I’ve seen so many people post their New Years resolutions on Instagram this last weekend. And so many have included spending more quality time with family. Which is so amazing!
And did you know that there are actually health benefits to family time? Face-to-face time with your family has been shown to not only help you, but your kids as well. Studies have shown that it can reduce stress, and lengthen your life. And for your kids: it can boost self-esteem, lower their risk of substance abuse, and improve their academic performance. They have even found that it can help teach kids conflict resolution and make them less likely to use violence. And all of those health benefits are great. But above all of that, it’s just fun to hang out with your kids and build that relationship, isn’t it?
My favorite way to have family time is on our weekly family night. Today I’m sharing a few ideas for family night that you can start in 2024. Whether you chose to do family night every week, or once a month, I hope that you get to spend quality time with your family this years. Some of these ideas might require some prep work, but each could be easily customized to fit your family and schedule. Be sure to share in the comments below what you’re doing for family night this year!
Family Pizza And Movie Night
This is what we have done for family night every Friday for the last 4 years! We started in January of 2020 just because I thought it sounded like a fun tradition, and now we never miss a Friday. Although every once in a while we get tired of pizza and go for nachos or our favorite takeout instead. My favorite part about this family night is that it is so easy. All I need to do is order pizza and pick a movie. My kids look forward to this every week!
One thing we do when we want to make this a little extra fun for our kids is letting them build a fort in the living room first. We grab the play couch, and all the pillows and blankets to make it extra cozy for everyone.
Our kids also love when they get to make their own pizzas. I usually prefer ordering, because it’s less clean up. But when I’m feeling extra fun, we get the small pizza crusts and a bunch of toppings so the kids can build whatever they want.
Family Game Night
Anyone else really into board games? Grab a board games and some good snacks, and call the family to the table. This is another super simple family night that needs very little or no prep. If your kids aren’t quite ready for Risk or Settlers of Catan, there are so many kids board games on Amazon that you can start with. You could even let the kids take turns picking out the game and picking snacks. Here are a few great games that would be so fun (depending on the ages of your kids):
- Apples To Apples: This one is always a hit. This one needs a good sized group though. So I would invite another family or a couple neighbors over to join in. They have an Apples to Apples Junior version too.
- Five Crowns: I grew up playing this game. My grandma and grandpa loved this game and played almost every night at their house. So if you were at Grandma’s house in the evening, you were getting dealt into the game.
- Spot It: This game is fun, quick, and there are several different ways to play. They have a few different versions of the game too. I even saw a Disney version of the game that my kids would probably love. We have the classic version. This is one that you can play with all ages, but you might have to go at a slower pace for the younger kids.
Around The World Night
I heard about this idea years and years ago and loved it. I don’t remember where I heard it from, but a mom explained that her kids were getting so picky about food. So she created “Around The World Night.” Each week, one family member would choose a country. (They rotated through the family). They would choose a traditional meal from that country, research recipes and history of that dish and create a grocery list. Then on family night, the whole family would make the dish together. She found that her kids were more excited to try the new food that they had chosen and helped prepare, and over time they were more adventurous with food.
Depending on the ages of your kids, this family night idea might take a lot of work between planning and cleaning up, or you could customize it to work for your family best. But what a great way to teach your kids (and learn yourself) about other foods and cultures, while being together. I think this would also be a really fun way to teach your kids how to cook. You would be able to learn so many new techniques from different cultures.
Spa Night
When I was growing up, my sisters and I would have a spa night regularly with one of our parents. One parent would take the boys out for something fun. And the other parent would stay back for spa night with the girls. We would have pizza, paint our nails, braid hair and watch Cinderella. This was one of my very favorite memories as a kid! In fact, my dad got pretty good at painting nails after having so “Cinderella Nights” with us, and he almost always painted my nails for me until I moved out of the house. And now, I try to do the same spa night with my daughter whenever we have a chance.
This is something the whole family could do, and requires no prep work (except maybe buying face masks, nail polish, etc). Order take out, do face masks, paint nails, put on a family movie and relax together.
Sports Night
If you know my dad, then you know that he’s a pretty funny guy. Back when I was in middle school, we got a Wii for Christmas for the family. And with that we got Wii Sports. Well, my dad and I got really good at Wii Sports. And my dad declared every Wednesday night as “League Night.” So on Wednesdays we’d play on our Wii bowling league. No one else in the family cared to participate, but my dad and I did every week. And that memory made me think of another great family night idea – Sports Night!
Now, you don’t need to play Wii bowling, but you could head to the park or local rec center one night a week for swimming, basketball, football, tennis or whatever sport your family likes. You could rotate through your favorites or try something new as a family. You can take bike rides in the summer, go sledding in the winter. Anything that your family can enjoy doing together.
So, what ideas are you going to try in the new year for your family night? Share below what you’re family is doing for quality family time. Whatever you choose, I hope 2024 brings your family more amazing memories together.
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