7 Tips for Unforgettable Family Game Nights Everyone Will Love
There are many ways to work in regular family bonding time. Carving out a time-slot each week to spend time together has been successful for many families. Having a regular routine is a great way to help everyone get in the habit of spending quality time together. Holding a family game night each week is an excellent way to involve everyone’s interests and is sure to bring more laughter (and a little competitive edge!) into your life.
It’s easy for a family’s schedule to become overfilled with day-to-day activities, especially as your children get older. Sometimes it feels like you can’t even pause for a moment to catch your breath. And you may be yearning for some time each week where everyone can put life on pause.
You may be wondering– How do I get started with organizing our first family game night? In this article, I cover several tips and suggestions for how to create memorable family game nights that every member of your family can enjoy.
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7 Tips to Create Memorable Family Game Nights
Tip #1) Include Games for a Wide Range of Ages
If you’re like many families out there, you may have children ranging from toddler age to high school, and that can be tricky to navigate when trying to find fun game night games for everyone. The short attention span of very young children is legendary, so it may be best, to begin with, a toddler-friendly game like Hoot Owl Hoot and move on to something more complex later in the evening after the littlest ones have gone to bed.
Tip #2) Have a Set Night for Your Family Game Time
Life is always unpredictable, but try to have a specific night set aside for your family game night. Ideally, this would be on the weekend, as weeknights tend to be rushed and cluttered with other obligations. Once you nail down a night and time, try and stick with it each week. Or, if you can’t fit it in weekly you can opt for a monthly game night. We all know that humans tend to be creatures of habit. The key is set it and keep it just like any other appointment on your schedule.
Tip #3) Focus on Different Skill Sets for Each Family Game
As you’re looking for fun game night games, try to select ones that focus on different skills, such as critical thinking, the powers of deduction, strategy, and more. Many traditional board games target these skills, and you can check out this list of classic board games for inspiration.
In the summertime you can Take Game Night Outside for even more family fun while you also burn off some energy.
Tip #4) Create a Game Night Trophy
If your family enjoys the thrill of competition you may want to up the competitive edge with a fun family game night idea. Get create and make a game night trophy as a family. Sure, you can always just order one, but the point is the process. Assembling a one-of-a-kind award for the winner to proudly display until next week’s round is a fun motivator. Warning: silliness and giggling will most likely be a by-product of this activity.
Maybe it is a random knick-knack found in the recesses of a closet somewhere that gets attached to a piece of wood with some star stickers. Who knows… the goal is that this trophy becomes THE special thing that becomes packed with family memories that only our family members will ever understand.
Tip #5) Rotate Who Chooses the Games
We suggest letting a different member of your family come up with family game ideas each time you play. Not only does it get everyone involved, but it also encourages responsibility. You may need to help younger children come up with simple games like The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game, or Bean Bag Toss.
Tip #6) Take it Virtual
If you want to involve family members who live far away try holding a virtual family game night. You can play many classic games over Zoom, but you can look for specific game night ideas that kids can play on zoom at Crafty on Sea. This is a great way to include cousins, friends, or even older kids who are away from home for college. This may not be practical every week, but working in a virtual night from time to time may be doable.
Tip #7) Don’t forget the Game Night Snacks!
Who doesn’t enjoy munching on crunchy, salty, or sweet treats while you laugh together? You don’t have to do unhealthy snacks everytime you play but having som noshing things available is a good idea. This list of Charcuterie Board Family Night has a great tips that can get you started and has plenty of healthy and not so healthy ideas too!
Discover these fun games for your family.
Photo by Dave Photoz on Unsplash Photo by cottonbro from Pexels
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