“And also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor – it is the gift of God” Ecclesiastes 3:13 NKJV
The beginning of a new school year always scares me.
I like summer. I enjoy the relaxed atmosphere, the lack of homework, and my children sleeping in. As summer draws to an end, the panic begins to rise. I dread the schedules, the rules, the expectations that come with a new school year. Not because they don’t all lead to good habits and things in my children’s future, but because it seems to steal all of the family fun away in the process.
Once the school year gets moving, life careens out of control it seems. Everything from homework, to after-school activities, and earlier bed times can begin to steal the summer joy we’ve enjoyed while also making things feel over structured, and overwhelmed.
Last year, I decided to tackle this issue by instilling (and guarding) a Family Fun Night at our house. By the end of the school year everyone in our home looked forward to it, loved participating, and held me to the promise that we would do it consistently.
I wanted our family night to accomplish three things:
- Teach my children the life skills of socializing and hospitality
- Give us an opportunity to talk—really talk—at least once a week about our lives and how God was moving in them
- Have a fun activity scheduled together each week
Are you worried about the school year and losing the closeness with your kids due to the madness of scheduling obligations? Start your own Family Fun Night with these four easy steps:
Step 1: Schedule it!
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12 NIV). In the day-to-day life of a family, we need to schedule in togetherness time as much as any other task. Find a day of the week that is open on everyone’s schedule. Once that day is determined, declare it your Family Fun Night and protect it with everything you have!
Don’t allow yourself, or any other family member to schedule things on that day. Decide ahead of time that it is a time to be not only protected, but cherished.
Step 2: Make a Plan
“Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed” (Proverbs 16:3 NLT).
What do you want to accomplish on your family night? Do you want your children to learn a skill along the way like cooking or hospitality? Do you want faith to be a focus, teach them how to pray in a group, or open the discussion to how God is working in their lives? Do you want to keep it at home or be a night out each week? Maybe you’d like to combine a few ideas and change it up each week. A word of caution here: whatever you decide, come up with a plan, and then put it on the calendar. If you don’t have a plan in place, your family night will slowly fade as other time-stealers take over. Commit now, so you’ll reap the benefits later.
Step 3: Get Talking
“Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it” (Proverbs 22:6 NLT).
In the beginning, conversation may feel awkward if you are not use to sitting down at a family meal regularly with the goal of simply talking and having fun. But, it’s also a crucial time to bring up things you need to discuss with your children.
So, keep some conversation starters in mind, and address each family member with at least one question that is individual to them. It’s easy to bring up questions about faith or to pray over something that one family member is struggling with when once you have this regular weekly communication in place.
Before long, your Family Fun Nights will be so full of great talks; you won’t be able to pull them away from the table!
Step 4: Keep it Playful
“Praise him with the tambourine and dancing; praise him with strings and flutes!” (Psalm 150:4 NLT).
When life gets over-scheduled during the school year, some planned playtime with the family provides a much needed respite for everyone. Whether you play your favorite board game, go out for a night of bowling, or simply watch a DVD together, keep the atmosphere playful and light so that everyone has a good time.
One of my tricks on nights we choose to go out for dinner is to play a game while we are waiting on our food: we choose a category (like animals) and then go around the table in alphabetical order saying the first thing that comes to mind (Alligator, Baboon, Cougar, etc.). Just remember: it doesn’t have to be complicated to be fun!
Starting your Family Fun Night is a great way to ensure that you and your family remain close, have an opportunity to expand your faith together, and keep fun a priority in your life during the busy school year.
Get a plan in place, respect the time you set aside, and you’ll soon discover it’s the night you look forward to most each week.
- How could your family benefit from a weekly Family Fun Night during the school year?
- What are three things that you would like to accomplish during your Family Fun Night?
- How can you make faith a regular part of your Family Fun Night each week?
This is just one of the helpful stories found in GETTING IT TOGETHER – 31 Days to a More Together You! If you haven’t received your copy yet, subscribe for a daily dose of mom tips, encouragement and love and get your copy today!
- Ch…ch…ch…CHANGES Are Coming in 2017 for TMI - December 27, 2016
- What New Thing Are You Ready to See God Do in Your Life in 2017? - December 26, 2016
- Heaviness and Newness - December 23, 2016
