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Is it any wonder that our families are driven farther and farther apart? With the advent of computer games, Play Stations, 24-hour television and numerous other solo activities it comes as no surprise that most families are accustomed to spending time apart. This is not a good thing. In times of crisis, when families need to draw together, they may well realize just how far they have drifted apart.
It’s not too late! Get back together with some basics in family togetherness. It requires neither lots of money or hardship – just your time.
MAKE A DATE
You can’t suddenly come home one night and expect the family to be overjoyed that you’ve suddenly decided they need to drop everything that they had planned. If you want this to be worthwhile than you need to make sure you have the right attitude up front. Plan ahead. At dinner one night, discuss what you plan to do and come to an agreeable arrangement with everyone. Which night are you going to host family game night and how long will it go for. Your intended target will be much more agreeable if they are expecting it. They will also learn to appreciate just how important it is if you take the time to make plans for it.
TAKE TURNS
Get everybody involved in the planning of the game night so that no one is feeling pressured to participate in games they don’t like to play. If you make family members choose the game of the evening then they all have some degree of accountability and are likely to appreciate it all that much more. It also gives them a way to be more involved in the planning and especially makes children more understanding and respectful of decision making and turn taking.
STOCK YOUR CUPBOARDS
It is no use deciding on game night if there is nothing to choose from in the way of games. While you don’t always need to sit down and play board games, they are a great way to get really interactive and are a good resource to fall back on. The standard Monopoly game or Game of Life are great ways to get together and often require a lot of though, especially for younger children.
Make sure to include a deck of cards in the game cupboard. There are games with cards for all ages. Your two year old may not be up for a game of poker but they will sure know how to play go fish or match. Get a book of card games and set about learning a new game every now and then.
TAKE IT ON THE ROAD
Every now and then it is a great idea to get out of the house and take your game night on the road. Is there a local mini golf center or bowling center around? Make sure to pick something that you are all able to do together. For instance, while it is great to get out and catch a movie, it doesn’t really have its place in family game night. You are not interacting with each other and may as well all be at home watching TV.
Do a little research and make a list of places that may be included in family night. Whoever has a turn in choosing the game for the night may also include one of the venues on the list if they so desire.
INVITE THE NEIGHBORS
Once in a while you may be able to extend the family game night to include neighbors. This is a great way to get to know more people in the community and also a great way to get your family spirit up by working together. Your family would be one team and the neighbor’s family would be the other. Have them over for a BBQ and then get stuck into your favorite board game. The losing family hosts the next game night and does the washing up!
SOME SIMPLE GAME IDEAS
Charades
Card Games
Monopoly
Scrabble
Game of Life
Coytes
Dominoes
Cluedo
Trouble
Boggle
Chess
Checkers
Twister
Overall remember to keep it simple and have as much fun as possible. The object here is not competition, it is to spend time together communicating and getting know one another better.
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