‘hood Magazine is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases.
In today’s digital age, it’s important to take time away from screens and enjoy quality moments together as a family. Family nights without screens can foster deeper connections, encourage creativity, and build lasting memories. We all love a good movie night! But, it’s important to help create moments where your family is focused on each other instead of a screen. Encourage everyone in the family to put down their phones (including mom and dad!) for a family night once a week!
Here are 25 fun and engaging activities to do as a family that don’t involve screens!
Board Game Night
Spend some time playing a family favorite board game. Or try a new one! Did you know that many public libraries now let you rent board games? This is a great way to try out something new before purchasing. If you need a recommendation, we love the game Ticket to Ride. They even have a version of the game for younger players.
LEGO Build Challenge
Bring out the LEGO’s for a night of family fun! Either get a new set to put together as a family, build something epic all together, or even host a little challenge night! Team up or play as individuals to challenge each other with the best creation.
Dance Competition
Show your children your silly side with a dance competition! Spend the evening coming up with a dance to a certain song together, or break off into teams to see what kind of dance each group comes up with! May we suggest picking a silly or dramatic song for the most fun.
Card Games
A deck of cards can lead to a house of fun! Teach your children your favorite card games from your own childhood or learn something new. Plus, your kids learning to play cards can be a useful life skill! There are plenty of places where we might be tempted to be either bored or just look at our phones. Playing a game of cards with other people is a great way to pass the time well.
Craft Night
Spent time getting creative! Bring out a bunch of different crafting materials and see what everyone comes up with. Or, pick up an organized craft that everyone in the family can do. Paint some rocks to place out in your landscaping, paint a wooden car, or learn some origami as a family.
Create a Blessings Box
Make a blessing box for someone you know as a family! This could be someone who is going through a hard time, is grieving a loss, or someone you just want to send a reminder of how loved they are. Come up with fun items to send in a box for them! This could be a few small items from the dollar store, something homemade, photos, or anything you think they would love! Make sure to include a letter telling them how much your family loves them. Not only will this end up being a fun evening together, but it is also a great opportunity to show your children how to love others in action!
Volunteer Together
Spend some time giving back! Have everyone in the family come up with a place/cause that they would like to support. Pick one and spend time as a family giving back to the community! For ideas in the Sioux Falls Area of where to volunteer at, check out The Helpline Center.
Family Walk or Bike Ride
A simple family walk or bike ride can be a night full of fun! Take a walk around town or maybe pack up to go walking/biking somewhere in nature. Be intentional with this time and stay off screens! Some amazing conversations can happen while simply walking around outside. For ideas of where to go walking/hiking near Sioux Falls, check out this post!
Campfire Night
Bring out the s’more ingredients and have a family campfire! You could even cook dinner on the fire with things like hot dogs, potato packs, or hamburgers. Take the evening to chat together outside. For ideas of questions to ask, check out our post on 50 questions to ask your kids around the dinner table.
Charades
This classic game is a classic for a reason! Your kids will love seeing you be silly with them. Our children seeing us be comfortable being silly, funny, or wacky helps remind them that they can be too!
Cook Together
Pick a crazy meal to make as a family! Or, if you have older children, challenge them to a cook off! Maybe your family could play their own version of Chopped where you let your kids pick out random ingredients and then as a family you get to figure out what to make. You can always have a frozen pizza ready for later, haha!
Thrifting Fun/Game
Show your kids how thinking and being environmentally conscious can be cool! You can simply go thrifting as a family or make it into a game. Challenge everyone to pick out something for another person and see what everyone finds. Or pick out silly outfits for everyone to wear.
Dollar Store Fun
Let each person have a few dollars at the dollar store! Everyone has to pick out something there to do as a family. Maybe one person will end up getting paint and canvas, another person might get things to make slime, or whatever they come up with!
Homemade Pizza Creation
Have a homemade pizza-making night! Whether pre-prep or buy pizza dough for an easy assembly line preparation. Let each person make their own version of the best pizza. Let everyone try a bit of each so that you can experience everyone’s favorite pizza.
Family Photoshoot
Hold a family photoshoot night! The key here is to make it fun! Come up with silly outfits, funny props, and goofy faces. Your kids will love being silly and the photos will be loved for years to come.
Pottery Night
Get your hands on some clay and make your own pottery! Your kids will love getting to create something permanent and you will love getting to hold on the physical memories of when they were younger. Get some air-dry clay and get crafting!
Puzzle Night
Pick out a puzzle for your family to work on! A puzzle can be surprisingly relaxing and the perfect way to have conversation with kids who get nervous with eye contact during a deep conversation. We love this puzzle for something fun for the whole family!
Swim/Splash Pad Evening
Sometimes, when life is busy, we forget about going to places like the pool or splash pad in the evenings. Plus, with younger children, it’s a lot of work! Prep in advance and spend the evening at a local swimming pool or splash pad. Parents, join in on the fun too! Your kids would love you getting wet with them over standing on the sidelines. For a list of all the swimming pools, waterparks, and splash pads in the Sioux Falls area, click here!
Fishing
Go fishing! Fishing doesn’t have to be complicated. There are many local ponds and small lakes where you can fish in the area. Make the evening less about bringing all the gear and instead keep it simple. Even if you don’t catch anything, it’s time outside with your family. If you don’t know how to fish, check out the free classes offered at the Outdoor Campus in Sioux Falls!
Backyard CornHole
Invest in some yard games as a family! Make sure to not just pull them out for parties too! Your kids will love playing some yard games after dinner. This cornhole set even comes with a carrying case for easy storage and transportation.
Airplane Making Contest
Bring out some paper and spend the night making paper airplanes! Your children will love learning how to transform a simple piece of paper into an airplane. Get a book from the library about how to make them or find a great kit for learning how to make one!
Family Spa Night
Kick back with a family spa night! Make some DIY face masks, do each other’s nails, and play some soothing music. Even if someone in your family is not typically into “spa” things, they can still have a blast if you make it silly and fun!
Homemade Ice Creaming Making Night
Make your own ice cream as a family! Making your own ice cream is a fairly easy and simple process if you have never done it. Have each person pick out their own inventive flavors to make. Have lots of mix-ins for extra inventive fun! You can go big with an electric ice cream maker or get something you shake like these ice cream makers!
Sidewalk Chalk Fun
Keep it simple with sidewalk chalk! Get a HUGE box of sidewalk chalk and really go wild. Create an epic scene, a big jumping course, and cover your entire driveway/sidewalk. It may be a simple activity but it’s also fun for the whole family.
Giant Coloring Playhouse
Buy a big coloring playhouse and spend the evening coloring as a family! At the end of the night not only will you have spent time together, but you would have colored a toy your kids can play with for weeks to come!
Have Fun!
Making sure that you have intentional time without screens each week can easily become your favorite day! By taking away screens and distractions we show our kids that they are our priority. Reminding them that you desire to listen to them, create memories with them, and have fun with them is a gift each week!
