6 Tips for A Family Game Night Everyone Will Love

Family Game Night | Wichita Moms BlogI love games, and having kids of my own has increased this love, because I get to see my kids having fun like I used to with my family. Growing up, we ended almost every family gathering with a raucous game of Canasta or other card game and laughed and had fun until it was well past our bedtime. Here are some ways to create a family game night to include your whole family:

1. Put it on the calendar. If you’re like me, every night has something going on. If you don’t make time for it, there will always be something else to take its place! And I think playing games is an awesome {free!} way to spend time with your kids.

2. Create a theme to make it fun. If you plan on playing Candy Land, snack on sweet treats or create an ice cream sundae bar. If you plan on playing Go Fish, munch on goldfish crackers, make some fishy decorations and have Finding Nemo playing in the background.

3. Make sure that you pick an age-appropriate game that everyone can play. If the older kids want to play a specific game then you can be on a team with the younger siblings so they are learning the rules of the game. I have also found that if you are playing with an older and younger sibling (my boys are 4.5 years apart) then you can manipulate the rules to make the game shorter for the attention span of the littler ones. This is definitely a good idea for Monopoly. Even if it is only Monopoly Junior that game can go on FOREVER.

4. Make sure that the games are fair. Again, if you have kids that are years apart it won’t be fun to play Apples to Apples Junior or Trivial Pursuit. And if this is an ongoing battle with what game to play, then you may need to make an executive decision or plan multiple game nights and focus on one child or the other.

5. Make it fun. Don’t be the spoil sport of the group. You have this scheduled on the calendar. Your phone can be put down for a few hours, and the chores can wait. This should be fun family bonding for everyone, including you!

6. Don’t let the kids win just to let them win. This teaches them nothing. I am all for teaching good sportsmanship from a young age, so if your child loses? They lose. You can let them know that they will not always win at everything, but it was still fun to play. It’s important to let them know that if they throw a fit, there probably won’t be too many more game nights in the future. Raising humble winners and gracious losers begins at home.

What are some of your favorite games to play with your kids?

Kendra Fernandez
Kendra lives in Derby with her husband Leonard and her two boys- Leo and Jacoby. She works in downtown Wichita but spends most of the rest of her waking hours wrangling two crazy boys. You will more than likely find them at a game or practice. Besides spending time with her family Kendra loves to read and watch Game of Thrones, HGTV marathons and the Royals! She is also very active in PTO at her sons' school and is always trying to find ways to interact with other parents.