family fun

Family fun night is a great way to keep up to date on what is going on with your kids. In the day and age of single parents and dual income households, it is more important than ever to find time to spend with the entire family. Even two hours one night a week is a large step to making sure you are up to date on your family's lives. There are many things you can do that are cheap or free on family fun night. Here is just a small sample of the possibilities:

1. family game night- whether they are board games or video games, it is a great way to bond and promote family togetherness. It also gives you control over friendly competition. There are many awesome games out there that are for everyone.

2. family movie night- This is a great one, but only once a month or so. It is fun to watch a movie with the family with a big bowl of popcorn and sodas for everyone, but it does not promote a lot of talking. That is why I only recommend it maybe once a month. I highly recommend doing Redbox, and if you sign up online, you will get free movies on occasion, and you can also reserve a high demand movie. A good popcorn popper can save you money depending on the size of your family.

3. family cooking night- One day your kids are going to have to support themselves. As a mom of 4 boys, chances are that learning how to cook will benefit at least one. Try making your kids a part of cooking one night.

4. family craft night- Why not stock up that unused closet shelf with crafts and supplies? This not only makes a great family fun night, but is a great relief for a mom who is stuck with a foot of snow and 4 stir crazy kids running around. The best place I have found for craft kits is www.orientaltrading.com. It is not only very reasonable, they usually come in sets. Use them for family fun night, and stash the rest for later.

If you rotate these on a monthly basis, it gives good variety and a time for family. Other great options are: a pot luck for family, makeovers (boys probably won't appreciate this but girls will!), sports night, playground night, or anything that makes the kids happy.