How To Host A Game Night For Kids. Game Night is just about kids spending time with their friends; planning it doesn’t have to be complicated. Thank you Goliath Games for sponsoring this post. Pick up your favorite game today to enjoy the holiday season and beyond!
Now that the colder weather is upon us and it’s dark at 4:30 pm, our kids are scrambling for things to do after school. Most weekday afternoons, we have activities to take them to like martial arts, basketball, and swimming. But come Friday, we’re free and I take “Freedom Fridays” very seriously.
After a long week for everyone, nothing says, “YES! The weekend is here!!” like being able to casually unwind with family or friends. That’s why we spend our Fridays either watching a movie in front of the fire squashed on the couch together (aka: Family Movie Night) or playing rowdy board games (with or without friends).
Although my introverted nature usually prefers Family Movie Night, the kid in me loves Game Night. And to be honest, it’s really easy to host a game night with friends and it’s a really enjoyable way to get everyone together. The key is to keep it super simple and lots of fun!
How To Host A Game Night For Kids: Keep It Simple And Fun
1.) Tidy Up Your House.
I know this is the last thing you want to hear from me, but tough noogies. Over the years, I’ve learned that “tidying up” and “cleaning” are two completely different things. Tidying up is quick and easy. Cleaning is exhausting and takes forever. So, I simply tidy up and this makes me feel so much better when guests arrive. All it takes is a little vacuuming, putting away some non-essential toys, and wiping down the surfaces.
2.) Game Night Can Be At Any Time Of Day.
Whatever you do, don’t get hung up on the time of day. Kids love being with other kids and they don’t really care what time it is. So, just schedule it for a time that works for everyone. Our Game Night was held after school on a Friday. It convenient time for the adults and was over before dinner time.
3.) Pick Games That Everyone Can Enjoy.
Kid-friendly Game Nights may involve kids of all different ages. This can make choosing which games to play a bit tricky. We like to keep a variety of games on hand so that everyone has something age appropriate to enjoy. Some of the exciting games we played were Shark Bite (Pressman Toys), Giggle Wiggle, Doggie Doo, Pop the Pig, and Catch the Fox (all from Goliath Games).
The kids loved these games because they were easy enough to get a handle on right away (no need for reading a ton of instructions) and involved different types of surprises to keep them on their toes.
4.) Pick The Games Before The Guests Arrive.
We have a lot of board games at our house. The winters can be long, cold, and dreary in New York and I don’t allow my kids to have too much screen time, so they need other ways to entertain themselves. When hosting a game night for kids, I like to pick a few games ahead of time. This keeps everyone from tearing apart the basement and opening up everything in sight. I usually offer up 4-5 games and the kids can choose to take turns playing them all or just focus on one.
When we hosted this Game Night, we had a toddler on hand and he wanted to play Giggle Wiggle first. The bright green caterpillar has a ton of hands that wiggle everywhere and command your attention. It’s a very active and challenging game that had all of the kids (yes, even the older ones too) screaming with laughter as they played. When they finished, he set his sights on Shark Bite. This super cute shark face has colorful sea creatures that easily snap into its mouth and then you go fishing. But, watch out! You never know when the shark is going to bite your rod and freak you out! I yelled out loud each time it happened!
Once the little guy had his fill, the older kids quickly sprang into action. I’d love to say they played Doggie Doo, Pop the Pig, and Catch the Fox all in an organized fashion, but that would be a lie. Each kid was pretty content playing whichever game spoke to his or her inquisitive minds. Plus, the little kids were just as happy to play these games to with assistance from the older kids!
We have our own backyard chickens, so my kids went for Catch the Fox first. The game involves the greedy fox snapping up chickens and stuffing them into his pockets. The kids are in charge of rescuing the chickens and returning them to the chicken coop. The best part? His pants fall down when he gets too greedy!
Pop the Pig was another favorite even though we’ve had this game for quite some time now. I’m not sure why kids get such a kick out of stuffing food into the Pig’s mouth, but they love it. I’m also guessing that they really enjoy the suspense factor: they watch his belly grow and eventually he “pops” his belly and his belt.
The last game we played was Doggie Doo. This was a brand new game for us and it delivers on all accounts. It has a cute puppy. It involves poop. And, it has a surprise factor. I mean really, what more could you ask for? The kids just couldn’t get enough of feeding the dog and making it poop. You’re supposed to clean it up, but they couldn’t stop laughing long enough to do it.
5.) Keep The Food Simple!
The whole premise of Game Night (or Day) is to have fun playing games. Food is secondary. No one wants to stop playing to go have a sit-down meal. No one wants to stop playing, period. So, when we host a game night, we keep the food super simple. Think finger foods: dips, salsa, popcorn, cookies, and brownies.
We did get a tad bit creative for this Game Night and tied some of the finger foods into the games that I had picked out. But, we still kept it simple meaning that everything was store-bought and just embellished a bit more at home. For example, pre-iced cupcakes from the store were topped with Gummy Fish for Shark Bite, melted chocolates were placed onto cookies for Doggie Doo, and pudding packs were topped with crushed cookie “dirt” and gummy worms for Giggle Wiggle.
As long as you keep in mind that Game Night is just about kids spending time with their friends, planning it doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s just a fun excuse to host a casual get together for your kids so you can hang out with their parents!
Thansk for stopping by,
Denine
Want more Game Night Snack Ideas?
- popcorn trail mix recipe
- healthy homemade salsa recipe
- best baked crab dip recipe
- no stress chocolate chip cookies
- gluten-free dark chocolate brownies with ganache
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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