Plan A Family Game Night On A Budget

Spending a fun night at home with the kids playing different games and having a family favorite meal is a wonderful way to stretch your entertainment dollar. Often cash strapped Moms and Dads can’t afford a night at the movies for the family or simply wish they could attend a major sporting event with the kids.

The reality is that yes, children would like to do those things, but spending time as a family is just as much fun. Once your kids are old enough encouraging them to get involved in helping you with planning a family game night is a great way to be very inclusive and ensure that you are doing things that everyone will enjoy.

Some low cost ideas for a family game night include:

• Make snacks or meals at home that are favorites for the family. Kids will love a “make it yourself pizza night” or making their own treats and healthy snacks.
• Use a spinner or numbered dice to allow each child to roll to choose a game. Each game is numbered to correspond with a number on the dice, which avoids issues about who gets to choose.
• Consider a game swap night with the neighbors. You can swamp board games or other games that you have in your house with theirs, giving everyone a new set of games to play without the need to buy anything.
• Go unplugged and limit games to those that don’t include technology. This avoids the additional costs of renting games and encourages interaction and conversation between the entire family.
• Try playing old school games like jacks, marbles, charades, or even go outside and have a family game of soccer, basketball or football in the back yard. You can always make up your own game using different toys and items that you have around the house.

The biggest benefit to being on a budget is that you can really get creative. Encourage your kids to come up with ideas for family game nights; you may be surprised at what they enjoy.