Family Game Night Basket: Making Time For Family Togetherness

We love family game nights. We love playing games as a family any time day or night. Playing games as a family is one of our favorite ways to spend time together.

Recently we just took our family togetherness outside to play some board games on a blanket. We picked out a few of our favorite board games and put them in our newly made Family Game Night Basket. Made by simply spray painting an old picnic basket.

Then we grabbed some snacks, got cozy, and set up the games.

 

Family togetherness is so lovely when it is around a board game and without electronics. That is one of the reasons I love playing board games with my little family: just family and no distractions.

Well, there are no bad distractions.

Just cute ones.

And some, "Oh Mom, why are you making that embarrassing face?" distractions.

It has been fun to be on the mom side of playing games as a family. I have so many awesome memories of playing board games as a family when I was a kid. Back then it was loud and rowdy. However, everything was less complicated. When I was growing up we would play games in our pajamas on Sunday morning before church. We would play games on all big family holidays. We played games on the weekend.

There were no cell phones. Heck, we didn't even have a home computer or Internet for the longest time. There were so little distractions. It was glorious.

Nowadays there are so many distractions. There are so many things that get in the way of family togetherness. I want my kids to unplug from all the distractions, i.e. the electronics, and for us to spend time together. I want them to have the same loud and rowdy time I did when I was growing up playing games with my family.

I want them to remember the obnoxious victory dance of a sibling. I want them to remember laughter around the game table. I want them to remember the plastic cars in the game Life and the silver top hat from Monopoly. I want them to know the joy of a Yahtzee and the joy of a victory over everyone else in the family. I want them to know the sweetness of helping a younger sibling "win" by some selfless cheating.


I want to pass on family togetherness through playing games.

Some of the games I played back then might be different from what we play now. Some are the same. Same games or different games, the purpose is all the same. The purpose is to spend time as a family, growing closer, and creating memories.

Turn off the electronics. Shut off the television. Grab some board games, or a card game or two. Gather your family around the table or pack up the games in your Family Game Night Basket, lay out a blanket and take the games outside.

Just enjoy some time together as a family.
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Family Game Night Favorites

Have you all noticed that it has been particularly chilly as of late? Those of you in warm climates, feel free to not rub it in too much. Also, have you noticed that it isn't just chilly, it is at times impossible to leave the house. My brother and his fam were actually housebound.

So what should you do when you are housebound, everything is cancelled, and the mom your kids are stir crazy?

You should throw a Family Game Night. Or a Family Game Afternoon. Or a Family Game Just-Finished-Breakfast-And-Already-Stir-Crazy.

In light of all this chilly weather and the eminent case of the stir crazies, I thought I would share a few of our family's favorite games.

They are games for all age groups, because we are at that stage in our family.

The games can all be played by the whole family. The older kids can still enjoy the easier games, especially if they know they will get to play one of their games next. The younger kids can play the harder games if rules are adapted or good old mom and dad assist.

So without any more delay, here are a few of our family's current favorite family games.

1. Zingo: a fun spin on bingo, that uses cute pictures.

2. Clue: a classic, but always fun.

3. Guess What I Am: a guessing game. It includes caricatures cards in which 

you insert your face. This is pretty much hilarious.

4. Monopoly Empire: a much easier and kid friendly version of the original.

Plus, it is WAY shorter.

5. Memory: another classic. There are so many versions, you are sure to 

find one that fits any child's interest. 

6. Apples to Apples Junior: a really fun word game that will be sure

to get giggles trying to match words and/or people with a definition.

 

We really do love these games. Like I said, we play them often. Sometimes our three older boys will just go in a room and play one together.

Pop a bag of popcorn, whip out a family game, and you should be able to bond and solve the stir-crazies for at least a little while!

We are always looking for more game suggestions. I would love for you to share with me some of your family's favorite games.

Favorite Gifts: Games for the Fam

Around our house we love ourselves some family game time.

Hubby and I both grew up playing games. Now we have passed that addiction tradition on to our kiddos. On any given day we have at least two games sitting out. 

With this love of games, new games are a Christmas list staple. I thought I would share a list of some of our family's favorite games in case you are looking for any last minute gifts for your family.

Zingo

Don't Break the Ice

Guess What I am

Guess Who

Sorry

These are just a few of the family favorites. This post would have been WAY too long to list all our favs. This year for Christmas we will be adding a couple of new games that I am really excited for us to play as a family. 

What games do you like to play with your family? We are always in search for more games.