Build Bonds With These Fun Family Friday Night Activities

Making Memories

Doing something as a group usually has the effect of knitting participants together. Families especially should involve themselves in group activities—the more regularly this takes place, the better. Family games are a great activity for families of all sizes, but they’re not the only thing you can do. Following we’ll explore a few alternatives to help stimulate your imagination.

Board Games, Card Games, And Other Traditional Activities

The first thing many families think of when the term “activities” pops up is board games. These are traditional choices of best family board games that allow for hours of clean, friendly diversion. Competition, critical thinking, and insight abound with a variety of old classics and new iterations of those favorites. Monopoly has a thousand different variations today. It’s also one of the good board games for kids.

Another more modern option you can try is pirates board games. This kind of board game allows you to play the role of pirates. You can choose educational board games, so your kids and other family members are able to learn something. Potato Pirates Card Game, Battlechips Coding Card Game, or Enter The Spudnet may fit this role.

Card games can be as unique as you’d like them to be, especially card games for kids. From Egyptian Rat Killer to B.S., poker in varying iterations, pinochle, and bridge, there are quite a few games that can be played; and there are many kid-friendly card options out there like “Uno” and “Go Fish!”.  These are good choices for family games.

Role-playing games are also a good fit for a lot of families, and you can find some excellent options among these D20 Collective reviews. Beyond traditional games, through the reviews, you might find inspiration for your family’s take on this particular entertainment. The most fun aspect of roleplaying games Is that they lend themselves to imaginative improvisation. 

Photo from Pixabay

Hiking, Biking, Rafting, Sledding, Road Trips, And More

There’s nothing that says your Friday night must necessarily be spent indoors. Even if you’re in a lockdown community, that doesn’t mean you can’t use a $100 projector from Walmart to have an outdoor movie night or family games night on the side of an outbuilding on your property; or on a sheet draped over the family van. Be creative if you’re in a regulated community.

Even so, families that have more mature individuals in them might go on a bike ride through town. If you’ve got a gentle river nearby, you might take some inner tubes down starting in the late afternoon; then spend sunset casually walking back and recounting the day’s adventures.

In colder climates, sledding can be a lot of fun; and this is a great way to get all the energy evicted from younger members of your family with good, clean physical activity. Just be sure to find a hillside that’s properly lit!

Road trips can also be quite diverting; and you might stay the night at a hotel somewhere. A fine pool and play area can allow you to have indoor and outdoor fun simultaneously. There’s nothing wrong with having a “staycation” at your local town’s best resort!

Photo from BoxBlaster

VR/AR Games And Escape Rooms

VR and AR games are reinvigorating for families as its novelty and experiential nature makes it equally engaging and thrilling for both parents and children, also it’s a great experience for family games! The options are plenty, from AR dodgeball to shooting zombies using VR game set. VR/AR game studios and arcades can be visited all year round so there is no additional hassle that goes into the planning, usually an online reservation would be sufficient.

Escape rooms put family bonds to a test because it feature puzzles and mysteries that require the family to work well together to solve them within the given time. It puts children's critical thinking, logical thinking, creativity, problem-solving and communication skills to work. It is a major bonus if the theme of the escape room are inspired by your children's favourite stories, cartoons, or movies. 

Exposing children to these new technology helps to raise their awareness and their interest in STEAM subjects. It allows them to appreciate what they are learning in school and at the same time spur their imagination and storytelling skills. 

If you want to take another leap, you can also try coding games for kids. This allows your kids to rise interest in computer science as well as understand the basic of programming.

Photo from Tactsim

Paintball And Airsoft

For families who have teenagers in the “youngest” position of the group, airsoft and paintball can be a lot of fun. Now you do want to be careful here. Airsoft guns have small plastic “BBs” that can put out an eye if those playing aren’t aware of their surroundings, and employing proper protective gear.

Even so, Airsoft is plenty of fun, and as long as you’ve got good eyewear, only a few mild welts may come—a small price to pay. Paintball can be a bit more painful, but it’s diverting for all ages, everybody gets exercise, and plenty of enduring stories of exploits on the faux battlefield develop after the fact. All you need is an empty outdoor lot somewhere.

Now granted, with this activity you want to know your local community, and check into associated laws to ensure you’re putting your family in any undue legal trouble. That said, in a lot of places, so long as you’re a good steward, you’ll be able to go have an adventure. Also, most paintballs have biodegradable paints.

Photo from Sphero

Building Things Together

Homestead families of old learned to build things together, and the art isn’t lost in modernity. Working together toward a goal is a very affirming activity that is simultaneously educational, and can reduce budgetary constraints. It’s also perfect for family games on Friday night!

What about building a deck to the backyard, getting the whole family involved, and working on it a few hours with music and brews over the next half a dozen weekends? Granted, this isn’t the best option for smaller children, but adults—especially males—tend to have a lot of fun with projects, despite the occasional expletive.

Lack the backyard space for woodworking? Build robots, toys, or electronics projects together instead. Create an automatic time-based pet feeder with the micro:bit or build an electronic music guitar with a littleBits inventor kit. Children learn best while doing, once that passion is ignited, they will continue to work on projects on their own as they grow older. 

Conclusion 

While we’re thinking outside the box, keep in mind that family games and activities need not necessarily be anything trendy. Sometimes you might even reinvigorate old trends. Badminton is a great four-person activity. You can get up to ten on a frisbee golf course without undue hassle, and most disc courses remain open till around nine. Have a round, then come home and watch a film or play the best family board games with your family

Whatever you choose to do as a family, find ways of spending time together. When everyone is pitching in toward a collective goal, it does much to establish a social fabric within which everyone can relate emotionally. Psychologically, this can do much to smooth out rough issues and promote harmonious, positive interaction.