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Inside: Discover 40 easy and fun family night ideas that you and your kids will love! They are great for building connection and having fun together!
There is no easier way to build a happy family than spending quality time together! But being intentional about this is not always simple!
One great way to make sure that you connect and have fun as a family on a regular basis is planning a weekly family night.
This easy habit will bring a lot of joy to your home and will help you create many happy moments to enjoy with your family!
Short on time? Download the Family Night Ideas poster, plus a complete list of at-home family night ideas by clicking here.
The benefits of planning a weekly family night
Here are my favorite reasons why creating this habit is great for any family:
1. Family nights make family time a priority.
Life gets busy all the time and it’s easy to get caught in everyday tasks. Sometimes all the things on our to-do lists prevent us from just slowing down and enjoying our kids. Planning a weekly family night is an easy way to become more intentional and enjoy more quality time with your family.
Once it becomes a habit the family night will probably become your favorite night of the week!
2. Family nights make children feel connected.
Kids love family night not only because they are fun but also because it brings them closer to their parents. A family night is a perfect opportunity to have fun together and connect!
When kids feel connected they behave better so this easy habit will also help you build a more peaceful home!
3. Family nights will become precious memories.
Kids grow up so fast! When they are little we feel like we have forever to enjoy them. But the truth is that time goes by so fast and we need to cherish every moment that we get to enjoy our kids!
A weekly family night is a tradition that will bring you many happy moments that will become precious memories as the kids grow up.
40 family night ideas to try with your kids
The first step for planning the weekly family night is to set a day of the week for it.
I prefer Friday evenings because everyone is relaxed and we can stay up late if we want.
The next step is to start planning the family nights and make sure that you have something fun to do together.
To make this easier for you, I’m sharing here the list of our favorite family night ideas.
All these ideas are easy to put into practice and they will certainly bring a lot of fun to both kids and grown-ups!
1. Family movie night
Pick a nice movie and enjoy it together. To make the evening even more fun, prepare a popcorn bar or special snacks to enjoy during the movie.
For older kids, you can also plan a movie marathon and watch movies all evening.
Bonus idea: Try these cardboard cars for a homemade drive-in theater (by Not Just a Housewife).
2. Ice cream sundae bar
This idea is certainly one of the children’s favorites!
You can either buy ice-cream or prepare it at home. Place different ice-cream flavors and toppings in different containers and allow everyone to create their own ice-cream.
Get creative, have fun, and enjoy the tasty family night!
3. Make your own pizza
This is a great way to combine dinner preparation with family fun.
Buy the ingredients and place them in bowls. Prepare the pizza dough and make mini pizzas. Each family member gets to pick the ingredients for one of the mini pizzas and decorate it as they want.
When the pizzas are ready you get to enjoy them together at dinner!
Get more inspiration here: How To Make Your Own Pizza Night (by 100 Days of Real Food).
4. Hide and seek in the dark
Take the hide and seek game to a new level by playing it in the dark. You can also buy some glow in the dark bracelets to make it more fun!
Find more ideas to try in the dark here: 13 fun activities to play in the dark (by Active for Life).
5. Backyard camping
This is a great idea to this during the summer. Pack a small backpack, put a tent in the backyard, and spend the night camping.
6. Stargazing
This is another great summer activity! You can do it in your backyard or drive to a park and enjoy the stars from there.
Get additional inspiration here: Summer Stargazing (by Scholastic).
7. Scavenger hunt
This activity is perfect for both young and older kids.
You can find many scavenger hunt ideas depending on your child’s age.
For young children color scavenger hunts are perfect! For older kids, you can try scavenger hunts with clues or photo scavenger hunts.
8. Family nature walk
Go to a nice place and enjoy the nature together!
Nature trails and parks are perfect for long walks. You can start them in the evening and finish them when it gets dark. Or you can even have some fun in the dark by bringing flashlights for every family member.
You can also do a nature scavenger hunt during the walk to make things more fun.
9. Dance party
Another way to get active without even leaving the house is planning a dance party. If you have any party supplies at home from past parties use them to make the night more fun. Kids love party decorations and hats!
Create a playlist with your family’s favorite songs and dance together! You can also combine the dance party with some karaoke if you like it!
10. Family video
Create a nice family video together!
You can record a family interview or let each family member share a story.
If you want to make it even more fun, you can record each other performing a dance or singing a song. The fun is guaranteed! 🙂
11. Creative night
Explore your creativity by planning a creative night!
