7 Things You Need for the Ultimate Family Game Night

Want to take your family game night to whole new levels of fun? These seven must-haves and must-tries will have everyone looking forward to spending more quality time together! Read on to learn more!

Want to take your family game night to whole new levels of fun? These seven must-haves and must-tries will have everyone looking forward to spending more quality time together! Read on to learn more! 

 

You’ve heard the saying “the family that plays together stays together,” right? I think it’s absolutely true! A family game night isn’t just a fun way to pass time on a rainy evening, it helps strengthen bonds and bring families closer. There is nothing better than having a night full of games and friendly competitions to help parents and kids connect. You and your family are bound to laugh and have more fun than ever imagined. Before hosting a family game night, be sure to plan in advance to take the fun to the next level! Here are 7 family game night must haves to make your event a true success.

Family Game Night Must-Haves and Must-Tries

1. Have plenty of food

On family game nights, be sure to have plenty of snacks available. Popcorn, trail mix and sliced fruit and veggies all make for great snacks to keep everyone full! Pick up snacks at your local grocery store or make them together before the festivities begin.

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2. Jenga with a twist

You can find the classic game Jenga at many stores, including Walmart. At home, paint each of the pieces and write an action on them, such as “do a handstand” or “sing a song.” When a family member pulls the piece, they have to also complete the action!

3. Backyard games

When the weather is warm and the days are longer, backyard games are the perfect idea for family game night. Games such as checkers, dominoes and lawn Twister are sure to be fun! Supplies can be found at a craft store such as Michael’s.

4. Make sure everyone gets to pick

Have a jar or small pouch full of family night game options. Each week, a family member gets to select a game and then the next week someone new gets to pick a game. This will make everyone anxious and excited to eventually learn what the game will be!

5. Make games out of household items

Family game night doesn’t have to involve spending money on board games. Games such as Pictionary can be made and played at home! All you need is paper and drawing materials and you’ve got a fun night ahead! Other games can be made from cardboard boxes, marbles, and other random household items. Check out this neat video for how to make a DIY battle marble board game:

6. Try playing in the dark

Not many families play games in the dark but yours can! Using glow in the dark necklaces, your family can make fun games like glow ring toss, Tic-Tac-Toe, and even glow bowling (for pins, put some sand in the bottom of empty 2-Liter soda bottles, then stick a glow stick inside to light them up). Check out this video for some other ideas.

7. Have a rotating trophy!

If your family loves competition, here’s a fun idea: make a trophy that gets passed around from week to week. The big winner of the night gets to keep the trophy in their room until the next game night. Take it a step further and award “perks” to go with the trophy. The winner may get to pick out Friday night dinner for the family, or choose the first game on the next family game night.

These are just a few fun ways to take your family game night to whole new levels of fun. You don’t have to do all of them at once, of course. Try glow in the dark games one week, modified Jenga the next! That way, you’ll always have something new and exciting to look forward to!

Have you ever hosted a family game night? What is your favorite game to play with your family? Share your family events with us in the comments!

16 thoughts on “7 Things You Need for the Ultimate Family Game Night”

  1. This is an excellent way of bonding. Remembered my childhood days when the family used to play chinese checkers or carrom with lots of food around.

  2. The idea of giving everyone a chance to pick is such a great idea! I hope we do family game nights when my kids are a bit bigger, or at least when we start getting the boyfriend’s kids a bit more. So fun!

  3. Doria Miyata Murphy

    We love family game night! I’ve never thought to get a rotating trophy, but I know my boys would get a kick out of winning that :D

  4. Number 4 is really important. As kids get older, the younger ones want validation that they’re important too and therefore want to show that they’re old enough to pick too!

  5. We have family game nights several times a month and one of our fave games is Monopoly. It’s a great way to teach math and money management skills and get the kids away from the video games.

  6. This sounds like a fun time! We really should do more family game nights, but someone usually ends up whiney, and I don’t have the patience. Maybe I’ll try again soon!

  7. We are still doing outside yard games and actually just did a hide and seek which was a blast. Food and drinks are always important.

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