18 Family Fun Night Ideas for Every Season of the Year! |

Lyndsie

Inside: These family fun night ideas will bring you closer as a family while you make amazing memories no matter the season!

My favorite memories of growing up aren’t fancy, week-long vacations. Most of them don’t even involve a full day of activities.

I remember and cherish family game nights, living room sleepovers with my siblings, and gathering around to watch our favorite movie.

Now that I’m a mom, I feel pressure to create magical memories for my kids. The older I get and the older my kids get, the faster time seems to go.

I also realize more and more that time together is the most important part of life. Since our family lives together in one house, it seems like we spend a lot of time together, right?

But sometimes, families kind of scatter to different parts of the house. And having phones, tablets, and gaming devices can sometimes separate us, even when we’re all in the same room.

Spending time with our kids involves being intentional. Not trying to plan every single moment (any mom who’s tried that knows it doesn’t work!). But laying the groundwork for simple, family fun that leads to the kind of memories we laugh about for years to come!

How to Make Time for Your Family

Life is so busy, and it’s hard to think about fitting in one more thing. But you’ll never regret the hours you spend with your kids!

This is where being intentional comes in. As the mom of your family, you’re like the captain of the ship. It’s your job to steer the family where they need to go.

It involves some planning and sacrifice. Some frustration will be involved–especially if your kids are younger.

But the memories you make will be worth the struggle. Even if you do something as simple as watching a movie inside a tent fort in your living room, your kids will cherish the time with you.

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18 Fun Things to Do with Your Kids

Here’s the thing: spending time with your family doesn’t have to mean going out. It doesn’t even have to mean spending a lot of money.

In fact, sometimes simple family funday activities are the best. So, save yourself some stress and try one of these monthly family fun night ideas.

family playing together in their home — Make memories in the simple moments.

10 Indoor Family Night Ideas

During the winter or rainy seasons, going outside is often not an option. But that’s okay!

There are tons of fun things you can do with your family while staying warm indoors. Not only that, these indoor family activities often don’t need a lot of prep work, and are friendly to your wallet.

1. Hot Chocolate and Game Night

If the weather is cold and you can’t go out, it’s time for a cozy game night! Choose your family’s favorite games and play several.

If your kids are older, try a long-form game like Clue, Train Ride, or Phase 10. Younger kids might enjoy shorter games like Old Maid, Candy Land, or Go Fish.

Make the night even more fun with a fancy hot chocolate bar. Provide packs of hot chocolate mix, marshmallows (flavored or gourmet ones are even better), chocolate chips, and peppermint sticks.

Our family enjoys playing Uno and Uno Flip. When my boys were smaller and struggled to hold their cards, I got these playing card holders. Total game-changer for game night!

2. Indoor Camping Adventure

As winter lags on, my kids start to feel some cabin fever! We love camping, so a faux campsite is a fun way to spend an evening.

You can set up a small pop-up tent if you have space. If not, lay out sleeping bags in the living room, turn the lights down low, and turn on some ambient sounds on your phone or a smart device.

Make s’mores in your oven, and enjoy camping favorites like hot dogs and hamburgers. Take turns telling stories, or watch a favorite family movie while snuggled in your sleeping bags.

3. International Food Night

Got picky eaters? This might be a fun way to get them to try some new foods!

Choose a country, research some popular dishes and prepare a few of them together. You might be surprised what your kids will eat if they’ve helped to cook it.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Bobotie (Africa)
Ramen (Asia)
Paella (Spain)
Ragu (Italy)

Check out these Kid-Friendly Recipes from The Gingered Whisk.

4. DIY Pizza Night

Round up everyone’s favorite pizza toppings and let each person create their own personal pizza. You can go gourmet with fancy ingredients like fresh mozzarella, basil, prosciutto, and balsamic vinegar.

However, if your kids are younger, can keep it simple with pepperoni and cheese! My boys love creating their own pizzas on naan bread rounds. They only take a few minutes to prepare and bake, and they’re the perfect size for smaller hands.

Making homemade pizza crust is much easier than you think, and family pizza night is a great time to give it a try. Just remember, it takes a few hours for the dough to rise. So, give yourself enough time to make it and let it rise.

But don’t stop with savory pizza. Wrap up your night with a yummy dessert pizza. Or, stick with the Italian theme and make homemade cannoli. Yum!

5. Family Painting Party

Encourage everyone to release their inner artist with a painting party. You can make it as simple or fancy as your budget and the ages of your kids allows.

Grab some canvases, paint, and brushes. Have a theme, like painting an object, self-portrait, or another family member. Or, get creative and let each person paint something different.

Afterward, create an art display and (kindly) critique one another’s art. Take it up a notch with an art show where everyone eats tiny appetizers and looks at the artwork!

6. Baking Night

This is one of my favorite family fun activities that we do every year for Christmas, but you can do it any time.

There are so many different ways to have a baking night with your family. Much of it depends on the age of your kids.

If you have little kids, baking from refrigerated dough is fine. You can roll refrigerated dough out and let kids use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. The decorating will be messy–but worth it when you think about the memories you’re making with your kids.

Some other ideas include gingerbread houses, gingerbread people, jam thumbprints, and more!

If your kids are older, they may want to box up their creations and give them as gifts to friends, family member and neighbors.

7. Pajama Dance Party

Nothing gets the wiggles out like a dance party! This is a great idea for when kids are getting antsy, and need a way to work off some energy–which is every day for my youngest.

All you need is some fun, upbeat music, and crazy dance moves. If you’re like me and have zero rhythm–that’s okay.

I promise you’ll get more giggles from the weird moves than the good ones. Moonwalk, anyone?

