Family night is an excellent way to bond while doing activities that every person enjoys. However, for families that have family nights often, it’s easy to get into a rut and not have any ideas for different and new activities. Depending on your budget, there are excellent, affordable activities. Instead of going to watch a movie where everyone simply stares at the screen, there are some unique bonding activities that every person can do that are fun for the entire family. Here are some fun ideas for your next family night.
1. An escape room.
Depending on how old your children are, an escape room can be an exciting, fun family activity. It uses each person’s three-dimensional reasoning to solve a puzzle and allows for conflict resolution, teamwork, and bonding toward a common goal: escaping the room. There are also several fun-themed rooms where children can enjoy the ambiance while looking for clues. Some families might feel like they won’t solve the puzzle in time because of the capabilities of their family or age, but they might be surprised at how much fun they have despite the goal of winning. Focus on the fun you have together or bonding. When you take the focus off winning and highlight the family experience it creates, memories will last forever and create a family time legacy that will be passed down.
2. Family pictures.
Take a unique spin on family photos and do a family photo shoot in a place everyone loves. For example, a friend could take wonderful pictures on an iPhone at your favorite park doing what you love. Take photos of parents pushing their children on the swing, sliding down the slide, or holding hands. This activity is inexpensive, but it’s still a great way to create memories of ordinary times in a family’s life. These photos will be fun to create and a beloved memory when the kids get older and leave home. Parents will enjoy looking back on these memories and embrace these moments that have been preserved in their minds forever.
3. Have a culture night.
Instead of going to a traditional restaurant, try having each person choose a meal from a different culture. Let each family member choose a culture on which they’d like to research more and look on the internet to find out that culture’s common foods. If you want to take it one step further, you could consider decorating the home like that culture or dressing. Allow each family member to buy food from their favorite takeout place that mirrors that culture. Try something new, and don’t fall back into old habits. Each person gets to be the chef, and each person is allowed to try the meal they selected. This concept will broaden your family’s understanding of different cultures but also allow each person to feel special in learning about the new culture they chose.
4. Go on a nature walk.
One of the best and most affordable hobbies for families to do together is going for a nature walk. If each family member can hike, pick a hiking trail at a park near your house or find one within a short distance. Make a point to take advantage of the longer daylight hours and walk a trail together. It’s an excellent way to exercise, enjoy and commune with nature, and keep your family healthy. Have each person bond by talking about what they enjoy most about nature and how they think God created it.
5. Make a family scrapbook.
Even though every family member might not like crafts, they might all enjoy putting together a scrapbook of their favorite memories. Have each person choose a single memory from the past that they’d like to highlight in a scrapbook. This activity might involve getting craft supplies from a craft store or using a digital website to incorporate pictures from social media platforms and desktop pictures and create a scrapbook. You can highlight all the family vacations, or it can be a scrapbook of family memories; the choice is yours. Have fun going through old memories on either platform, putting the scrapbook together by cutting and pasting or creating a digital scrapbook. Let each family member enjoy emphasizing their favorite memories and talk about what the memory means to them.
6. Have a family pen pal.
If your family enjoys crafts, there are several fun activities a family can do together. For example, before the internet existed, people wrote letters to each other. Spouses wrote love letters to each other when they were physically distant, and friends used to write letters as pen pals. Become each family member’s pen pal and have each family member choose another family member to write letters. Feel free to do it anonymously or assign your name. Either way, emphasize all the ways you love each other. A handwritten note says that a person is special to them and took the time out of their busy schedule to express their love for each other.
7. Have a decade night.
This family activity might work best for an older family. For families with teens or adults, have a decade night where each family member gets to highlight the decade they were born in. For example, parents born in the 80s might have fun dressing up in rad clothes, eating 80s food or watching a classic 80s movie. Kids born in the 2000s might also like exploring the decade by eating their decade’s food, listening to their favorite music, and watching a movie from the decade.
Nostalgia is a great family bonding experience as it helps each family member know more about their other family members and get to know their dislikes, likes, and other preferences. Family night is a great time for everyone involved. Pick activities that not only avoid breaking your budget but also make weekends something to look forward to as a family.
