5 Reasons You Should Do Family Game Night

You’ve heard about family game night. It’s when everyone sits down to enjoy a good ol’ board game together. But it’s so much more than that! Family Game Night has been amazing for my family.

Here’s 5 reasons why you should consider Family Game Night too:

#1 Family game night brings everyone together

With busy lifestyles, it’s more essential than ever to be intentional about what’s important. Spending time together as a family should be one of those goals, but it’s not always easy.

In a culture where everyone is running from one activity to another, family game night is a great way to purposefully set aside family time – and fun family time at that!

#2) Family game night gets everyone off screen time.

There’s nothing wrong with a little time spent watching TV or playing games on the computer, game console, or tablet for the kids or us adults, but too much of anything isn’t good.

Family game night is a great way to get the family to turn off the electronics together. There won’t be any arguing “Well he’s still on the computer!” when the whole family is playing a game together. And you know what? With time, your kids will realize there’s a lot of fun beyond screen time!

#3) Family game night teaches good sportsmanship

The winning-losing aspect is one of the pro’s and con’s of game night. It’s not easy to teach disappointed children to be kind when they’ve lost or excited winners not to gloat, but it’s an important life lesson that they won’t necessarily learn on the soccer field.

I’ve been amazed at how upset some of my children have gotten over losing a game, but I realized this was more reason we needed to continue; it’s much better for kids to learn this lesson now when they’re young!

#4 Family game night teaches flexibility

Sometimes a new game just isn’t working. Maybe it’s too hard or just boring. It’s okay to stop and try something different and that’s another good lesson for kids.

At the same time, it’s okay to skip a family game night if you’re just too tired and would rather watch a movie. Game night should be fun, not stressful (aside from a few teaching moments.)

We usually do game night 3 out of 4 nights a month because there’s almost always one night when we’re just too tired or someone in the family has to do something.

Game night is a priority, but not at the cost of stress or guilt.

#5 Game night results in hours of fun!

When I was growing up, my family had Friday night game night every week. Thought it was a little too competitive sometimes, I have great memories of those fun times.

When Nate and I started this tradition with our family, the kids were a little reluctant and I wasn’t sure how well it would work out. (Especially because my oldest has autism and board games can be a challenge.) But I had no idea just how much fun was in store! We’ve spent HOURS laughing, playing, learning, and growing together as a result of this simple night of fun.

Now, my kids will often ask to play a game beyond game night. I’ll frequently catch them playing Rack-O, Ticket to Ride, Labyrinth, or one of our other favorite games.

Sometimes one of our chickens even joins in!

 

A photo posted by Erika Bragdon (@livingwellmom) on Jan 30, 2016 at 1:17pm PST

Family game night is a wonderful tradition you shouldn’t miss out on with your family. If you’re too busy to commit to once a week, try setting aside a night every other week. Even once a month is something! Your family will benefit so much from family game night. Try it!