You can either find some nice crafts to do (Pinterest has plenty of ideas) or just color or draw together. One of my favorite ideas is to create self-portraits or family portraits!
12. Watch old family videos
Watching old family videos is a great way to enjoy happy memories and have fun remembering special moments from the past!
Another nice idea is to watch movies from your family vacations.
Short on time? Download the Family Night Ideas poster, plus a complete list of at-home family night ideas by clicking here.
13. Play charades
This is an easy and fun game that is great for almost all ages.
You can find many printable charades cards on Pinterest that you can use to plan the game.
Bonus idea: Try this Charades for Kids — The ‘No Reading Required’ Family Game.
14. Family time capsule
This is such a nice idea to try with your kids!
Create a family time capsule and include photos, letters, lists of your favorite things, small items, and any other things that you would like to rediscover after a few years.
Place all of them in a box, seal it, and write on it the date when you’ll be allowed to open it.
You can download a printable time capsule set here: How to make a wonderful family time capsule {+ printable}.
15. Talent show
Plan a special family night and invite each family member to participate in a talent show and share two of their talents.
The participants can choose to sing, play an instrument, recite a poem, do a magic trick, dance, perform a stand-up comedy act, and show any other talent they have.
Create a program and take turns in performing in the talent show. Young kids can join a parent’s (or older sibling’s) performance if they don’t want to participate on their own.
Prepare mini-prices for all participants and have fun together watching all performances!
16. Board game night
This is one of our favorite family activities! Board games are fun and kids love them!
Here are some of our favorite games for family game nights:
- Sequence for Kids (quick and fun, for ages 3-6)
- Ticket to Ride – First Journey (a game we play on repeat without getting bored, for ages 5+)
- Qwirkle Board Game (one of the most popular board games for kids – recommended for ages 6+).
Bonus idea: Plan a fun family game marathon.
17. Chalk art
Get outside and make an artwork in the driveway or in the park using sidewalk chalk.
You can make a collaborative drawing together and create a big and colorful artwork!
18. Puzzle time
Pick out a big puzzle and work on it together. Play some music on the background to create a nice atmosphere and collaborate to put the puzzle together.
Here are some fun puzzles to try during your family night:
- Songbirds Family Jigsaw Puzzle – a cute 500 piece puzzle to solve with the kids
- Cats and Dogs Double-Sided Puzzle – this 100-piece set is double-sided, so the kids will have double the fun solving it.
19. Family art night
This family night idea is similar to the creative night, but this time you will use paint.
Pick a theme and paint together.
Here are some nice theme ideas: dream house, family portrait, dream vacation, favorite activity.
20. Truth or dare
Play a family-friendly version of the game and have fun together! We adapted the game for family nights and named it “Question or challenge”.
The questions are a nice way to connect with the kids and the challenges bring a lot of laughter!
21. Formal dinner
Invite the whole family to a formal dinner.
Pick a nice outfit to wear, decorate the table, and add some candles with you have any at hand. Prepare some of your family’s favorite meals and enjoy a special dinner.
22. Family photoshoot
This activity will combine having fun with creating some lovely family photos.
Get creative with the background of the photos, dress up, bring the kids’ favorite toys in the pictures, and have fun!
23. Lego night
You probably have Legos or other similar construction sets in the house.
Use them to plan a nice family night! You can either work together to create a big construction or create an exhibition with each family member’s creations.
If you want to make your LEGO family night even more fun, check out these 5 fun LEGO games to try with your kids.
24. Bingo night
Playing bingo is an activity that is great for all ages.
You can find many printable bingo games on Pinterest depending on your children’s age. All you’ll need to do is plan the bingo cards and boards and enjoy the game together!
25. Old photo albums
This idea is similar to the old videos night.
Take out some old photo albums and look at all the pictures together. Tell stories about your favorite pictures.
Kids will love to find out details about their birth or their early years and telling little stories while showing them pictures is a great way to connect.
photo credit: George Rudy / shutterstock.com
26. Themed family night
Imagine that you are planning a themed party!
This idea is very similar to planning a themed party but a lot more affordable! Invite the kids to choose a theme and have a party around that theme. You can either buy or create decorations, prepare some special snacks, and do activities related to that theme.
Here are some nice theme ideas: holidays, superheroes, other countries, books, seasons, animals.
27. Vision board
Create a family vision board.
This activity is a great way to connect and bring more inspiration and motivation to your home.
Invite each family member to participate and add ideas to the vision board. At the end of the activity display the vision board in your house and review it from time to time.
