There’s something you should know about my family, we LOVE game nights and we are so competitive! We started this family fun tradition last year. Our weekly game nights are once a week, right after dinner and typically mid-week. Game nights have become important to me as a mom because I can see that my kids are learning to have good sportsmanship (not everyone wins), they are learning to take turns, learning to strategize, follow directions, be a part of a team and lately, learning how to read nonverbal cues! As a teacher, these are great skills they can also utilize in the classroom! #teachermom
I’ve also noticed the conversations grow when we have our game nights. My kids are sharing things either about the game or what they did earlier that day. For me, it helps reduce some stress from my day (or week) because we’re laughing so much! We spend a good hour playing games.
Hosting weekly game nights helps our family stay connected despite our busy schedules with school, activities and work.
Here are some tips from my family to yours on how to host game night in your house!
- Deci
de on a regular day and time to host game night. Allow your children to be a part of the decision making. - Buying board games and cards. I like to look at games that are affordable and on sale! Before starting this tradition, we started out with a few board games we already owned. My kids are always on the look out for new games when we’re out and about shopping- even at the grocery store! We recently added Family Fued to our collection!
- Pick a game. You want to make sure you decide on an appropriate game, something everyone in your family can participate in. In our home, we let one person pick the game each week. We start off with the youngest player deciding the first week and then we move up the chain. We start that process over every 5 weeks once everyone has a had a turn in selecting a game of their choice. My daughter always picks Uno! So we know every 5 weeks, we are going to have to play Uno!
- Food. I like to make sure we have dinner before we play game night but I still serve a healthy and easy snack during our game time.
- Eliminate distractions. For us this means, turn off the TV and those cell phones!
- Have fun! Model the behavior for your children during game night.
With family game nights, you’re not just creating memories and tradition, you’re strengthening the family bond. Honestly, we’re already a strong family, but these game nights just confirm it for us. I love seeing everyone have a great time. I love it even more when I hear my kids talking about our game nights and how much fun they are to others.
Not every week is perfect for game night. Sometimes we forgo it for a movie night. There’s no need to force game night if everyone is just tired! Game night should be fun, not a chore!
