11 Comments so far

1. Trying2B on October 2, 2009 3:05 am

   Card games
   Charades
   Hangman
   Pictionary

2. JedaSoul on October 2, 2009 3:57 am

   I dont know how well a 4 yr old would do at charades, but I think that is fun for all ages.
   Or you could get some plain white paper and pick a name of a family member in the room, then do your best to draw them.

3. Tavimama on October 2, 2009 4:30 am

   Card games (rummy, snap, etc), treasure hunts, charades, jigsaw puzzles, colouring (I fight my kids for the colouring book!!), making snacks for movies (popping corn etc).
   Whatever you do you will be doing it as a family – that kind of love is priceless. Have fun and thanks for a great idea!

4. sarah on October 2, 2009 5:09 am

   you could bake cookies and let the kids decorate them with sprinkles, icing, chocolate chips. the icing might be a bit tricky for the 4 year old, but you could let him try. i thought doing what the other person said with the crafts was a good idea too. michale’s art store usually has good craft ideas too. you could paint, play with clay/play-doh, color with crayons/markers, cut & glue, paper machae (can’t spell) is another cool idea too. make a collage out of pictures from magazines. be prepared to get messey, buy a crappy table cloth and put it over your kitchen table so nothing gets ruined.
   i work at a preschool so i have a ton of ideas.
   good luck! family night sounds like a lot of fun, I’d like to do that when i have kids.
   i found this really great webste today and thought you might enjoy….. http://fun.familyeducation.com/activitie…
   go to the top left corner where t says tools theres differnt colored squares the pink one is activities you can type in a category and age group. good luck!

5. motherof on October 2, 2009 6:02 am

   For family night we do crafts. We do noodle necklasses and other fun to do things for children. I go to http://www.busyizzie.co.uk/ or http://www.kidsdomain.com/craft or family.go.com/entertainment/ms-crafts-ho… or http://www.makingfriends.com
   for ideas. or just search printables for children. They have cute things too

6. byrdie on October 2, 2009 7:00 am

   I think crafts are a great idea. Another good site for craft ideas is enchantedlearning.com.
   Building a fire and making smores can be fun too. I even like just going for a long walk, even if it’s dark. It’s good exercise and gives us a chance to really talk.

7. spooky1 on October 2, 2009 7:51 am

   Nightime beach dinner?

8. supermoo on October 2, 2009 8:05 am

   quizzes and hangman also we would have foreign evenings, eat spanish food learn how to count to ten in spanish dress in spanish clothes, Italian evenings, Chinese, French,German. My dad was italian so we used to play italian cards and would learn games from different countries. They were great and i still can count to ten in at least 7 different languages. It takes a bit of homework, but the ages of your children would be perfect for it.
   Sounds a bit boring but we also used to learn words and their meanings from the dictionary. Failing that out in the car to the coast for a stroll along the beach, fresh air and chips

9. Patsy A on October 2, 2009 8:50 am

   We didn’t have TV, so every night was family night.
   Actually, our kids enjoyed rummycube. Even little ones can catch on to that one. My biggest challenge was getting my husband to be less competitive when playing with small children!

10. #6 BEAN IS HERE MISSION COMPLETE on October 2, 2009 9:10 am

    How about cooking night. Make cakes and then sit down for super together.
    We do a thing every night at dinner called best and worst.
    Everyone has to say the best and the worst thing that happened that day.
    I think it is important for the kids to know that bad stuff is normal to happen and happens to everyone.
    How fantastic to have a family night!

11. paul on October 2, 2009 10:03 am

    personally i think the kids would enjoy and remember the boardgames and movies with their parents the most…
    i know i did when i was young