Planning your family game night
Remember when families were encouraged to spend dinner together? After all, before the pandemic, we had busier lives. Those who worked tended to get errands and home-stuff done while students studied or went out with friends. There was simply less time to be together.
All that changed with COVID-19. Many are sick of looking at each other with nothing to do. And let’s face it: those family dinners are less of a thrill – and we’re left with less to talk about.
Enter the family game night. With a surge of more board games being purchased and played, it’s the right time to start a new tradition.
Planning for a family board game night isn’t difficult. But if you don’t know where to start, read on…
- Clear all our schedules and make it an important date. Doing this sends a message to your family about your priorities. Even during a shelter-in-place, it may be hard to gather all the members for a night, especially if you have teenagers. Once you have set the time and date, stick to it. The last thing you want to do is to cancel the night because of some important appointments or deadlines you have beat.
- Mobile devices (and other distractions) are off-limits. As difficult as it is not to be attached to the hip, turn off your cellphones and other devices. Make sure that there are no other things that need to be done, like homework and chores.
- Vary the games. I love Scrabble, but playing it all the time can become boring for others. Also, make sure that games have a balanced combination of luck and strategy so that everyone can have a fair chance of winning. Letting each person have a turn picking out a game for the night is a great way to compromise.
- Snacks are a must! Playing and eating go hand in hand, I think. I suggest keeping away from messy things. (Who wants cheese puffs dust all over game pieces?) I’ll be sharing a few of my favorite snacks for a game night next time.
