My family LOVES games.
We have a huge board game collection from over the years and we play them several times a week. We also bring them to holidays, trips and extended family events.
At home we might sneak a game or two in throughout the week, BUT one thing is for certain: We all look forward to our weekly Family Game Night and it is a do not miss event each week.
Family Game Night is BY FAR my favorite family habit we have implemented. It brings us together. It makes us laugh. It makes memories that last a lifetime.
But truth be told, it hasn’t always been that way.
I will let you in on a little something…
Getting started WASN’T EASY and WASN’T FUN.
I wanted a family game night LONG before we actually had one… and at first, it wasn’t very fun. But as it turns out there is a Secret to Making Family Game Night Fun...
What I wish I would have known about starting Family Game Night
Looking back, there are several things I wish I had known before starting our family game nights that would have made it so much easier and a whole lot more fun for everyone. To this day (many years later) I abide by the following tips:
Choosing the Night Matters
- If it isn’t on the calendar (or calendars), it isn’t happening. You have to make space for this new family time to grow. It can be a reoccurring night of the week or a weekly scheduled event. Either way it has to be on everyone’s calendars.
- Try to choose a night where most everyone will be on their “A” game. 😉 If Mondays are brutal at work or Tuesday has a killer Algebra class, try to pick another night if possible.
- If has been a rough day, there is nothing wrong with just playing comfort games. We definitely have our easy favorites that we have learned over the years that everyone is almost always up for, especially after a hard day.
Start with Simple or Familiar Games
- When first starting out, try super simple (see below) or familiar games over the new exciting (but more complex) one you saw online.
- Keep a list of super simple (but fun) games for nights when the family is having a hard time getting into it. The trick is to find games that are so easy to play but everyone wants to play over and over. Here are a few of our favorites (affiliate links):
- Nomids: Quick and easy game where each player is trying to get rid of all their pyramids. You toss a dice to manage your ‘mids and you are racing everyone to see who can get Nomids first!
- Pass the Panda: Similar to Nomids, the goal of this game is to get rid of all your dice. When you roll the dice you can either get rid or dice, keep them, pass them or make the other player have to roll a certain number. First player that gets rid of all their dice wins!
- Kluster: This super fun magnet game also has you racing to get rid of all your magnets… but careful, place it in the wrong place and all the magnets stick together and you have to pick them up!
- Loonacy: This card game has you racing other players to match your cards to discard piles and race them to get rid of all your cards. But the trick is the cards have two possible matches. One on top and one on bottom. Careful or you might just miss your chance to go out… it was in your hand all along!
When Adding Games, Do Your Homework
- Once you get in the habit of a fun Family Game Night you may want to start to add some slightly harder games to your evenings. But not all games are created equal. If you need a quick (but imperfect) guide to seeing how hard the game you want to learn is, you can look it up on Board Game Geek and check out their weight. We consider 1’s simple, 2’s easy and 3’s and up medium to heavy.
- On a typical game night we usually play 1 simple game, 1 easy game and 1 medium game. On evenings when we play a heavy game, we might just play it by itself.
- When adding new games to Family Game Night, whoever is going to teach the game might want to learn it before that night. I know it stinks to have game night homework, but it REALLY helps keep game night fun for both the teacher and the rest of the family. I try to view the time and energy spent as an investment for many years to come.
Learning and Teaching New Games
- Sometimes Add and I will set aside a day and just learn several new games in a row to see if they will make the Family Game Night cut. More often than not they make the cut and I have a co-teacher to help me teach it.
- I like to learn new games by watching YouTube videos and putting the pieces out for two or more players and playing it through by myself as if I am each player.
- When I teach a new game, we often like to play the first time open-handed where everyone sees everyone’s pieces/cards and we discuss decisions and share why we might choose different options. Then once everyone has the hang of it, we start over and play for points!
Welp, those are my tips for a more fun and easy family game night.
I hope it helped someone out there starting their own little happy habit.
I know I am so grateful we started ours!
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