You can have some great nights in with the kids this summer, and it costs so much less than going out anywhere! Photo credit bbc.co.uk
Earlier this week I shared a post about my favourite free (or near as can be) day trips with kids in our local area (if you missed it, you can read it here). It’s been really popular with tonnes of you kindly sharing it over social media and commenting that you found it really helpful, so I thought I’d do something similar with regards to family NIGHTS in. I know it’s not as common to take the kids out in the evening, but the thing is, if you have had a really boring, quiet day at home and you know the kids still have energy left over, then it can be ideal to have a family night/evening event… Just to mix things up, you know?
So here goes:
1.) Make Pizzas and devour them together.
I love doing this with the kids, we used to do it at least once a week. I’ve written down my pizza dough recipe here before, and I think it’s something that everyone can have a go at. The best way I have found to have a funky pizza night is to have a tonne of prepared ingredients and put them out in bowls for your kids, part cook your base and then allow your children to finish off the pizzas by adding whatever they want! Make sure you only put out stuff they like to avoid the refusal to eat, but give them free range (ish) after that. They will feel so proud of their pizza making skills, especially if you made the dough together earlier in the afternoon.
2.) Movie night and treats
We love a movie night in this house, it’s something that everyone enjoys and we try to do it as much as we can really – usually once a week on a Friday. The kids think it’s awesome that they get to stay up a touch later than usual and we all enjoy getting under a blanket, snuggling together in our pjs and eating crisps, popcorn or sometimes hot dogs, pizza or nachos. It’s great fun and picking the right movie is the hardest part!
3.) An indoor (or garden) camp site
This works all year round, and it’s so much fun. If it’s miserable outside you can make a camp site in the house, pick a room, pitch your tent and use a mini indoor-safe BBQ to cook some camp fire sausages, corn on the cob and even to toast marshmallows for s’mores! If you have a reasonable weather forecast it’s even more fun to go outside. Either way you need sleep bags, a good tent (which if you don’t have, you can make out of sheets in the living room) and the willingness to come inside if little ones aren’t loving it, which they usually are!
4.) Cultural night
I’ve written about this idea before, you can read it here if you missed it, but this was something that my family used to do every week. We loved it! The best thing about a culture night is that the whole thing can take up a full day of you choose, you can even use it to fill up bits and bobs throughout the week with things like colouring the flags, making crafts or learning about that nationality. So, here’s what we do, we pick a country from a hat and then we cook a traditional banquet for the whole family to eat. Yes, it’s time consuming, but that is kind of the point it’s a great way to fill up a day over the holidays, plus it gets everyone trying different cuisines.
5.) Take out
Isn’t getting take out like some kind of western tradition? Ok, it’s not the cheapest thing to do but we all deserve a treat, and if you are thinking of a budget then you can always get the fab take outs from supermarkets or deli shops. There is something really fun and exciting about sitting around eating from cartons, cardboard boxes and having a mini feast – if anything it’s more fun than visiting a restaurant with restless and excitable kids. Treat yourself to something like a chocolate fountain with strawberries, marshmallows and shortcakes to dunk in – so fun!
I hope this gives you some ideas for having fun in the evening with your kids this summer, enjoy a night in with kids!
Harriet x
