit down and interact with one another with no distractions.

It’s a scary proposition, eh? Are you thinking family night means having to stare your other family members across the kitchen table and “try” to make idle chit-chat. OH dear no…..even I can’t do that with my family, and I like these people most of the time!
Family night is about getting to know each other better, relaxing, sharing and having fun.

I guess the fist thing that comes to mind is board games. Or “bored” games as most kids like to call them these days because they aren’t hooked to a TV or computer screen. But have you seen some of the board games that are out there these days?? Of course there are the classic stand-bys Monopoly, Sorry, Life, Scrabble and the like. But there are also a lot of newer games that are down right hilarious.

We played a game called Cranium the other night that was so much fun. (My 4-year old was occupied with some of the clay from the

game). Me and my husband and my 10-year old son have never laughed so hard. We had to act things out, mold things from clay, hum songs and draw our challenge…..hysterically silly. It’s not a game that requires strategy, but that’s the best part — it’s watching the other person try to get their clues across to those guessing. They also have Cranium Cadoo for kids, but we just worked around having a 10 year old playing. This goes down as a family night or family get-together classic that you must have! Take it on vacation in case you have a rained out day with nothing to do. You won’t regret it!

Another one we tried over the Winter from the same company was Cranium Hullabaloo. My 4 year old absolutely loved this one. It’s a bit like Simon Says…..yet add a bit of Twister too. Silly and quite the giggle instigator you and your kids will get a kick out of this one. MY husband and I felt like we could count it as a work out!

Something else I’ve found that my kids absolutely love (and my husband…though he manly drinks coffee and does a crossword puzzle when we’re getting crafty!), is scrapbooking. I save our stacks of pictures for a cold boring Winter day or soggy summer day and I get out all my scrapbooking stickers and paper, scissors, glue…you name it and me and the kids start filling our scrapbooks. My kids both have their own books and I let them make them exactly like they want. Because I get two prints of all pictures (or I can make as many as I want with our digital camera), I don’t mind that the use what they want. I can also scan and make copies of school pictures for them to use. I just get out a big folding table and turn on the radio and we have a great time.

Finding something that everyone can enjoy is the key. Being “there” in the moment and listening to what your kids are really saying. I know a family up the road that plays music together on some nights. They let everyone have a turn at the mic to show-off their latest song. Even their 3-year old gets to belt out anything from ABCs to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Smiles and laughter and sheer joy come from those get-togethers. Kids remember those times, and that goes a long way in building a lasting foundation for them.

Don’t save family night for a vacation, don’t toss that time away for an expensive trip to the movie theater or mall. Get to know your kids, see your spouse smile and burst out with laughter. Your soul and your heart will swell with all that is good in this world!

 

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