As families now average around 37 minutes of quality time together a day, family game night can be a more appealing activity than ever. Coming up with game night ideas is hard but finding a way to introduce the concept to your family can be even harder.

Here are five ways to bring family game night back to your family in a way that makes them a regular event.

1. Let Your Kids Pick a Game

While there are some great family game classics that have lasted throughout the years, finding the right game that your kids are going to be into is a challenge. There are new games that have come out since you were a kid and they’re more fun and interactive than ever. Unless you follow the world of games closely, you might have missed out on the coolest and latest releases.

Do a little research in advance and whittle the list down to around 5 or 6 potential candidates. Have your kids do their own research or look at information online. Go to the store together and make your decisions as a group.

If you have a thrift store nearby or it’s tag sale season, that might be a good way to end up with lots of variety. You can often pick up a bunch of games for just a few dollars at the average tag sale. Just make sure all the pieces are in the box before you take it home.

Letting your kids pick out the game can make them more engaged, even if you only play a few times. Even if you jump to another game, it’ll let them feel like they can steer the ship a little bit. Buy them as a gift if you know what your kids love.

2. Check the Weather

Weather can make a huge difference when you want to have a game night. If it’s the middle of the summer, your family might be better off going out and enjoying the weather together. Instead of staying inside, spending quality time together outside might be a wise choice, so long as you’re careful to avoid attracting sugar ants in a Seattle trip.

However, if the weather turns or it’s going to be rainy later in the week, you can plan yourself a game night. Rather than sitting in front of the TV during a rainstorm, planning a family game night can make the most of the bad weather.

Make some of your family’s favorite snacks and gather around a board game to have a good time. On a long rainy night, you can play longer games like Monopoly or a series of short card games to mix things up.

Take the time to teach the kids some basic card games and you’ll have plenty of family fun for years to come.

3. Make a Plan

Some families like to plan to have a game night every single week. They’ll come up with a day of the week where they sit around, order some food in, and get down and dirty with some Scrabble.

Whatever your game of choice is, having a designated night of the week is a healthy way to plan with your family. Let them know in advance but be flexible. If one kid has a sleepover or if you have to run into work early in the morning, have a backup plan.

Just try to avoid plopping everyone in front of the TV. Make sure whatever they’re doing is somewhat stimulating and helps bring them closer together.

Puzzles are a great substitute for one or two people to work on while others are busy or resting up. As long as you have a plan for what to do when game night is canceled, you’ll be able to keep up your weekly event.

4. Invite Their Friends over

One way to make the most out of family game night is to invite your kids’ friends over. You can even invite your own friends and neighbors from around town. When you open up the circle, you can create more exciting memories.

Having a game night is a good excuse to gather people together. When you’re looking for a way to get to know your kids’ friends better, a game night gives you the chance. You’ll learn about which kids struggle with sharing, which are talented players, and which friends are most important to your kids.

When you have a connection with the friends of your kids, you build more trust in the lives of your kids. You can help them plan more events and learn which kinds of events might help you to improve your own kids’ social lives.

Are your kids excited about a game but you’re busy? Why not set them up to play and run your errands or do housework until they’re done. This gets kids to master a game and makes them more excited to play it later.

5. Save it for Visits From Family

One way to bring back game night for your family is to bring them out when your family comes to visit.

Playing board games or card games is a nice way to socialize with grandparents. They’ll be excited to use their cleverness and prowess to impress their grandkids. They’re sure to have a few tricks up their sleeves.

This is also a great way to introduce distant cousins to your kids. Playing their favorite games is a way to build memories and socialize them in a way that relaxes everyone.

Family Game Night Makes for Healthy Families

When your family knows how to win gracefully and lose politely from family game night, everyone will get along better. Knowing that at the end of the day, no one is a better person or worse off because they get temporary bragging rights is important. It teaches resilience, cooperation, and goodwill.

For games that will challenge your kids and make them smarter, check out our guide for more.