Need tips! What are your family's Game Night traditions?

Question

I want to start a Game Night tradition with my 4 and 5 year olds. Is once a week good, or too often? What suggestions/tips would you give to make it fun?

Answer 1

Let them each pick a game, I like to play Candyland with my 2 and 4 years olds.  Snacks are a good idea too, like popcorn.  

Answer 2

thats a good amount, especially if your busy with work. play pictionary! its fun and a great family game!

Answer 3

We have game night once a week (usually.. during baseball/softball season it's more like once every couple of weeks).  The three kids take turns picking a game, the snack and drinks.  During the summer, we have our game night outside in a tent (the kids LOVE this) and during the winter, in front of the fireplace.  *Santa* brings two new family games every Christmas.  

Answer 4

i think that is a wonderful idea. ask them what type of games they would like to play bring them to the store and have them pick some out.

Answer 5

no keep doing it. its not too much.

i wish our family had game night when i was younger.

im in high school now and i think game nights when i was younger woulda made the family more bonded and less...a mess

Answer 6

on some days me and my dad play madden 09

me and my mom just play board games

and then me and my whole family go out to eat

Answer 7

Great idea to get it started early. I never knew how much kids love game night. I have two boys, 12 and 14 and we just started game night and believe me if we had it more than just once a week they wouldn't mind at all.  At first they may not care for it but laughing and enjoying things together they will love.

For your suggestions or tips?  For that age I would suggest picking out games that gets them involved, not just table games but maybe out door games, hop scotch I enjoyed even as a boy, jumping, aiming and trying to get that throw just right.  Lots of fun, specially for kids around that age. And I'm sure they would love to see mom and dad out there hopping around, ha, ha.  I don't really know any board games, maybe like "Shoots and Ladders" but that is just something that your sitting around doing. We enjoy games like "Apple's to Apples" but that is to complex for your kids age. But you get the idea, I mean that is a game that challenges the brain. Look for games that get them to thinking.

Hope this helps and look forward to having loads and loads of fun. And believe me they will want to do this more than just once a week, the question is will you be able to make time and if mom and dad are going to participate, do you both have the energy, lol.

Have a Blessed Day, Matt.  

Answer 8

At that age I would suggest Chutes and Ladders, Hi-Ho Cherrie O and Candyland.  As they get older I'd move on to Sorry! and Clue.  One thing that we did that our kids loved was play poker and blackjack.  They were more like 8 when we started teaching them these games.  They loved it and it helped with their math skills.  They also both got pretty good at chess. I think once a week is fine.  It's not like you can't play games at other times if you want, but it is nice to set aside one evening to make it special time.  As they get older it will be harder to do it even once a week.

Answer 9

monopoly, dominoes, sorry, clue, uno, any kind of board games or cards. once a week sounds great! i always wanted a family game night every week when i was a kid so i say go for it