Movie night can be a great time for a family to come together and have some good family fun. But sometimes what was supposed to be fun for all turns into more of a brawl. So follow these few simple steps to guarantee that your next family movie night is a roaring success.
Set a time. Choose a date and make sure that everyone is aware that the night is set-aside for a family movie night. Then just like when you are going to the theatre set a time that your family movie is going to start. When the time arrives, turn off the phone, and gather in front of the T.V. Since our children our younger we often eat dinner while watching the movie. We set a tablecloth on the floor for the kids to sit on and eat finger foods like pizza or chicken nuggets and fries while we watch.
Get the chores done. Work together as a family to get chores like dishes and picking up toys completed before the movie starts. This way everyone can enjoy movie night without worrying about neglected chores.
Dress it up. Make your family movie night more like a real theatre experience. Have your children make tickets and sell them from a cardboard box office. Children can take turns being a conductor and leading the other family members to their seats. Darken the room as much as possible. Make sure that you have plenty of seating. If you can’t fit the entire family on the couch spread pillows and blankets on the floor for the kids.
Eat some treats. Buy traditional movie theatre candy, soda, and of course popcorn. You might try mixing treats together and add M&M’s and peanuts to your popcorn. Or make caramel popcorn.
Pick the right movie. You will never be able to completely satisfy every member in the family. But it is essential that you pick a movie that everyone can enjoy to some degree. Disney or other cartoons are always a good choice, both more recent films and those from your own childhood. My children have enjoyed watching Love Bug, Scooby-doo and Robin Hood as well as new releases. Older classics can be bought on E-bay or rented though on-line movie programs like Netflix. If you have both older and younger children you might want to watch a cartoon or Disney movie first. Put the younger children to bed then choose a movie that the older children will enjoy more.