KLAK - Family

Family

Family Fun Night

Family Fun Night is great to bring the family together by cooking homemade pizza together, to taking a long walk with the dog, or doing a science experiment with clay and soda pop.

A regular family fun night will strengthen the family relationships, as well as, teach values and life skills to the children. By planning a recurring family night that focuses on communication, lessons, stories, games, and activities the moral character and spiritual belief of the people will grow.

The first thing to remember is that planning a night of fun does not need to take a lot of work, time, or money to make it memorable for the family. In fact, some of the best times families have spent together having fun were spontaneous nights when you can put all of your worries and cares about life aside and focus on playing a game and eating popcorn with your children.

Family Fun Night Tips

Camp out at home

Set up the tent in the backyard. Grill out and eat outdoors and play some outdoor family games. Then have an astronomy lesson. Study up on the constellations that are visible during the time of year when you are camping then lay out under the stars and see how many of them the family can identify.

Indoor Family Fun Night

There are times of the year when it is not practical to have an outdoor family night. Due to the rain or winter weather it may be impossible to plan an outdoor activity. Surprise the kids with an INDOOR active game night. Here are a few ideas:

There is a new family card game called "Loot" and it is a pirate game using merchant ships, pirates, pirate captains, and an admiral. This is a frugal family fun game. It sells for under $10.00 new. You may also be able to find a used copy at Amazon.com.

Plan an indoor scavenger hunt. Plant clues throughout the house and a special prize for the winner.

Make an indoor obstacle course. Use chairs, couch's, pillows, and walls to make a course that requires jumping, twisting, sliding, and turning.

Have an old fashioned pillow fight. Dad and Mom get in the middle of it. Your kids will love it!

Play an active game such as Cranium HullaBaloo. This is a game designed for the preschooler, but is appropriate for all ages to participate.

Plan a Karaoke family fun night. Jazz up the evening by turning it into an American Idol type of friendly competition. Use a Karaoke machine with microphone or a gaming system game such as the Playstation II American Idol or Karaoke Revolution Volume 2 - complete package.

Surprise the family with an indoor picnic basket complete with fried chicken, sandwiches, and dessert. Lay out a blanket in a room you would not normally eat in, such as a bedroom or the family room, and eat on the floor.