re-determined

It is hard to make Family Night a priority. Especially as the kids get older and have their own commitments and activities. My husband has been good about making sure we spend time together every week in a time of family connected-ness, whatever that may mean at any given time in our life.

I had also been struggling with whether or not to continue posting on this blog. I have recently received good feedback and felt some re-determination to continue sharing ideas for family nights, whatever that may mean at any given time!

to each his own

When you have teens in the house, sometimes "family night" means letting each one do his own thing that night. For teens, just being home together is considered "family night!! Letting each have his/her own space and time to "chill down" makes for a relaxing and pleasant atmosphere in the home, which is the essence of family night.

watching tv

I don't recommend too much tv watching, but I feel like doing it together is the best way for families to view today's programs. This applies to families with teens as well. We still like to watch shows with our teens (no televisions in any bedrooms) and then are able to discuss characters, their actions and any consequences shown or not shown. Watching tv as a family is a good way to reinforce family values.

Wii

My daughter has been campaigning for a Wii since last year. She asked for one last Christmas. She has asked for one again this year. Then she hit me right where she knew would make a difference to me. She said "A Wii would be perfect for family nights!" She knows I am not into video games, but I am into family. A family playing together is always good. And kids love it when they can beat the parents at something!

Destination Dinners

I learned about a great way to incorporate virtual field trips into family night! Destination Dinners are prepackaged boxes which contain spices and recipes for creating meals from other countries. Included in the packages are also some fact sheets about the country which the dinners represent. These meals feed four to six people and start at $25. You can feast on fare from countries like Japan, Korea, Thailand, Lebanon, Israel, Jamaica and even the U.S. This seems like a fun way to spend family night!

skip bo

We had a great time playing Skip Bo last night. It is apparently based on an older game called "Spite and Malice". It is a good family game for kids of all ages. The younger ones may need some help, but partnered up with someone else, they can join in as well.

We have an old set, which includes face cards and not all numbered cards, and have not played in years. It was funny me trying to remember the rules. I think I must have combined the rules from two or three different games. We ended up "stuck" and nobody could play. Upon further inspection, I found the rules in the closet! It is not a hard game to play.

There are three decks of cards. Each person has a stack of cards they are trying to get rid of. Aces go in the middle with each player able to build up on them through a king. Once the king has been played, the stack is removed and another can be started. There are also up to four discard stacks allowed. It reminded me of a sort of single player "Pounce" or "Nertz" game.

If you want to get up a game for your family, you can buy a set of cards , or I think you could play by combining three decks. You can find the rules here or elsewhere on the web.

Scrabble

My sister and I have always enjoyed playing games together. One of our favorites now days is Scrabble. We love to pass the time visiting and trying to get a good score in a Scrabble game. We just enjoy it. We love it even more when everyone else plays with us too. My parents and sometimes my kids will play. On rare occasions my husband has been known to play. This past week, my young nephews even got in on the game! They teamed up with someone and we all had a great time. One of the silly fun things we have done in the past is to decorate our little wooden "benches" that the letters sit on. We now have eight of those from combining two sets (no, we did not combine the letters.) It was so cute to see the little boys decorate their own this last week-a part of the tradition!

neighborhood party

Last night many of our neighbors got together for a neighborhood party. Everyone met at one house where the kids could swim. Each family brought some food. A couple of the men had gone in and got crawfish and several did some grilling for the main dishes. Everyone sat around and enjoyed the wonderful weather, watching the kids and eating some good food.

chinese checkers

Our family loves to spend time playing games together when we have a few quiet moments. As these are getting to be more rare these days with the kids busy schedules, we take what moments we can get. The other evening we introduced my husband to Chinese Checkers . None of us could believe he'd never played. It is a simple game of trying to get your marbles from one end of the playing board to the other. The more people playing the game, the more fun. It is easy enough that the whole family can enjoy it together. Of course, it being Dad's first night of playing, he beat us anyway! Beginner's Luck! ;)

Watch Old Home Movies

Last night we found an old video tape of the kids that we had not even remembered about. It was from six years ago. They and their friends were putting on a talent show for all of us parents. It was such fun to see the kids so young and watching them perform. We had many good laughs and it brought back some fun memories. This is a great way to spend a relaxing family night.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

I grew up going to Major League baseball games, and so have my kids. My dad has a season ticket package that he splits with some other guys. When there is an afternoon game, he likes to take one of the grandkids with him. This has gotten to be a good tradition with them.

But if your family is ready to take in a game, you don't need to be able to purchase season tickets. Throughout the season family nights are offered. You can often find discounts with leading products as well.

I've heard that Minor League games are much cheaper and just as fun, if not more!

Music Fest

One night, my husband was gone til late, and I was tired. Of course, the kids wanted to do something. They came up with an idea on their own (great!). They decided (and agreed!) that they would get their instruments and play all the songs they knew from memory. They allowed each other some time to go over music, then put it away. I was a wonderful audience-I laid on the couch and enjoyed all the wonderful music! This works well for big kids, but if your kids are little, you can still have a music fest they will love.

Simply allow them to put on a show for you (or join in with them) using what ever "instruments" they can find or create.

