The following post is from Kat of Inspired To Action:
Do you wish you could do a family night, but feel overwhelmed by all the intricate, complex ideas on Pinterest? Are you tired of plain old family movie, game and story nights?
Today I’m sharing a few ideas with you that require zero preparation but will create fantastic memories for your whole family!
Ready? Let’s go:
Table of Contents
1. A Simple Family Dinner vs. Backwards Night!
You can transform a simple family dinner with one small, easy change…have dinner backwards. Announce to your family that it’s backwards night and let everyone’s creativity take over.
- Turn your clothes around backwards.
- Move your pony tail to the front of your head.
- Eat under the table. Eat dessert first.
- Punch holes in the bottoms of juice boxes or soda cans and stick a straw in.
- Say thank you for dinner and goodnight BEFORE dinner.
Our kids favorite thing to do is to put US to bed after dinner. We ask them to read us a story. We ask for one more hug. And water. And a kiss. We come out. And then we stay in just long enough for them to wonder what to do with themselves.
It’s fun for all of us!
2. Watch American Idol vs. Have A Family Variety Show!
Do you have secret talents that you kids don’t know about yet? This is the night to pull them out.
Announce to everyone as soon as they get home that you’re having a family variety show tonight, and that everyone needs to plan a performance. (If you have a shy child, they can be a ticket taker or judge or MC.)
- Print or color a big sign.
- Hang a sheet for a curtain.
- Use a hairbrush for a mic.
- Set up dining room chairs in rows for a stuffed animal audience.
At the time of the performance, do something fun and unexpected for your kids. Do they know about your mad yo-yo skills? Your juggling mastery? How you can twirl a pencil in your fingers?
Whatever your skill, show it off and have fun. The more fun your kids see you having, the more fun they’ll have!
3. Game night vs. Design A Game!
You could do the standard kind of game night, where you all play a board game, but you could also be creative and try:
- Making up your own family game. Use cards or a poster board and action figures.
- Create your own version of tag or hide and seek or Capture the Flag.
- Let your kids make up a card game.
- Play charades using family inside jokes or stories.
4. Movie night vs. Make a Movie!
Again, you could just watch a movie, but since most phones, cameras and portable video game systems also come with the ability to film, why not try making your very own movie?
- Let your kids play starring roles.
- Dress up.
- Make up your own screenplay.
- Go on location.
- Reenact a favorite book or movie.
During the week, you could edit it on your phone or your computer, and then, the next family fun night could be a big premiere where every gets dressed up for the first screening.
5. Story Night vs. Create A Story!
You guessed it. Don’t just read a story, make up your own.
You could each take turns telling a story, or you could tell a story together by taking turns one sentence or paragraph at a time.
Don’t Just Read About It, Do It!
All of these fun night ideas are so simple, you could easily pull it off tonight. So, I double dare you. Ohh…yes I did. Be bold and make memories! Ready? Go!
Have you ever done a family fun night? What ideas have you enjoyed?
| Kat blogs at Inspired To Action, a site dedicated to helping moms develop the habits and skills they need to effectively manage their homes and raise children who are prepared to change the world. Kat loves music, running, technology, Jesus and Tex-Mex food. Not necessarily in that order. | |
