Family Game Night
With countless soccer games, weekly dance lessons, and after-school meetings, you may feel like you don’t get to spend as much time with your children as you’d like. But one easy AND inexpensive way to bring your family together is to have a family game night! Serve a family favorite pasta dish like Mac’ N Cheese Squares and reconnect with your family while having fun. A recent survey found 91% of families who play games together improved their mood!
Follow the tips below to learn how-to-have a successful family game night that you can carry on for generations:
Choose a Date/Time that Works for Everyone
Most of us can recall a time we’ve missed an event because we weren’t clear of the time, or had a prior engagement. To offset this issue, make sure you and your family select a time for game night that works for everybody, and make it clear when the final date is.
Enjoy a Family Dinner Together
To build a foundation for a successful game night, it’s imperative that you and your family eat a healthy and delicious dinner together! For a meal that is both nutritious and easy, try making pasta together as a family. Pasta gives your body and brain the essential energy it needs to run, which is important since you’ll be using your brain a lot during game night! Also, pasta is an excellent source of nutrients, including iron, folic acid and several B-vitamins. The best part about this versatile food, is that it’s quick and easy to make, which allows you to spend more time focusing on game night and less time in the kitchen.
TIP: To get your whole family involved in the cooking process, allow your young ones to measure out the amount of pasta that is going to be served and also let them set the table. This will make them feel like they’re contributing to the family, as well as teaching them important skills like measurement. For easy, quick pasta recipes, visit our Recipes page.
Select a Game that Everyone Loves
The purpose of game night is to have fun together! Make sure the game you select is appropriate for everyone playing the game. Games are graded by age/education level, so choose appropriately.
Play the Game & Have FUN
Let’s face it – most of us tend to be competitive when it comes to games, but it’s important to remember that winning isn’t everything! Try to teach your children that winning can be fun, but it’s more fun to enjoy the time being spent with loved ones and having some friendly competition. Also, try playing different games on teams to make it more fun for the whole family.
Communicate with Each Other
Once you have finished the game, it’s important to talk about what aspects of the game you did and didn’t like. Communication in any relationship is important, and will help your family’s next game night run smoothly.
Does your family want to try something else? Check out our other entertaining ideas!