23 Fun Family Night Ideas That Aren't a Movie

From Mario Bros. to Mario Kart to Wii Fitness, select an age-appropriate video game, determine a mutually agreed duration and play! Set the stage - kids versus adults - and see who takes the crown.

From Baby Shark to Hamilton, everyone's favorite songs are fair game when you work together to compile your family's signature playlist.

Charades is a great way to get some use out of that kids art easel in your playroom. Fill a cup with strips of paper with words on them, and take turns drawing and guessing. Split into two teams if your family can handle the competition, and change the difficulty of the words based on the age of your kids.

Alexandra F.:  We started our book club a few years ago when the kids were about 6 and 8, and it has been one of our all-time favorite family activities! We choose a book at the right grade level that everyone will read (usually independently) and then come together over a meal or other fun activity to discuss it. My favorite part has been that we always have something fun to talk about over dinner!

Shila:  Make your own ice cream sundaes for family night in! Offer a few choices of ice cream flavors, as well as any dessert toppings you have on hand like fruits, jams, candies, melted chocolate, sprinkles, etc.

If your kids are interested in space there are lots of easy ways to nurture this curiosity! It can be as simple as going into your backyard to look at stars, perhaps learning some constellations. A small telescope for home can make it especially fun, though check to see if any nearby colleges open up their large telescopes to the public, too.

Shila:  Organize a cooking challenge together! Popular shows to take family night ideas from include "Chopped" or "Hell's Kitchen" where you're assigned special ingredients and/or particular entrees to prepare. There can be a sit-out neutral judge (or not) to decide which plate tastes the best!

Most kids love trivia games, and family friendly trivia night is a hit with a wide range of ages! If your kids are old enough, you can let everyone in the family come up with their own category and themed questions to ask so everyone gets a chance to be the host. This would also work really well as a game over Zoom or Facetime played with extended family, where each family comes up with a round of questions together.

Kelly R:  We love these giant coloring posters from Pirasta! We're now on our third one, and I think our family favorite so far is the America one.

Put one of our picks for the best family games to the test and spend the evening playing together.

Shila:  Customize your own pizza pie with all the toppings you want spread out on an assembly line. Make-your-own pizza is one of the easiest dinner ideas for kids and perfect for a family fun night. Use fresh dough or store bought! Tip: you can even take a frozen cheese pizza and add specialized toppings to that.

Plan your own at-home spa experience with any combination of fluffy robes, kid-friendly face masks, manicures, hair braiding, sugar scrubs, soothing music and warm tea.

Spend the evening working together on a charitable project that will give back, and teach your kids the importance of performing good deeds for others. You can find a variety of volunteer opportunities for kids that you can do right at home, from creating blankets for people in need to writing letters of thanks to our troops.

Kelly R:  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:  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!