Family days out are a lot of fun, but sometimes there is nothing like staying in and enjoying a family night at home. To make your family night a success, you will want to make sure you have all the things you need. Here is a quick list of suggestions to make your family night a fun and memorable one for everyone.
Make Some Popcorn
If you’re planning to watch a movie, you will want to make sure you have some popcorn. Kids love making popcorn at home, and you can cook it on the stove or in the microwave. Get a huge bowl to fill up, and then you can sit around munching away as you enjoy the movie.
Set Up a Drinks Bar
Make sure you have a good selection of drinks available, including some soda. You may even want to make your own juice and turn this into part of the night’s activities.
Make Something Together
Making things together is a great way to spend time together while focusing on an activity. Depending on the age of your kids, it could be something as simple as making a pizza by getting them to choose their own toppings. If they are older, you could buy a build-your-own kit so you can make a plane or dinosaur together.
Get a Selection of Board Games
Board games are the ultimate in family entertainment, and it makes sense to build up a good collection of games so that you can choose one or two of your favorites on your family night.
You’ll find lots of board games for sale online so you can easily build up a good collection. Make sure you get some classics like Monopoly, as well as some more unusual games, and ensure you have some that are suitable for the ages of your children.
Do Some Stargazing
If the night is clear, you may want to enjoy a spot of stargazing. Set up some chairs outside and fill up some thermos flasks with hot chocolate, then wrap up warm in the garden.
You may want to download a stargazing app on your tablet so that you can find out a bit more about the constellations. This is an especially good idea if there is a chance of seeing shooting stars. Here are some more ideas for stargazing family fun from Sky & Telescope.
Get a Book of Family Games
For some games you won’t even need any props, so try to find a book of family games that you can play without needing anything. One great example is charades, a classic game that will lead to lots of fun. Parents.com has some great ideas for family games you can try.
Get a Movie In
Watching a movie is a great way to end your family night before the kids go to bed, so make sure you have one on hand. Find out what the latest Disney release is, then rent the DVD or make sure it is available on Netflix.
You might not want the movie to be the main focus on the evening, but it can be a great way to finish it off.
Keep It Simple and Have a Great Time
There is no need to spend lots of money on your family nights in. Just keep it simple by eating some tasty food and conversing over a board game, and you can be assured that these will be memories that you will all treasure.
Abbie Coles has twin girls and works at the local school part time. She whole heartedly believes in quality family time and blogs on the subject for various Mommy/Parenting sites.
