6 Ideas For Family Game Night
During this time of staying at home, it’s easy to count on the TV to entertain your family. While that might be an occasional well-deserved break, now is the time to take advantage of this situation and put a positive spin on this crisis by building memories that will last a lifetime. Here are six fun ways to stay active and have fun that don’t involve becoming a family of couch potatoes.
Scavenger Hunt
While we might not be able to go to most places, we can go for family walks. Now that it’s turning warmer, a walk each night is a great way to see neighbors (from a safe distance) and get some exercise. Next time you’re on your walk, step up the fun factor and turn it into a scavenger hunt. Use this list of items (or make your own) and see what you can find:
Red car
American Flag
Garden gnome
Green house
White shutters
5 squirrels
3 stop signs
Yellow blinds
2 dogs
Cat in a window
String Cups
Take an old shoe string and two plastic cups. Cut small holes in the bottom of the cups and insert the string into each cup, tying a small knot in the string of each to hold it in place. Use a ping pong ball or another small ball to toss from one cup to the next. You could have each person do this for themself, or give one cup each to two people. Create a start and finish line in your yard and race another family member. The first one to the finish line wins!
Hide and Seek in the Dark
Hide and seek is a fun game, but step it up a notch and play in the dark. Depending on the age or your kids or the size of your house, you might need to limit it to a certain floor to speed up the game. This is a great way to spend an active hour inside on rainy nights!
Pictionary
Even if you don’t have the official game, you can still play Pictionary. Use an online word generator and select your level of difficulty. The generator also works for charades, too!
Glow-In-The-Dark Bowling
Fun for all ages, this game is easy to make and a great way to enjoy your backyard. Save 10 bottles and when you’re ready to play, drop a glow stick from the grocery store into each bottle. Set up your 10 pins (bottles) use a small ball, and see who gets the highest score in five rounds.
Homemade Cornhole
Sew together two pieces of cloth using an old sweatshirt and fill with rice. Decorate two small paper plates with bright colors and take turns trying to make the bag land on the plates spaced far apart. If you’re playing with young children, increase the plates to three on each side and place them closer together. The first person (or team) that gets 10 points wins!
The family that plays together, stays together. As parents, it’s up to us how your child will remember this time. By playing games together, you’re building fond memories instead of being distracted by fear or sitting in front of a TV night after night. And who knows, the habits you’re building now might turn into habits once life returns to normal. For more tips and our latest updates, check us out on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn!
