By Billy Mau

You don’t have to go on a trip or plan an expensive night out to have a family fun night. In fact, you don’t even have to leave the house at all. All you need is to get everyone
together and you’re well on your way to some family fun.

Here are some ideas that can help you plan a night of fun for everyone. Remember, the family that plays together
stays together.

DINNER

What normally happens at dinner? Most of the time, mom slaves away on dinner, and everyone tries to eat as fast as they can to get back to what they were doing before
the meal. Where’s the fun in that?

Try getting everyone involved with dinner with homemade pizzas or quesadillas. Even the little kids can get involved with picking out pizza toppings or quesadilla fillings and can put them together
before they go in the oven or in the pan. You can make it even more fun by making all of the pizzas or quesadillas personal size so everyone can get exactly what they want.

Add a little music and make some fresh garlic bread or nachos to go along with the meal and you’ve got yourself some fun.

GAMES, GAMES, GAMES

No, not videogames. Try some board games for a little family fun. Games like Sorry, Candyland, Connect Four or Trouble are fun for younger kids. If the kids are a little older, games like Clue, Monopoly, Life or The Dangerous Book for Boys Game can be a lot of fun. Party games like Pictionary, Cranium or Scene-It are also a lot of fun.

Kids used to videogames or other digital entertainment may be wary of board games, but they’ll likely change their tune soon after playing. Some of these games have been around a long time, and have
done so because they are a lot of fun. Plus a lot of classic games have received modern makeovers or have been adapted to popular TV shows or movies to give them a more modern appeal.

MOVIE NIGHT

A trip to the cinema is fun, but can get expensive once you factor in snacks and drinks and the inevitable trip to the arcade. Try doing special movie nights at home when a trip out isn’t feasible.
The popcorn is cheaper, you won’t get stuck behind a group of giants that block you view of the screen and you can pause the movie so the little ones don’t miss anything during a bathroom break.

Move the furniture around a bit for comfortable viewing, or push it out of the way entirely. You can lay down blankets and pillows on the floor (beanbag chairs work even better if you’ve got them) and stretch out to watch the movie. Put a big bowl of popcorn in the middle of everyone and let the fun begin. What’s best is you’ll probably never find yourself lacking for family films. Not only are there plenty of newer movies, but there are tons of classics that many kids these day may not have seen yet.

IT’S ALL ABOUT FAMILY

Remember that the point of family fun night is to enjoy being together. You don’t have to spend a lot of money or set up a big production so long as everyone has fun and spends
quality time together. You could be starting a tradition that your kids will pass on to their children, and that worth more than anything else a parent can do.