8. DIY Science Experiments

As much as moms hate making messes, kids love them. If kids are learning and making memories, it’s okay in the end, right? Enter family science experiments.

You don’t need to get fancy, and definitely don’t try anything dangerous. You might buy a simple science kit, or try some engineering experiments with Lego or magnet blocks.

My boys love making slime and goop, and they ask all the time to try something new.

9. Puzzle Mania

Long winter nights are the perfect time for puzzles. It might take several days, or even weeks to complete a large puzzle, so make sure you have plenty of room for it on a table or in the floor.

Last winter my family and I worked on a Thomas Kinkade superhero puzzle for a few weeks. It was an adventure–and we ended up not finishing it. But it was fun to sit together and work on it in the evenings.

10. Family Cooking Show

Cooking is for every member of the family–not just for mom and the girls. You can set up your cooking show to be a demonstration. Set up a camera and take turns preparing a simple–or fancy dish.

Or, go a different direction and make it a competition. Let each person make a dish, then judge who made it the best.

Give everyone the same ingredients and see what they can come up with. Or, see who can make a certain food the fastest–like a sandwich or burrito.

family playing outside in the grass — Being outdoors with family is great for your physical and mental health.

8 Outdoor Family Fun Activities

As soon as the weather starts to warm up, we like to head outside! Getting outside is good for our physical and mental health, and helps to shake off the doldrums of winter.

11. Backyard Scavenger Hunt

When you’re ready to head outdoors, set up a scavenger hunt for the whole family.

It can be in your backyard, at a local park, or even on a hiking or biking trail. Make a list of objects and work together or in competition to find everything on the list.

You can make the objects as hard or easy to find as you want. Older kids can find more obscure items, like a particular type of leaf. Younger kids may have more vague rules, such as finding a leaf or a pinecone.

Celebrate your win–or loss–with a picnic.

12. Water Balloon Olympics

Beat the heat and get everyone outdoors with water balloon games. You can have events like balloon toss, relay races and target practice.

Take the fun up another notch and add water gun games, as well! Keep the activities lighthearted, and enjoy popsicles as a yummy treat when the water war is finished.

13. Indoor or Outdoor Carnival Night

Everyone loves a good carnival, and it’s tons of fun to set one up for your family to enjoy. Depending on the weather, you can host your carnival indoors or outdoors.

Where I live in South Carolina, July is mosquito season, so having our carnival outdoors might not be ideal. But moving inside where the air conditioner is pumping is a great alternative!

Set up carnival-inspired games like ring toss, cornhole, or darts. Serve up cotton candy and popcorn. Don’t forget to have prizes for the winners!

14. Ice Cream Sundae Bar

An ice cream sundae bar is the perfect way to say “goodbye” to summer. It’s also a great option for celebrating summer birthdays, or even as a back-to-school party.

Start with vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream. Then allow everyone to load up on their favorite add-ins.

Some ideas include:

sprinkles
flavored syrups
fruit
sugar and waffle cones
marshmallows
whatever else you can think of!

Obviously, your kids are going to be on a crazy sugar high after this. So, the sundae bar is probably a weekend or middle-of-the-day activity.

smokeless fire pit — We love building bonfires in our Solo stove.

15. Storytelling and Bonfire Night

There’s just something about being cozy that makes everything more special.

Let everyone take turns telling stories (ghosts optional!), or listen to a family-friendly audiobook. My family enjoys having a fire in our smokeless fire pit a few times each fall. We love looking at the stars together or listening to the night sounds.

A couple of years ago we downloaded The Action Bible audiobook to listen to while we sat snuggled in blankets around the fire. It was so special to listen to a presentation from God’s Word while experiencing His creation!

Serve some warm cider or hot chocolate to make your bonfire night even more festive.

16. Walking Taco Night

I’ll never forget my first walking taco. What’s not to love about eating one of your favorite foods straight out of a bag?

In case you’ve never had a walking taco, it’s pretty simple. Grab a snack-size bag of Doritos. (I like the Nacho Cheese, but you could use Cool Ranch, too.) Open the bag, pour in some taco meat, and top it with your favorite taco add-ons, sour cream, lettuce, salsa, etc.

Eat your walking tacos outdoors for the ultimate on-the-go meal.

17. Family Bike Ride

You’ve heard the old saying, “You never forget how to ride a bike.” Now is the time to prove it.

A bike ride is a great way to get outdoors and spend time together, even if you’re not really active. You don’t need to race, or even ride for a long distance.

You might be able to ride around in your neighborhood. If not, look for a local park or bike trail.

18. Outdoor Movie Night

Spring and fall are great times to move your movie night outside. A pool party movie night is a great option for summer, too.

It’s a lot easier than you think. All you need is a projector, and a place to project your movie, like a sheet. The side of a house or building can work, too.

Keep it light and fun with an animated movie, or have a Christmas-in-July movie to cool off when it’s hot.

Enjoy Your Time–Even If It’s Not Perfect

No matter what family fun night activity you do with your family, you’re guaranteed to make good memories. It’s not always easy, and things don’t always go to plan.

The most important thing you can do is to embrace the imperfections. Life doesn’t look like an Instagram reel. It’s messy and full of mistakes.

Lower your expectations a little bit and have a great time with your family–even if that means cleaning popcorn and cookie crumbs out of the couch cushions or scrubbing red icing off the counter.

When your kids are grown and gone, you won’t remember the bad parts nearly as much as the fun times. It’s worth the time and effort you put forth to have these happy memories with your children!

More Family Fun Activities

Keep the fun going with these other family funday activities:

18 Family Fun Night Ideas for Every Season of the Year!