28. Play card games
Get some of your favorite card games and play them for the whole evening!
Here are some of our favorite card games for family nights:
- Sleeping Queens – recommended for ages 8+, but we started playing it when our son was 6 and he quickly understood the rules
- Rat-A-Tat-Cat – a fun game you can play in just 15 minutes (recommended for ages 6+)
- Dragonwood – a very popular card game for kids.
29. Family walk
Go for a family walk in the neighborhood.
Walk slow and talk about all the things that you enjoy in your neighborhood. If possible, walk to an ice-cream shop and enjoy a delicious treat together.
30. Family dinner at the restaurant
Go to your favorite restaurant and enjoy a tasty dinner.
Invite each family member to share their favorite moment of the week. You can also use that time to plan some nice family activities to do together in the next weeks.
31. Go to a sports game
Another nice activity to do outside the home is to go to a sports game.
Support your favorite team and enjoy a fun night together!
32. Family book club
This family night will require some advance preparation.
At the beginning of the month pick some books for every family member to read.
In the last family night of the month, plan a family book club and share your impressions about the books. This is a great way to encourage reading and you can transform it into a monthly tradition.
33. Surprise family night
Surprise your kids with an overnight stay at a local hotel (or a hotel in a town nearby).
If you can find a hotel with a pool then the kids will have even more fun!
34. Bike ride
Go for a family bike ride on a nature trail or a park.
This is a great way to get active and enjoy a nice family activity! If you plan to do this after it gets dark, bring some glow sticks with you to make the activity even more fun.
35. Family interview
Write down a list of question and ask them to each family member.
Record the answers either by writing them down or by recording the interviews. You can transform this into a yearly tradition and see how the answers change over time.
36. Children’s choice
Let the kids plan the family night!
You can even give them a small budget and let them take care of all the preparations! Children are very creative and they might really surprise you with their choices!
37. Planning time
If you want to plan a relaxing family night, try this idea!
Invite the family to a planning night and plan your next vacation together! If you won’t have any vacation soon you can plan a staycation instead.
38. Museum night
Many museums offer special evening events for families and some of them are free.
Check the schedules of your favorite museums and see when you can plan a museum night for you and the kids.
39. Innovation night
Invite the kids to an innovation night when every family member will build something.
Each family member will choose their supplies and put their own idea into practice. If you need inspiration you can find many awesome ideas on Pinterest.
You can use building sets like Legos, Mega Blocks, or Magnatiles, or get creative using things you find around the house.
40. Night in the living room
Bring a big mattress in the living room and invite the whole family to sleep there.
Build a fort around the mattress, watch a movie together, enjoy some popcorn, and spend the entire night in the living room. The mattress will probably get crowded but it will be lots of fun for the kids!
Download the Family Night Ideas poster
If you liked this list of family night ideas and you want to try them with your family, I’ve created a Family Night Ideas poster for you!
All you need to do is print the poster and display it in your home.
You will always have ideas at hand when you need them and this will help you be more intentional about spending quality family time every week.
To download the poster all you need to do is click on the below link.
>> Click here to download the Family Night Ideas poster (+ a complete list of at-home family night ideas)
I hope that these ideas will inspire many happy family nights for you and your kids!
More family fun ideas
- 9 lovely birthday traditions that will make celebrations more special
- 16 little things that will make your kids feel loved
photo credit preview photo: evgenyataman / depositphotos.com
Perfect! Great list you have there Raluca! Some might be simple activities but it will leave a big impact on a happy family. ☺️
I like your advice to visit your favorite restaurant and eat dinner as a family while sharing stories about the week. This would be a great way to relax and enjoy a good meal. When doing this, it might be a good idea to take turns choosing where to eat or you could take the opportunity to check the local restaurants you haven’t been to so you can have a delicious meal and an enjoyable experience to bring you closer as a family.
I like your advice, will start practising. Thank you
Our kids are now in high school and college. When they were little we used to do International Nights. We would research the food and make a meal (well, I would do that part.) I would find a singular signature drink for the my husband and I and a special drink for the kids that either was from the country or had a theme that matched the country’s climate. The kids would research an activity or dance. During dinner we would learn about the country and culture and watch YouTube videos- We have done about 12 countries and we have a plastic display of the flags of the countries we have done. We also had a map with push pins in all the countries we “visited”. It really was such a fun thing to do together. I like your list. I was trying to do a family night before our oldest returns to college. Trying to figure out one last hurrah. Thanks for your inspiration.