We know there's nothing like a little carefree family fun on a weeknight to keep the bond strong, but we also know all too well how tiresome playing the same set of board games week after week can become. If you're looking to up the laughs and intrigue-and perhaps shelf Pictionary and Scrabble for the time being-read on for our round-up of creative family night games that will have the whole family voting to kick Monopoly to the curb (well, at least for now, anyway).
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What Would You Do?
This board-less family night activity will entice the imagination while also remaining fresh and fun for kids and adults of all ages. One player starts by introducing a scenario and ends with the question, "So what would you do?" The next player continues the next part of the story, and asks the same question of the next player, so on and so forth. The best part is, there are barely any rules or guidelines, so the sky's the limit for all the wacky twists and turns you can come up with.
Crafts by Amanda
Glow in the Dark Bowling
Your kids may never want to set foot into another bowling alley after creating their own neon glow-in-the-dark setup at home. Fill large or small plastic bottles up with water, throw in a couple glow in the dark sticks and bam-you've found yourself a new tradition.
My Little Me
Emotions Dice
For a fun-filled night with the really young ones, play a round with these homemade emotions dice. On one, include the name of an animal on each side. On the other, include a different emotion on each side. Have your kids roll both at the same time, then act out whatever combination they come up with. Not only will your little guys enjoy helping paint the dice and come up with the different labels, they'll be learning at the same time! And everyone will get a kick out of watching someone act like an excited monkey.
Amazon
DIY Board Games
With this make-your-own board game kit, available on Amazon, your family will get the best of both the crafting and gaming worlds as you color in and decorate your customized game boards and pieces and make up your own rule books for a variety of fun classics, like chutes and ladders or checkers. It's a unique family trademark you'll all want to brag about.
Happiness is Homemade
Minute to Win It
Do family game nights at your house always come with a competitive edge? Drop the board games and be more active with at-home "Minute to Win It" mini competitions. You can find ideas to start with here, and even come up with your own personalized family set!
childhood101.com
Ultimate Jenga
Everyone loves an exciting game of Jenga, but why not up the stakes a little? Personalize your Jenga set by writing challenges on each piece, so whoever pulls one out has to do whatever it says-no matter how silly or embarrassing.
One Good Thing
Lawn Twister
If being outdoors is something you and your family love to spend time doing together, bring the game to the grass with this DIY version of everyone's favorite contortionist game. Use a template to spray paint circles in the grass, and you've got yourself a natural game board. You can even turn it into a neighborhood family event, letting members from each compete against each other until a cul-de-sac Twister champion reigns supreme.
thethousands.com.au
Personalized Guess Who
We all know the one game that will always be fun is Guess Who?, but if you want to make it even more exciting for the whole family, replace the standard faces with pictures of relatives and family friends. It'll have everyone rolling and become the game you want to come back to.
homejules.blogspot.com
Extreme Name Game
This hilariously interactive game, perfect for families with a wide age range, contains multiple rounds and can be personalized to your liking. All you have to do to get started is fill up a bowl with slips of paper containing the names of anyone (fictional, real, dead, alive, etc.), split into teams, and take turns guessing what the name your team member picks. It might seem simple, but the guidelines get tougher-and funnier-with each passing round.
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React and Act
For this new spin on an old party favorite, have each member of the family write down an event on a piece of paper (i.e., getting chased by a bear, falling in love, eating an entire cow). Then, have each player take a turn picking from the events and reacting to that event and act it out without using any keywords or giveaways. Everyone then-between laughs-has to try and guess what's happening.
uncommongoods.com
One-Up!
If you are, indeed, a little burnt out on the slow word game, try one-upping it (see what we did there?). With this fast-paced modern variation, everyone is racing to get the most word points, steal each others' words, and come out on top. Find the instructions and game here.
brit.co
Giant Dominoes
If you want another fun spin on a classic game you can take to the backyard, look no further than creating your own giant dominoes. Pick up spare wooden planks from any local hardware store (these should be really cheap), paint them up and turn your lawn into a sprawling game board.
