I have been really struggling keeping my family entertained during weekend nights or just nights in our home. We have been opting for the same movie night on Fridays and the children have been evidently bored. You know when you know that you have to change something, but you are not changing because you are so comfortable in doing the same easy thing. Yes, that has been my family and I for the past year except for vacation and stay cation days & nights.
It is pretty normal to find that you are operating on autopilot however it is necessary to change or be more creative so that you do not find yourself stuck in a rut.
One thing I have noticed is that the children do get fussy, complain a lot or throw tantrums and start misbehaving because they are quite bored. We all may have been bored too, but as the parents we are able to find a way to ignore how we feel when we are bored, however we are more patient than the children.
Today let us look at other ways to keep our children and ourselves entertained so that we revive our family nights, not only that but we create more wonderful memories together which is very important for families to do.
Eating one and the same thing on a Family Night can be so boring. The fun family nights start to feel like a chore more than it can be fun. I remember just how our Friday nights became so basic because all we did was buy a few snacks like chips. Actually, that is all we did, and food is part of the entertainment that makes the fun complete.
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Try to plan your meals ahead, say you are having an indoor family fun night or day, it is important to change the meals.
Let us look at different fun family night meal ideas
Remember that if your desire is to cook, then preparing easy meals may be a good option, unless you have the time prior to prepare for the meal before the family night begins.
- Home made Pizza ( you can buy the pizza without toppings and make the toppings you desire) or buy the one with toppings but needs to be put in the oven. This is really fun for young children who want to make some things for themselves.
Of Course they will need assistance from you, so they do not burn themselves or hurt each other and the whole idea may be preparing some meals together and they children can assist according to age appropriate chores.
The whole point is to have a fun night and eat something light yet filling and you can top it up with dessert or fruit to be fuller. Well, I enjoy noodles and so do the children except my husband who loves a full meal, but He loves a sandwich so play around with the family indoor fun night menu according to your preferences in a way that accommodates everyone.
Children love hot dogs and so do adults once a while. This makes up for a simple meal and you can make as much as it can fill you. I love it because it is so easy to make and quite yum. Get yourself some Vienna or good Russians and make a sandwich. if one of you is a Vegan in the home as our son is, play around with the filling by making eggs, ham, polony and vegetables.
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Who does not love burgers, better yet you can add anything to your burgers and design your homemade burgers with the entire family. Now this is fun, make it fun. Google some ideas on the internet for burger recipes.
Fries(chips)
It is easy to make, you can fry or bake your chips and chances are your entire family will enjoy them.
The trick however is what works for you and your family when it comes to meals so do your planning and have yourself a great family night.
It is getting a bit old in my house because we have been doing the same thing every Friday and I am quite sure most of you can relate, this can be a bit boring. Movies are always fun if you are watching a movie that is fun for the entire family.
It is time to spice up the family movie night, you can actually go to the cinema, so you make your movie nights interesting. Since you have children and you do not want a scenario where they are sleepy while you are out. Choose an afternoon movie if possible!
My family tried this recently and it was so much fun. We went to an afternoon movie on the weekend, well we had to split up though because of movie choices. You know how children easily get bored with something that they do not enjoy at all. So, the girls and I watched the Little Mermaid and my husband, and our son watched Spider man.
Next time we will try to pick a movie that can make us all happy, so we are able to bond as a family. So go ahead and go have fun with your beautiful family. Please allow yourself to take a break go to the movies and buy some popcorn, Have fun!
What kind of games you choose to play will be entirely up to you. However you might want to plan what games you will be playing so you are set with all you will need before the night.
I am already thinking of some games that will really be fun for the entire family especially the children. Games that my mom used to make for us that i only appreciate now that i have children. Let me make a short list that can be quite interesting.
Gather all the information you can concerning children's treasure hunt. I am already thinking about a Sweet Treasure Hunt which can really be fun for children. It is important to know the location of your hunt. Will you be having it Indoors or Outdoors in your yard or garden.
I am not a fan of giving children sweets all the time which is more reason the game can be something they can really look forward too.
There is so much children can learn from a treasure hunts like increasing their observational skills and improving their focus. There is so much more than just a sweet treasure hunt including but are not limited to round pebbles, yellow flower, decide what is your treasure, where you will hide it and how you will give out the clues as to make sure all the children are able to win by locating the treasure.
Learn more about treasure hunts by learning more about the kind of hunt you would love for your family. Do consider also if you will be playing in the afternoon or late at night so you decide between indoor and outdoor Hunting.
Preferably before the sunsets while it is still not dark outside so no one hurts themselves. Physical activity is really good for children because they get to move, exercise and do something else other than watching TV all the time. Let us make it fun;
Create A Chalk Race Track: This gives your child the feel of a real race and gets your children moving in a fun way. This serves well as a game if they can be able to compete. If you can possibly go all out in a sac race or egg race even better.
