Photo by Ztil301
We’ve all seen commercials and read articles about having a “family game night”. But what’s the big deal? Why bother?
Here are 5 Reasons that Family Game night is Frugal Fun:
#1-Games can be completely free. Charades, Eye Spy, 20 Questions none of these require a thing except your imagination!
#2-Card games are practically free. Everyone seems to have a deck somewhere in the house. Athough I haven’t personally bought a deck in years I can’t imagine that it would cost more than a dollar or two. I found a great “Rules of Card Games” website that has tons of card games all listed alphabetically. Some of our family favorites for adults and older kids to play are Spades, Hearts & Bullshit. For younger kids & adults mixed we like Go Fish, War and Old Maid.
#3-Board games don’t have to be expensive. Many games can be bought for a pittance at yard sales & resale shops. You, your mom or your neighbors probably have a basic edition of Sorry, Scrabble and Monopoly hanging around somewhere! Missing pieces?? The Northern Cheapskate has a great article on what you can do! Want to buy new? Walmart has a bunch of games and puzzles available for under $20 as do many other retailers.
#4- Games can be active. Tired of the kids sitting on the couch watching TV? Want everyone to have fun and be active together? Play Twister! Organize a back yard kickball game, play tag, use that dartboard in the basement. . . If you have one, get up off the couch and play on a Wii. . . There are plenty of games that can get the blood pumping.
#5- Games can bring everyone together. How often can you find an activity that Dads, Moms, Grandparents & kids of all ages can enjoy together? I mean try finding an outing that you can all go on together without someone being bored or upset. For that matter try finding a TV show that everyone will watch and enjoy together! Games can be played by a variety of skill levels and ages at the same time. Everyone can enjoy themselves and spend some time interacting and bonding. That alone is priceless!
So don’t be shy, think about starting a family game night of your own! It doesn’t have to be a weekly event~sometimes with today’s schedules that can be too much. What about once a month? Find a date and get it on the calendar, you won’t be sorry.
Photo by ztil301 / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Great article! Family games also build so many healthy attributes (Developmental assets) that kids need to succeed – creative activities, supportive family relationships, positive family communication, time at home… I’m going to share your article at our blog for positive youth development – http://www.TheAssetEdge.blogspot.com. Thanks!
Jigsaw puzzles are also great fun, promote logical thinking, and can be incorporated as part of game night. Thrift shops abound with used puzzles, though I’ve always been afraid to buy them for fear pieces might be missing. An added bonus, some puzzles are still made in America, from recycled paper no less (check out Great American Puzzle Company; I’ve picked up some of their puzzles at Target).
I hope my last post didn’t come through multiple times; I lost my internet connection about the time I hit ‘send’ and had to retry a few times before I finally reconnected.