Every family meeting we have with the kids, they always say they would like to have more family nights. Can I just tell you how awesome that is?!
I have recently rearranged my work schedule so I mostly have our kid-heavy days off. I am super excited to be around and available when the kids are in our house!
Family night in our house usually consists of individual pizzas (I put together a topping bar, and they get to dress their own pizzas), games (100% of the time Spoons), and then a sleepover in the living room with popcorn and a movie or two.
We have also added it to our budget to take the kids out to dinner once a month. We give up one of our date nights to do this, but they get to learn how to act in restaurants, and we have them rotate through using our cards to pay and calculating the tip. All important life skills!
Here is a quick list of some other ideas for family night:
- Walk or bike ride
- Swimming
- Hiking
- Local park
- Basketball game (or baseball, kickball, pickle ball, etc)
- Board or card game
- Movie night – theater or at home (fort and popcorn totally optional)
- Coloring, craft, etc
- Birthday party for pets (or surprise half birthday/unbirthday parties for kids)
- Ice cream – shop or at home
- Bake cookies, pie, breads, etc
Mike and I both came from relationships that weren’t very family focused, so we both very much enjoy spending time together with the kids, and doing family outings. I remember one of our first dates we took our kids to the park and we both brought along a few neighbor kids as well. I knew he was it for me at that moment!
Camping is hands down our favorite thing to do with our tribe, but we’ve also taken them snowboarding and to college and pro sports games. This summer we did some hiking and geocaching, which the boys loved that way more than I thought they would.
This is kind of silly, but we started doing it on car rides and it’s become a family tradition now… I look up journal prompts on Pinterest, and we all take turns answering the prompt out loud. Super fun, and we get to learn all sorts of things about each other! You can use the “would you rather” questions for conversation starters during dinner, or while you’re killing time waiting at appointments.
Here is my Pinterest board full of questions👇🏼
I think it’s really important to have scheduled family time. Kids thrive off of structure and routine. It also teaches them time together is important, they are important, and it meets so many of their developmental needs! We have twenty four hours in a day, and we spend (if you’re lucky) eight of those sleeping, eight to twelve working. Be INTENTIONAL with the rest! Put your electronics down. Engage with your kids. Be physically and mentally present.
Now sometimes it is difficult to pull off family time, especially during sports seasons and when both parents are working. Totally get it! Even one night a month would be a great time for everyone to reconnect and enjoy each other’s company. Put it on the calendar so everyone knows family night is approaching, and they can look forward to having a night focused on them.
How does your family prioritize time together? What are some activities your family enjoys? Drop some comments below! Share this on Facebook, pin the link on Pinterest. Sharing is caring! 🥰
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very well expressed dear…we as moms have to prioritise family time otherwise we would stay in guilt and I think everything you have written is worth considering and can add years to our life if we would have a happy and strong family bondings. Keep motivating.
Thank you so much!