Your children have been in school about a month, their after school activities have filled most evenings. It might be feeling like the only time you get with them is to clean the house, do homework, or travel to and from an activity. If so, it is time for a family night.
If you need to pencil it in your calendar, do it, today. All children think their home is the best, just as you can not wait to get home at the end of the day or the end of the week; children feel the same, retreating from their busy day into their homes. With todays fast pace life we just may have to plan “Family Fun” time. Schedule it on your calendar, just as you would any other important event.
Fun is the most important element to guarantee the whole family’s wholehearted cooperation and involvement. This means, if your little one is in trouble, for that hour or two they are exempt. Family Fun Time is an important event on the calendar, inviolate, just as you would any other important event.
Keep the mood and the food lighthearted: no discussion of business or discipline problems, and at the beginning it should be short. If you play a five hour monopoly game the first night your little ones will think it is a chore. A 30 minute game of Candyland with ice cream sundaes is plenty for the first night.
Let everyone know that you are planning a Friday night Family Time the Sunday before. That way everyone can arrange their schedules…then count down the days… “Four more days until our family night, we are going to have so much fun. I can’t wait until our family time.” If they see that you are excited, they too will become excited.
You have to have fun food, pizza, popcorn, ice cream, apple wedges dipped in caramel, make your own burritos. Let your family choose what will be family fun night food-then only have it on family night.
There are endless activities you can have on family fun night; the slide show below gives you ten ideas to get you started, but remember to ask the family if they have suggestions. You might keep an on-going list of fun activities on your refrigerator, family members can add to it as they come up with an idea you think would be great for future family fun nights.
You might think I can’t fit one more thing on my calendar; it is worth your effort; one evening a week, to create precious memories that your family will remember for a life time.
Enjoy your family time,
R.R.Cratty
Games help children implement their mental power
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