Taking time to have a regular family movie night with your children can help you to create great memories for everyone included. A movie night can give your family some well needed time together in this world of busy and hectic schedules for everyone in your household. I’m sure that my own family isn’t the only one that can suddenly find that a few days have gone by without really sitting down together. That is why a family movie night can be just the prescription needed to get you and your children to sit down and just be together. Here are a few tips on how to have a successful movie night that you and your children will enjoy and may even become a regular occurrence in your household.
Pick Your Perfect Day- Planning your movie night ahead of time can make a huge difference in how successful your movie night ends up. You can not spring your idea of a family movie night on your busy family at the last minute. Especially if everyone already has plans. I suggest picking your day at least one week in advance. If you want to make your family movie night a regular weekly or monthly occurrence then be sure to let everyone know this ahead of time so that they will not schedule anything for those nights. Choosing the perfect day for your family movie night can make all the difference in the world with how the idea is greeted by your family members. Your perfect day does not have to be the traditional Friday or Saturday night, especially if those days are already filled with planned activities. When my children were busy with their sports back in the fall, Tuesday was our free day. We had nothing planned on Tuesdays so that day became our perfect movie night. Just go with which ever day is the perfect day for you and your family.
Which Movie to Choose- Choosing the right movie for your entire family can be a big challenge. If you have older children and teens then your movie choices are a good bit different than if you have young children and toddlers. Only you can decide what is appropriate for your family given what ages your children are. Right now my girls are still pretty young so most of their movie choices are animated and/or Disney related movies. I’m sure that in a few years, when my oldest is a teen, I will have to be more diligent in what movies will be allowed. When you are choosing the movie or movies for your family’s movie night it is a good idea to let your children offer their input and help choose the movies. Children love to be a part of the decision making process and are more likely to enjoy the movies being played if they had a hand in choosing the movies to begin with.
Time For The Snacks- All family movie nights need a variety of snacks. When you go to a movie theater what is the first place you head for? The concession stand, of course! So why not offer a nice variety of snacks that your whole family will enjoy. You don’t have to give in to their sugar cravings if you don’t want to. You can create snack plates filled with healthier options like fresh fruits, veggies, fat free dips, cheese, crackers and even lite popcorn. Don’t forget the drinks. You have to have something to wash down all of those yummy snacks so why not offer a few simple drinks like 100% fruit juices and even some flavored water. Those are much healthier choices than the traditional colas and soft drinks. Of course, if you want to go all out and let movie night be your family’s “splurge night” then by all means throw a lot of mini chocolate bars, candies, chips and extra buttered popcorn into several big bowls and set them out for movie night. We all need a day to splurge on the unhealthy goodies.
A Comfortable Location- Choosing the best location to hold you family movie night might seem like a no-brainer but there can be a few decisions to make in regards to choosing a comfortable location. Of course, you will want to watch your movies in the room with the best entertainment system but if you plan to watch several movies in a row then you will want a spot that will be comfortable for extended periods of time. If you plan on watching only one movie then almost any location will do. Do you and your children like to curl up in your bed to watch movies or do you have the perfect cushiony sofa that everyone loves to sit on? Where ever you choose make sure that you set out some pillows and blankets for everyone to enjoy. Make sure there is plenty of space for everyone to spread out and relax. That’s one thing that I hate about movie theaters, the lack of space. I like to be able to twist and turn and prop up in different positions when I’m watching a movie.
Let’s Have a Discussion- Once the movie has come to an end, it is now the perfect time to talk to your family and discuss the movie you just watched. It’s a great time to get your children’s interpretations of what they just saw. How do you think Cinderella felt when the wicked step-sisters tore her gorgeous dress to shreds? A discussion about the movie will surely bring about very interesting thoughts from everyone in your family…..especially the young kids. I know my girls can come up with some very unusual and entertaining aspects during our discussions.
Having a successful family movie night can lead to even more time spent together as a family. These moments can bring everyone closer together and you may even learn something new about your kids. Take some time, choose a movie and have a great night with the ones you love the most.
