Now that we’re indoors almost all of the time, family bonding time has been relegated mostly to our living rooms, and that can get boring after quite a while. Chances are, you’re bored to death of every weekend night being another Netflix night and you’re looking to introduce more activities to the mix.
Thankfully, we’ve got just the list for you to make weekend nights with your family even more exciting and memorable! Just because we’re all stuck inside doesn’t mean we can’t have fun and share experiences that’ll turn into wonderful family memories.
There’s a ton you and your family can do that isn’t just sitting down on the couch and binge-watching the new Netflix release. These activities will have you smiling, laughing, having fun, and creating new memories to treasure even after the pandemic. Here are 5 great indoor activities you can do with your family:
Play board games
Board games aren’t just Monopoly, Scrabble, or Chess anymore. They’ve grown into quite the hobby and everyone in your family is sure to enjoy these games. With plenty of options like Cranium for the family member who likes to act silly to Pandemic for the family member who likes to think strategically, board games most definitely deserve a space in your home.
What are the best board games for family night? We’ve written about it in our other article post: 5 Best Board Games For Family Game Night
The best part about board games is how they allow everyone in your family to enjoy time away from the screen. Everyone in your household has probably had their screen time increased by a significant amount ever since the pandemic began, so it’s always a good idea for the whole family to partake in an activity that doesn’t involve the screen.
Read picture books
This may not work with your kids who have outgrown picture books, but if you’ve got young children who still enjoy the magic of a picture book, this one’s for you. It’s a magical experience reading aloud a story to your young one and watching them follow along, and smile and laugh while doing so, especially when the book you’re reading is a really good one.
There are plenty of great picture books out there, but we write about our favorites in this article: 6 Best Picture Books to Read to Your Kid
These are books your kids are sure to love listening to over and over again. Picture books are a great way to develop a child’s comprehension skills and enhance their imagination. Another great thing is that time spent reading is, just like board games, time spent away from the screen; and in this day and age, we always consider that a great thing.
Play video games
Have you got a laptop around? All you need now is a few Bluetooth gamepads and an HDMI cord, and you’re ready to spend the night battling with your family! With most laptops coming with a Bluetooth connection and many games being available for the PC, you don’t need an expensive console to enjoy a good video game with your family.
From racing games like Horizon Chase Turbo to co-op games like Heave Ho, there are plenty of multiplayer video games that’ll entertain even the non-gamer. We write about the best family video games in this article: 5 Best PC Games For Family Game Night
While video games do require you to look at a screen, they involve activity and decision-making, which just laying down on the couch and letting a movie play can’t offer. Everyone’s going to have a blast racing to see who can drive their car fastest to the finish line or who can complete their Tetris building first.
Have a themed movie night
Don’t just limit yourself to the new releases provided by Netflix. There are plenty of great movies available that are still fantastic, even if they’re old! Introduce your kids to all the movies you loved as a kid, or even ones before you were born that you haven’t seen yet.
If you’ve got musically inclined kids, have a 50’s musical movie night with them and put on classic films like Singin’ in the Rain and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. If your kids love cartoons, watch classic animated non-Disney films like The Iron Giant and The Secret of NIMH. If you’ve got kids that love adventure, show them great 80’s adventure films like Back to the Future, The Goonies, and the Indiana Jones trilogy!
The possibilities are endless. You’ll have a ton of nostalgia re-watching all these old films and your kids will have great fun watching films that they otherwise wouldn’t have thought to watch.
Learn a new skill
Who says learning has to be limited to the online classroom? If there’s a skill you’re good at, why not teach it to your kid? This could be anything from playing a musical instrument to folding origami, to even painting or creating art. If it’s something you think your kid will enjoy, your time will be greatly spent teaching them about it. The two of you can even pick a skill neither of you are experienced at but want to learn more of together.
The important thing here is that this is a skill your kid is eager to learn. You can’t force your kid to do something they’re not interested in. It can even be the other way around: if your kid is good at something, why not have them teach you all about it?
Maybe they’re good at sudoku or dancing or 3D programming. Whatever it is, they’re surely going to appreciate that you’re taking such an interest in their hobbies. It’s always wonderful to have something new in common with your kid!
CONCLUSION
The pandemic may not be over, but that doesn’t have to mean fun moments with your family have to be over. Sure, we may all be mostly limited to our homes, but there are plenty of great things we can do inside our homes that are fun, exciting, and memorable.