The heat index was 110 a few weekends ago. You won’t catch me and the boys outside for very long when it’s that hot. Not with our Irish skin that’s so pale we’re practically see-through.
But being trapped indoors with the kids all day long can make a mom’s temperature rise, no matter how hard the AC is blowing.
Out of desperation, Family Game Night was born. We invited the boys’ aunt and uncle over to join the fun, and I got busy with a few details to make the evening extra fun.
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5 Things You Need to Win Family Game Night
1. A good selection of games
The boys’ attention span is pretty short, so having a number of games on hand to mix it up is key. Our game collection has grown by leaps and bounds thanks to the boys’ birthday party so we have a lot to choose from. Here are the perennial favorites in our household:
- Richard Scarry’s Busytown is hands-down our top choice, with its giant game board and multiple layers of game challenges (Eye Spy mysteries! Race to the finish!) But as a parent, what I love most is its cooperative approach: All the player work together to complete the tasks and get to the finish line. There are no winners and losers, which equals a lot fewer tears in our household.
- Feed the Woozle never fails to lead to lots of laughter and silliness. The “lime-flavored underwear” card is a no-brainer for bringing on fits of giggles. This game gets the kids up and moving, working on their motor skills and getting their energy out before bedtime. Another cooperative game, this one grows with its audience so we can play it at a level that includes Sawyer, or we can increase the difficulty a bit if we’re playing with just Easton.
- Sophie’s Seashell Scramble, a variation on the very popular Sneaky Snacky Squirrel (another favorite around here), is my pick as a graphic designer because it focuses on recognizing patterns rather than colors. Plus, otters are my favorite animal, so I was sold the minute I saw it. My boys actually bought this game for me for Mother’s Day last year because they knew it was perfect for me.
2. Theme snacks!
Seriously, about half of my “fun” parenting is throwing a bunch of kid-friendly dry snacks into a giant bowl with a few well-chosen accent items and calling it trail mix. The boys eat it up, literally, and figuratively, and there is zero effort involved on my part.
What did we serve yesterday?
- Sweet ‘n’ Salty Game Night Trail Mix with white chocolate-covered dice cookies
- Checkerboard cheese and crackers with summer sausage rounds (No recipe needed!)
- Magic Candyland Fruit Smoothie Milkshakes (Recipe under construction – first attempt was closer to a Pinterest fail than a win)
3. A trophy (or 2!) for inspiration
Up the ante on the competition with a fun trophy. I found the Essyjae blog tutorial with free printable for making a paper trophy cup and knew E and I could spend part of the afternoon decorating it. Cutting out the pieces was a little time-consuming, so I recommend doing this ahead of time, without the so-called assistance of your kiddos.
After you cut out the pieces, let your kids color away. Have them focus on coloring the “petals” of the larger circle, as this will become the most prominent part of the trophy.
The blog tutorial recommends hot-gluing the trophy together. With a 5-year-old “helping,” that seemed like a recipe for disaster. I used endless pieces of Scotch tape to assemble it instead, and it worked like a charm. Somewhat surprisingly, it was even strong enough to be filled with Dove Promises and Dum-Dums and not fall apart. Using a heavyweight cardstock to print on is key to its strength.
The blog tutorial also includes a how-to video to watch if you are struggling to figure out how to assemble the components. Don’t be intimidated. Cutting the pieces out with all the fold flaps is really the most complicated part.
Easton also wanted to build a LEGO trophy, so during nap time while I prepped the snacks, he was at work on his own LEGO creation. The end result wasn’t exactly trophy-like (note the airplane on top) but it was 100% Easton and he was so proud of his work. For a more traditional trophy built from LEGOs, give these instructions a try.
4. A new game to add to the mix
When Game Night was off to a slow start because the boys were too excited to actually sit down and play games, I brought out a surprise: Candyland! I remember Candyland as one of my favorites from childhood, and it’s simple enough that the 2-year-old could help with identifying colors and moving the pieces on the board.
Some things have changed since my childhood. First, the board was much smaller, and so were the cards. The characters have been modernized. There’s no more gumdrop guy. But there’s still Queen Frostine, so all is right with the world.
As a parent, I love that they’ve updated the rules to allow variations for younger kids (where you don’t ever go back to the beginning of the board, just lose a turn instead) to prevent meltdowns.
5. A little parenting laissze-faire
My kids basically ate pretzels, Ritz crackers, and M&Ms for dinner on Family Game Night. They went to bed two hours later than usual (and, um, were still up at exactly the same time the next morning.) They didn’t always use their inside voices and got a little sassy with the preschool trash talk (hilarious, by the way). But we all had a great night and Easton is already planning the second annual event, which by then will include his new cousin (due later this month). We’re hanging onto the trophy until then.
About the time that I was destroying the kitchen making multicolor swirled smoothie milkshakes, #DoneWithFun Daddy was giving me the side eye. But my philosophy is that a few special touches go a long way with the preschool set, so why not make every possible day a celebration of something?
A few short years from now, the boys will rather do pretty much anything else than spend a Saturday night playing games with their parents. Until that day comes, I’m going to throw in a little extra magic where I can and soak up the memories. A few rainbow sprinkles never hurt anyone.
What’s your favorite game to play with your kids? Share your Family Game Night ideas with #NeverDoneWithFun!
