Encourage Quality Time with a Fun Family Night

In these days when everyone is running here and there to sports practices, work meetings and school events, staying connected as a family is tough. Yet, you need?quality time?with your kids in order to truly get to know them and show them you love them unconditionally. One way to ensure that you do not lose track of those you love the most is with a regular family fun night. With a little planning, you can reconnect while having a blast together.

Planning the best family fun night possible

As you plan your?family fun night, keep these tips in mind.

1. Choose the right night. The hardest part of planning a family night may be choosing the night. If your kids are between sports seasons, Friday night can be a good choice, because mom and dad will not have work concerns awaiting them in the morning. Regardless of the night you pick, make sure everyone can attend with minimal distractions.

2. Plan the food thoughtfully. Mom is not going to be relaxed if she has to spend all day cooking for family night. Consider ordering in, saving with pizza coupons or discounts at your favorite take out place. If you must cook, make it a family affair or choose something easy, like crock pot recipes.

3. Put away the phones. Mom, dad and teens all need to agree to put away their phones during family night. Unless one of the parents is a doctor or another professional who must answer urgent calls, calls and texts can wait for a few hours.

4. Video games do not count. Most households have at least one gaming console, and it may be tempting to play a game together as a family, but this detracts from the natural flow of conversation that is so important during this time. If a game is chosen, make it a board or card game, and enjoy the quiet time with family.

5. Keep the TV off. Family fun night is not movie night. Keep the TV off so you can converse with your kids. Relegate movie night to a different night.

Unique family night ideas

When most people think of?family night, they think of playing games together, and that can be a great choice. However, you can liven things up and get the conversation flowing with these unique ideas.

• Bake something together. Come together in the kitchen to try a new dessert recipe. Whether or not it turns out, you will have fun cooking together.
• Head to the park. Go to the park with your kids, and instead of simply sitting and watching, get in on the action! Have a turn on the monkey bars or race to see who can swing the highest.
• Host a family dance party. Put on some catchy tunes and let everyone (parents too!) go wild with their best moves. The only rule for this game is that there can be no teasing!
• Take a hike. Find a local nature center or state park and take a hike or nature walk. Create a scavenger hunt to help your kids look for natural wonders while you enjoy fresh air together.
• Go geocaching. If you have a GPS (available on most smartphones), you can create fun memories as you explore your area together while searching for buried treasure.

Remember, family fun night should be a relaxing time to do something enjoyable together and, most importantly, to reconnect as a family. Throughout these activities, take the time to talk to your kids and give them that quality time and unconditional love they crave. In the end, your family will be stronger if you plan these nights regularly.

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Source: http://blog.mommydoodlesdesign.com/?p=2641

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