Mumsnet users share their tips for a family night in with Goliath Games

[JustineBMumsnet]

This sponsored discussion is now closed.

It’s not uncommon in a normal year to find yourself spending more time at home with your family as the nights draw in. With that even more likely to happen this year, making the most of family nights in is key, so you may have a few tips and tricks on how you enjoy this time together. With this in mind, Goliath Games would like to hear your tips for the perfect family night in.

Here’s what Goliath Games has to say: “Often it’s difficult to find something that the whole family will enjoy on a night in. Games like Wordsearch can bring everyone together as it appeals to anyone: from kids to parents, even grandparents! It’s such a well-recognised format and is easy to understand, just be the first to find the words on the board! Wordsearch is also educational, helping with spelling, reading and helps develop hand-eye coordination; but don’t worry the kids won’t realise they are learning as it’s so much fun!”

Do you have go-to snack ideas that please everyone, or do you order a takeaway to maximise on family time? Perhaps you find it helps to switch things up with a new board game? Or maybe your family has an old classic that you dig out time and time again?

Whatever your tips for a family night in, share them with Goliath Games on the thread below and you’ll be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £100 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

[flowersanam]

We each do different things each night and we all have a change to decide what to do or eat

[Sid98]

We all say what food we want to eat or what games we want to play

[caravandreamer]

I find that games nights are the best time to show your kids how silly + fun you can be, as they see adults being serious most of the time. So we try to find the most exciting/wackiest/ noisiest games we can for it once a month eg water squirt games, pie games etc. We have some sweets and some healthy food like raisins and EVERYONE has to get involved or pay a price !

[lolly2011]

We try to have a family games night once a month, we tend to play strategy games, we are always looking for additions one of our favourites is Risk.

[EvilHerbivore]

We play games a lot - sometimes '20 questions' or 'I went to market' in the ad breaks of something we're watching and sometimes card games or scattegories - the best tip I've found is to try and play games where it's collaborative working or where winning doesn't depend on knowledge/anything else age related to give everyone a fair chance

[Gin4thewin]

I taught my son 'go fish', he absolutely loves playing it with me and his dad. Pack of cards, simples

[kateandme]

pictionary is one of our family faves.it =s one that we have played through the ages.and its one we play when all the family comes together.
also cards.go fish.spoons.all sorts.we make sure there is no pressure and everyone is so good now at bolstering eachother to join because we have some with com[plex issues and confidence.to see them join in is amaziong.
sometimes though a good night in a nothingbut a good film,which we all choose.
food can be anything from scrambled egg,cheese on toast or a takeout.
choc of some sort is always provided.netflix has been great for new things to watch or movies.

[Leeds2]

I always have a special treat for a family games, or video, night. Usually popcorn, or ice cream, but sometimes fruit such as strawberries. I did once buy a mini chocolate fondue that we had with chopped up fruit, which was nice but not worth the faff so won't be repeated!

[burwellmum]

Definitely a special treat - but not anything that will make too much mess if stood on during an action game!

[BristolMum96]

We have a huge stack of board games that we rotate and always order a take away for game night

[voyager50]

We used to play a lot of board games when I was little - my mum's favourite was Monopoly - she liked going to jail as she would have a doze for a while and return to the game later!

We don't play board games now as much as we should but when we do trivial pursuits is a favourite with the family cards so that everyone can join it.

We usually play after dinner so just have nibbles like crisps and chocolates.

[EternalOptimist7]

Reading this makes me sad as it’s all we can do to get our 11 year old off her phone. Some of the best fun we had was when my husband made a game ( racing caterpillars) - it was hilarious! Saturday nights tend to be the closest we get to a fun family time. We get Asda pizzas or fish & chips & watch tv together ( we like films but our daughter finds it hard to concentrate for long enough).

[sheilads105]

We play games on a Sunday afternoon/evening. We keep a tally of who has won each week and have a monthly prize. It's a great way to get the family chatting. We love Cluedo, Buckaroo, Bananagrams and loads of others.

[Asuwere]

We try to rotate our board games so they don't get repetitive but favourites like Uno and Word search do regularly come out :)

[kennythekangaroo]

I love board games and can persuade DD to join me. We take it in turns to choose and she loves making a big bowl of popcorn with a bit of Bischoff spread melted in with it!

[Cotswoldmama]

Our favourites are monopoly junior and cluedo. I find it best to plan ahead a bit and have a big selection of snacks so I don't have to constantly be in and out of the kitchen.

[sharond101]

snacks, blankets, cuddles and giggle!

[ineedbanoffee]

Everybody picks a different game and we play every one of those games before the night is out. Table full of popcorn, chocolate and chopped fruit, a playlist chosen by the children, and you can't bail out of anybody else's choice unless you want yours to be knocked out of the list!

[Angiemum24]

1. Look up games online
   

2.look in charity shops for games and puzzles.
3. Each family member gets a turn to pick what they want to play on allocated days.
4. Each family member recommends a food to go along with their game such as Mexican night, Chinese night, pick and mix night etc.
5. Blankets and pillows
6.No phones unless part of the game or emergency.
7. Have a laugh and have fun.

[bottlenose301]

You can't go wrong with Scrabble and Cluedo. Monopoly is a favourite too. A good takeaway allowed in the living room for once while we watch either a good movie or some reality talent show. Sometimes we have a little karoake night too, using YouTube instrumental versions and bottled water for mics ;)

[RomaineCalm]

We all like board games nights and play all sorts of things.

We play at the kitchen table with some good music on in the background, snacks and treats for the kids and a glass of wine for me!

[NotAllItsCrackedUpToBe]

We make food that's snacky and easy to eat with your fingers like nachos or wraps, dig out all the games and see what we feel like playing.
We enjoy Jenga and articulate the most at the moment. We all play and don't have the TV on - great family time.

[Smarties87]

We love a games night and try to do this weekly, usually on a Saturday. We mix it up with card games, frustration, scrabble and trionomoes. I'll buy the fresh pizza at Morrison/asda or do a buffet type spread (help yourself) we then push the sofas together, bring down the blankets and all pile on to watch a movie!

[christmasmum]

We love games night but try to find games which encourage us to get to know each other better - Sussed is a good example of this. Our other favourite are cooperative games where we either win or lose as a family - Castle Panic or Pandemic are great for this - that way there's no falling out or upset over who's the ultimate winner. If we're feeling more competitive then it's got to be Uno with a long running tournament happening that's lasted two years now!

[waitingforadulthood]

I love games nights and we do this regularly. We have a lot of games- labyrinth, cluedo, skyjo, exploding kittens, dobble, and more and usually play around the table at least one afternoon a week. We don't have snacks generally as it's after dinner that we play. We also on occasion, play catch the flag- we hide a flag, split into teams, turn all the lights off and run around the house and garden in the dark shooting at one another with nerf guns- beyond a shadow of a doubt this is the children's favourite game night! My tip is to commit to silliness- it's so good for children to see us be fools and have fun. They love it 😊