If you want to bond with your family, there may be no better way to do it than through games. Institute a family game night. Schedule it so that everyone in the family can participate. Whether your family likes active games or quiet intellectual games, you’ll be able to have fun together.
Board Games
Board games work well with children of all ages. You can play easy games, like Candy Land, when your kids are small and more difficult games, like Trivia Pursuit, when the kids are older. Yahtzee, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Chutes and Ladders and Sorry! are all classic favorites. Purchase several games so that you have a variety to choose from.
Video Games
You can create a tournament that pits each family member against one another, eliminating the losers until there is one winner. This works well with fighting or racing games. The Wii format offers many options for families to play together–sports, carnival games and more–and you aren’t always limited to two players at a time. Rock Band could also be a good game for your family.
Backyard Games
Get outside and get moving. You can play classic children’s games, such as tag, Mother May I or Red Light Green Light. If you get together with another family in your neighborhood, you could hold relay races, pitting each family against the other.
Sports
While not all families have enough members to field a baseball team, there are still sports that you can play together. Soccer, basketball or tennis all work well with smaller groups. You could also set up a badminton net in your yard or play croquet.
Parlor Games
You don’t need board games or video games to play inside. Play some traditional parlor games, such as charades, Telephone or Blind Man’s Bluff.
Card Games
With just a deck of cards, you can have hours of entertainment. Even young children can play Old Maid or Go Fish. Older children may enjoy the challenge of a game of Rummy or President. There are also specialized decks of cards that offer games–Uno, Skip Bo and Phase 10 may be a good choice for both teens and pre-teens.
Photo Credit
- familie image by Dron from Fotolia.com
