Family Game Night
Life today is very busy. In most homes both parents are working and children are at daycare or school. By the time everyone gets home, does their homework and or chores and eats dinner, it’s time to wind down and get ready for bed. How do most of us choose to wind down? In front of the television. Sometimes as a family but other times separated. Someone is in the living room watching TV while others are in their bedrooms or in the office on the computer. Many families have little time where they are all together enjoying each other’s company. In most homes family game night is a tradition of the past (if it ever existed to begin with). With today’s economy, a family game night is a tradition that everyone can afford. It is an excellent way to bring your family together and open the lines of communication between children and parents. Here are some ideas for a successful family game night.
• Choose one night a week when all family members can be present. Avoid nights with soccer practice, ballet, tutoring, etc.
• Make dinner easy that night. Have something that doesn’t take long to cook or order out. Save as much time as possible for fun. If you are really daring you may decide to cook as a family before you play. Pizza is always fun and easy.
• If all of the children in your family are close in age then you are golden, if not things can get trickier. If the ages range then you should pick a few games that everyone will enjoy. It may be helpful if young children team up with mom or dad.
• You may choose to play one game all together or you may decide to have stations (this only work with large families). If you have a few games and create stations with them be sure to rotate so that everyone plays with each family member at least once.
• If all of your children are young, puzzles and learning games may be a good choice. There are also “Jr.” versions of many of the classics available.
• Older children may enjoy classic games such as Monopoly, Scrabble, Cranium, Life, etc. Another great idea is the Scene It games which require the use of a TV and a DVD player.
• If you are going to purchase games to play it is a good idea to go to the store as a family. Making the shopping trip a family affair will help assure that everyone is happy with the game choices.
• Borrowing games from friends will allow for a variety of games so that you won’t get bored playing the same game week after week.
• At www.hasbro.com/games you can browse games by age and type.
by Nicole E. Nappi