If no one in your family seems inclinded to play an instrument, put on some great music and dance around to it. Another option I used to let my kids do (when still small enough) was to pile the couch cusions on the floor and jump on them while listening to music. It's like jumping on the couch without really jumping on the couch!

Your family can find its own way to make beautiful music together.

Scavenger Hunt

We have done scavenger hunts mostly while traveling. If we are ever somewhere where there is some down time or we need something to do, we can usually brainstorm a scavenger hunt to fit our situation. When the kids were younger, we would even do them around the house.

While we were camping last week, my husband went for more ice so me and the kids came up with a scavenger hunt to pass the time. We made a list of about ten items that we thought we could find, but too easily. As my kids are older, we all went our seperate ways, each armed with a list and a baggie to collect our items. It was great fun to see even the teenager get in on the hunt. We allowed thirty minutes for the hunt, then met back at our camp site to compare our findings.

You can create a scavenger hunt to fit just about any locale you find yourself in. Even if you are stuck in an airport, or waiting in a doctor's office. You don't necessarily have to make your list items that you can tangibly collect. You could look for items in your surrounding (for example, someone in a green shirt, a comic from a magazine, a seeing eye dog, etc) or you could make it for items that might be in your purse or bag. Be creative. This is always a fun way to pass some time together.

Nature Walk

Taking a nature walk as a family is a wonderful outdoor activity. Doing a walk in the evening allows everyone to hike a little easier, as the air is cooler. With the late spring sunlight lasting a little longer, this makes a great family activity.

You may not think you have any hiking or nature trails in your area, but check for local, state and nearby national parks. They usually have some type of hiking or nature trail. If you cannot find a nature trail, try to find a park or some public place you can take a walk. This can be by a stream, or ditch, beach, a path or any other natural surrounding. Just be sure you are not trespassing.

Focus on the natural surroundings around you. Feel the breeze, the temperature differences in the light and shadows, look and listen for animals. Notice the different types of plants.

Nature walks are a geat way for families with children of all ages to spend time together.

Spades

We taught our youngest to play spades this past year. It is a good card game, but does require four people to play. There are many variations on this game, though many people play some variation of this card game. Rules can be found online . It is good for families with older children, who can listen to the rules, which can be a little confusing when first learning. It does take some patience while the kids are learning, but it's a great way to spend a family night. When traveling it's easy to strike up a game anytime you have to wait. And when the kids go off to college, it's a great card game to get up with friends, often a little more safe than those college poker games!

Uno

Uno is a great all around family card game. It is available at almost any store. It is simple to learn and play. Many people can play this game, so it is suitable for small, medium or large families.

The directions are enclosed in the box. You simply follow the number or color or word directions on the cards. Even the youngest members of the family can play with a bit of help.

This game does allow for many variations on the basic game. This can add more fun and allows the game to never get boring. Be prepared when playing with other people, that they may or may not follow the traditional rules or may use one of the variations.

Uno is a great family night card game.

Go Fish

Go Fish is one of the first card games we taught our kids. If your kids are still small, this is a great first card game to play together. The rules are fairly simple and it helps them learn the concepts of pairs and like groups.

Deal everyone seven cards. Each player takes a turn asking any other player for a card that matches any card in his/her hand. If you get the requested card, you get to keep asking, either for that card or any other that matches something in the hand. Once you do not get the requested card the person from whom you requested it says "go fish". The requester then draws one card from the stack of cards left in the middle. If he/she draws the requested card, the turn continues. If not, then the next player follows the same pattern.

Once you get all four of a like card (all four 5's, or all four Kings) you have completed a book. As there are no more cards in this book, you then lay all four down together. Once all cards have been played out, count up your books. The player with the most books wins.

Card Games

Our family has always enjoyed playing different card games together. When the kids were small we would play games like "Go Fish" or "Crazy Eights". Even young children can learn these games. And they love to feel big playing big kid games.

There are so many card games that can be learned as the kids get older as well. I have even taught my kids different variations on Solitaire. That way, when family night is over, they can still have fun playing cards, even if no one else is available to play.

Putt Putt

We took the family to Putt Putt at the kid's request. It is good to accomodate the kids' request when feasible, as it ensures they will have an enjoyable experience. We played a round of golf. We all had a good time putting around. Then we went indoors to the fun house where the kids had a good time sending Mom down a dark hall that has a point that "explodes" when it detects your motion. They said the highlight of the night was Mom letting out a scream! :)

After looking in the funhouse mirrors and at the optical illusions, we cashed in some previously won coupons for game tokens. The kids each bought 20 tokens for $3. We spent the rest of the time watching them play games and win tickets. Afterwards, the tickets were used to "buy" handfuls of candy.

You can check your local Putt Putt for daily specials.

When Traveling

Sometimes when traveling, family nights may seem unnecessary because you are all together during the travel time. But sometimes, just spending a little while hanging out can help furthur build the bonds of family. It may be an organinzed game of cards, or enjoying a TV program together, or talking about the lastest sports, maybe even playing a car game while in transit. These things help keep the family bonded, and help pass the time, while traveling. One of the best things you can remember to do together as a family while traveling together-laugh!