Between school, chores, extracurricular activities and jobs, a tight-knit family can become loose in its relationships. Months go by and maybe your family hasn’t even enjoyed six meals together! That’s where a weekly family night comes into play.
Family nights are a great way to make the entire family stop everyday monotony and just take time to enjoy relationships. It’s like a tiny family vacation every single week!
Five years ago our family left America to live and work in Southeast Asia. After just a few months, I realized our family needed a break every single week. We needed time to relax, unwind and just focus on our family. With a busy, growing family that can be difficult to squeeze in every week. But we came up with a simple idea that changed our family in a very positive way.
We started a weekly slumber party. At first, it was very simple. We read magazines, books, enjoyed a snack and all piled in one bedroom. We then told silly stories and recalled special memories and shared them with the little ones who had yet to hear our memorable family stories.
As time went on, our Friday night started earlier. We also added games, special meals and movies. Every week is different, but we still make time for a special family night for just the eight of us..
Your family night may look different than ours, but the goal is still the same. The purpose of a weekly family night is to provide a way for your family to unwind, have fun, build close relationships and just enjoy each other’s company.
Throughout the week, we parents can become stressed with so many things. We can even snap at our family members, and forget what a precious family we have been given. Taking time — every single week — to just focus on relaxing with family really does help you view your family members as friends and close loved ones instead of interrupters of your busy life. It is something that everyone can enjoy and look forward to every single week. When things get chaotic, everyone can look forward to Family night. When things are financially tight, Friday night can be a something you can enjoy without spending a lot of money.
Just try setting aside one night a week for your family. Try it for one month and see if it doesn’t become a tradition that no one wants to part with!
Does your family have a special family night every week? What do you do to make it special? Need some fun ideas for Family night? Follow our Family Night Fun board on Pinterest for loads of ideas!