See how being outdoors with your children will keep you focused and present.
Ball Games: playing ball is always fun for children and even more as they play with their parents and show off their ball handling skills.
Taking A Walk Around The Block
Walks are really fun and doing something quite novel to everyone is great for everyone's well being. It takes you out of the house without using the car. Sitting at home and watching TV all the time can always put you on autopilot and removes the fascination from It.
Off Screen Time
I recently started training my children to have off screen hours from all electronics where they can focus on their toys and being creative with their time
- Plan a Family Feast Supper
Let everyone throw in ideas of what kind of menu you are to prepare. Let the children help with what is age appropriate for them. Children always love to help and it gives them confidence knowing they accomplished something. I love family dinners because they bring you all together in a moment where you share a meal together.
I always emphasize that no matter how busy you are as a family, make time even if it is once a week or whenever you are together to share a meal with no distractions. You can either make a light meal or something much heavier but a meal you will enjoy preparing together and eating together.
We usually switch off and keep away all electronics when we are at the dinner table, however you can bend the rules a bit for a family day/ family night where you may choose to watch a movie while you eat together. The aim is to do something out of the norm.
When was the last time you had a well planned date night, well one that includes the children too. Let us call it a family date night, would not that be fun?
Some days you are just so exhausted you do not really want to cook, or you just desire to eat out for a change. You can do it traditionally by dressing up, let the children who are above 3 years pick their clothes and probably dress themselves and book yourselves a table at a restaurant in town.
Make it more interesting having a burger barbecue and let the family do something fun and interesting. Not everyone finds the whole idea of picnics interesting but the boys can enjoy being outdoors watching daddy barbecue some burgers or sausages. The girls will most likely enjoy the picnic and setting up the picnic making it look nice and comfortable to hang out.
The back yard is always interesting to hang out for the family because it is not something you do all the time.
Looking for something different to do, after a long exhausting week or season. Do yourself and your family a favor, go on a local holiday. I love stay cations because they do not need much of planning and much spending but everyone will enjoy a night stay or 2 nights at a local hotel, a lodge or game reserve.
Sometimes it is not easy to plan for that big holiday and that is why i will always encourage families to make use of what they can afford in the meantime. You can always plan for a bigger holiday in future.
Get your hands dirty for a productive weekend and do some gardening. I love gardening with the children because they are learning to sow & later reap and they are having fun with plants, sand and water. You can even make the garden into parts then have each child plant their own vegetables. it will be fun as they see them grow, water them and eventually harvest them.
I guarantee this will be so much fun for the children. Children find baking to be very interesting especially when they bake with their parents. This makes children feel they have accomplished much, after baking you can all enjoy the scones or buy an already made pizza then add toppings and enjoy a great movie after that.
This works so well even on rainy days where the children cannot spend time outdoors
I Recently learned just how much children love to tell stories. My son loves to tell bible stories and enjoys taking you through the story and the events. You can have an electronic free night, get to know each other more by telling each other stories.
This will teach your children to listen to others and as they see you listen to them as a parents other than being always on a rush helps reassure them that you are there for them and their trust grows.
Who does not love to swim on a hot summer day. As much as summer is almost over, there are still some really hot days ahead. However i do emphasize you watch your children while they swim even if they already know how to swim.
- Do Yoga Exercises and Stretch
Do some Yoga exercises and include the entire family including daddy. I have always chased my children out when i do yoga because i always had a target and i felt like they were disturbing me. It was not until i saw a You tube video with Prenatal exercises and i loved how the mom always involves her children and is able to involve them whether she is doing stretches, yoga or Pilates.
A child will get used to whatever way you train them to live by especially the life you model to them. I wished I had figured this out sooner. This becomes a fun session for you and the children, and it is no longer mommy yelling at the kids but its mommy and the kids having fun. How much more when you bring in daddy on the fun and see how they giggle on the yoga poses done wrong.
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how would you like to take a road trip, this will definitely be so much fun. Do consider the stops because younger children easily get irritated if the trip is really too long. Pack up some supplies, get up early and take that drive as you go sight seeing with the children.
These are just a few among many things you can get up to with the family. For some they have been busy studying, working too hard at work or there have been too many commitments you have decided to take on. I can relate and maybe this year it is time to look at your priorities and reconstruct them again.
It does not have to be every weekend where you do something special for the children but once a while make memories worth remembering for your children. Sometimes it may just be as good a s sending their nanny away and just giving them the best of your time and doing something special with the children. The sooner you start the better because next year the children will be grown up than now and would have missed another year without even noticing the stages they have been through. These are the tings the children will always remember when they have become off age to always go home because of the great memories they hold of their parents.
The time to show them love and attention is now and not tomorrow. Always remember how amazing you are as a parent. We endure so much pressure sometimes but we still take care of our children, let it be worthwhile for your children and yourself.
Wrapped In Love,
Futhi Mkhwanazi
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