Teaching Tip – Family Night: Make It A Tradition

When our children were just toddlers we began having what we all now fondly call ‘Friday Fun Night.’ Most people simply call it a ‘Family Night’, but regardless of the name, quality time spent together as a family unit is always worth the time and effort!

A Family Night can be as simple as watching an old movie, playing a board game, or roasting hotdogs over a bonfire in the backyard. It’s an opportunity to create strong bonds, make memories, and just spend time with one another having fun. It doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. And years down the road, the children will look back on these precious days. They will know that they were important enough for Mom and Dad to put aside their business to make family time a priority!

Some families plan outings and work together to save for these Family Night specials. A trip to a local museum, the park, a ballgame, or a movie are all popular ideas. Perhaps these Family Night choices are the prizes for reaching a certain goal or to reward good behavior for the week.

Of course, some families take it one step further. They want to bring everyone together by ‘doing’ something out of the ordinary or volunteering in the community. These ‘service’ oriented plans might include helping the less fortunate or people in their area who are in need—visiting nursing homes, working in soup kitchens, or doing yard work for the elderly.

Family Nights can be a creative combination of all of these things! Each family will make unique choices based on their likes, dislikes, beliefs, and financial situations. But no matter what activity a family decides to do on Family Night, just doing it together is the most important thing!

A Few Ideas:

* Play some childhood games from the past. Get out the marbles or the jump rope. Play a game of hopscotch or hide and seek. Check out www.gameskidsplay.net for more ideas.

* Visit a local museum.

* Have a theme supper.

* Build kites for a windy day.

* Bake cookies.

* Read a favorite book aloud.

* Cook hotdogs over a bonfire.

* Roast marshmallows and make s’mores. Don’t forget the hot cocoa.

* Check out some old movies at the library, pop popcorn, and dim the lights.

* Play flashlight freeze-tag after dark.

* Sit on the porch swing and watch fireflies sparkle on a summer night.

* Make homemade lemonade or churn some ice cream.

* Have a sing-a-long.

* Put together a jigsaw puzzle.

* Play charades.

* If it’s wintertime, build a fire…or a snowman!

* Learn a new language or a new instrument together.

You can find some more great ideas to make Family Nights special at:

www.familieswithpurpose.com/familyactivities1.html

http://tlc.discovery.com/family/fun-family-activities-travel/family-fun-night-ideas.html

http://lds.about.com/library/bl/fhe/blfheactivities.htm.

Amy M. O’Quinn is a pastor’s wife and former schoolteacher turned homeschool mom of six. She is also a freelance writer who enjoys jotting down ideas around the fringes of family life. She specializes in non-fiction, and her work has been published or acquired by various magazines including Jack and Jill, US Kids, Guideposts for Kids, Learning Through History Magazine, Highlights, GEORGIA Magazine, Homeschooling Today, International Gymnast, etc. She is also a product/curriculum/book reviewer for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and a regular columnist for TEACH Magazine. The O’Quinns live on the family farm in rural south Georgia. You can visit Amy at www.amyoquinn.com or http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/picketfencemom.