24 Fun Family Night Ideas That Aren't a Movie

Kelly R said:  Roll out an extra large paper across the dining room table and set out a bunch of art supplies. Everyone can sit around the table and spend a fun family night in working together to create a big mural. Come up with a theme (like under the sea or favorite storybooks) and everyone can draw and color their own piece of the big picture. We like doing art projects like this while listening to a family audiobook or playlist.

Shila said:  Pitch a tent in your backyard on any warm night - or inside your home! Bring along a sleeping bag, flashlights, a favorite campfire recipe, a couple comic books, and maybe a deck of cards to play a few card games. On a clear night too, you'll catch amazing stargazing opportunities!

Alexandra F. said:  We love karaoke nights at our house, and whether we’re singing Moana’s greatest hits, groovin’ to Taylor Swift, or belting out our favorite show tunes, everyone including toddler, teen, mom and dad loves taking their turn with the microphone. Though it’s definitely a splurge we are big fans of our Singtrix system, which doesn’t require any special song tracks and syncs with any smart device to allow you to browse YouTube or anywhere online to find your perfect song. It's a great family gift idea!

Whether you're working together on a complicated new kit or using the collection you already have to try creative build ideas or LEGO games, playing with LEGOs is a fun and low-key way to spend family night.

Whether you're brainstorming spots for your next vacation or creating a full travel itinerary, dedicating some time to planning a family adventure is a great idea for either an at home date night activity or a family night in with older kids who can help with research.

Alexandra F. said:  If your kids love a good mystery story, bring the story to life by hosting your very own mystery dinner theatre for an epic family theme night. You can purchase a mystery game template that is ready to use, find free ones online, or even make up your own if you really want to go all out. Create characters, outline the basic plot, write out clues and give everyone a role, and see who can solve the mystery first!

These popular problem-solving game rooms are popping up all over the country, but they can be an equally fun way to spend a family night at home! There are escape room games available for purchase, or you can check out any of the free virtual escape rooms for kids that have been created by local libraries (and others!) around the country, including popular themed ones like Harry Potter, The Mandalorian, or Avengers. This is an especially fun family night idea to enjoy with older kids, tweens and teens!

Kelly R said:  Have fun taste testing a bunch of different brands or flavors of a certain type of food! Each family member can try them all and rate each one from 1-10. Remove everything from its original container for a blind taste test. Pick a fun food that the parents and kids will enjoy to make this family night idea fun for everyone. You could try different brands of salsas, pickles or jelly beans, or different flavors of Doritos.

The beautiful thing about audiobooks for kids is that reading level matters a little bit less, so listening together is a perfect family night idea even if your kids vary quite a bit in age. Big kids (and adults!) can fully enjoy listening to a captivating story read aloud even if it's intended for younger kids, and little kids can handle stories that are a bit more challenging than they would read on their own.

MamaBear said:  My family often tells me that just adding the word "party" doesn't automatically make something fun (though I maintain that a family cleaning party is much more enjoyable that doing our chores), but a reading party really is one of my favorite fun ways to spend some quiet time as a family. Plus, we model and encourage a love for reading that way, too! Usually everyone will just pick their own book to read (or have read to them), but sometimes we tie it in with a family book club book we are all choosing to read together. Either way, we spend some relaxing time reading as a family.