In need of good family fun ideas

[PrincessFiona]

I used to do Friday Family Fun Night every Friday when Andrew, Amanda, and Alex were little.

Now I do nothing. The kids range in age from 9-21. The older kids work. Things have just changed.

We don't even eat meals together anymore because of everyone's schedules.

I want to start some new traditions to bring us back together and I need some ideas.

Kris


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[TulipsAndSunscreen]

Movie Night? Board games?

[PrincessFiona]

In need of good family fun ideas

Movie Night? Board games?

It's the age differences that make this so hard: 9, 12, 16. 19, 20

No one wants to play the same game, eat at the same restaurant or watch the same movie.


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[Pollyanna]

It's so hard to have set activities like that once kiddos hit high school (let alone college). We can't do movie night so much either so we try to sneak as much family time in as possible. Sometimes it's dinner in the car or dessert together at 9 or 10 in the evening. In the fall we always manage to watch at least one football game together on Saturday. We have a group text that we use to send funny memes or interesting events throughout the day or week. The youngest two can't be in on the group text but we make sure to share with them as much as possible. We always go to Mass together and go to the time that works out for everyone (college students go on their own except when they are in town). If you don't go to a church service you could plan a Sunday activity that happens without fail.

We just try to be very aware of the importance of spending time together and continuing to build and develop those relationships so we try to sneak in time together whenever possible. We keep family time sacred, that means minimal inviting of friends over, turning down nearly all work functions, etc. Even with all of that it is really hard. Some weeks it will seem like we've all been running in 22 different directions and it's not easy like when you could just have a set movie night, finding family time is a challenge to be sure.

[Meenah]

I would focus on family fun night with the younger ones. If the older ones want to participate, great.

[Thirteen]

It's the age differences that make this so hard: 9, 12, 16. 19, 20

No one wants to play the same game, eat at the same restaurant or watch the same movie.


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In that case, I would rotate who gets to choose. That's what my parents did to "keep it fair".


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[Deebs]

What about some seasonal activities? Cookie decorating night? Snowball fight day/snow play day? Decorating Valentines? Pizza night - could include buying or making dough and getting a bunch of toppings for make your own.
I'm trying to think of things that brought my sisters and I back to my parent's house after college. It was more those types of activities. While they're not weekly, they're definitely memory making and have no age restrictions.


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[Windsurfer]

The range is 16-18 in my case, and yes they do tend to go into their rooms and come out when they need to. We have a tradition of pizza and a move for supper on Saturday nights and they get to pick the movie or TV series.

[Sheherezade]

We had to switch from movie nights to a family viewed tv show. Two hours was too long to demand togetherness. Lol. We find the series that work best cross generationally are reality competitions, like Top Chef and Survivor. Everyone can root for their favorites and we like to discuss it, yet no one is too invested so no fighting.

It is hard. I think from the teen years on to everyone is adulthood, family traditions get wobbly. I say do what works, but be flexible to change.


Angie

[Howfunitis]

My dad had us all sit together and watch a movie he liked or felt appropriate for everyone. Being the oldest now, I watch movies with the oldest ones and the only young one gets to do something else with us. Like go ice skating or eat ice cream or play games with her on the Wii


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[rufflesanddots]

Friday night for us used to be Boboli pizza night. My mom would take us to the store, get a two-pack of Boboli pre-made crust, and let us each pick out a few toppings each. Really fun, and a really easy dinner. You could do a similar thing with baked potatoes, salads, burritos, tacos, etc. Keep it going for dessert and do a sundae bar, too. If Friday nights aren't good with commitments, maybe there's a time during the weekend people could all do pancakes and eggs together.

I know there's a big age range, but some of the kid movies available are really enjoyable. You could also do a family walk, board games (something like Cranium that does teams so the younger kids could get some guidance from older kids/parents), charades, hide-and-seek, etc. I'm sure it sucks, but if the older kids choose to be reclusive it's kind of their loss. Maybe if they see everyone else having fun they'll get curious and check it out.

[spotty_dog]

I have fond memories of being about 10-12 and having take-out pizza, playing Spit and watching Star Trek: TNG every Saturday night. Cards and TV show were just me and my mom, I think we did that after my younger brother went to bed...

You could look for games and movies that cross the generational gap, like Monopoly and Star Wars? Clue? The Avengers?

[HouseofWool]

We do Family Movie Night (TM) nearly every Friday night that the kids are with me. They get upset if we have other obligations. I pop up a ridiculous amount of popcorn and we eat that for dinner. We take turns picking out movies and frequently watch classic movies. (Princess Bride, Goonies, Back to the Future, vintage Disney)

I realize the age spans are vastly different, but we struggle too because there is a 6 year gap between mine. Sometimes, C and I will watch a big kid movie after S goes to bed.

[HouseofWool]

Also, I would talk to the olders about how you want to recreate this tradition with the youngers. Emphasize that you understand that they have outside obligations, but if they are home on the designated nights, you hope they will participate.

My guess is that they have fond memories of this and given the right encouragement, will find the joy in paying it forward.

[Sheherezade]

My kids started fighting like cats and dogs over movie choices and outing choices at one point. It was miserable and not at all worth the trouble. We had a year or so of horrible "family events" that ended up with tears or screaming. So not fun. Anyhoo, my point is adjustments are sometimes necessary, in some families. I hope your situation is easier! For us though, old traditions had to get remade to work for the new reality. We still have family time, but wow, it was hard to find some things that worked.

The zoo, though. The zoo is ALWAYS a winner for our group, at any age. Everyone loves to walk around outside and look at animals. (Ditto cycling or hiking)