During the winter people tend not to do a whole lot in the evenings as it gets darker quicker and it is colder. We tend to become a bit of a hermit and just stay at home. A lot of people use the evenings after a long day of work or school just to sit in front of the TV or stare at their phones until they go to bed. It can be quite a lonely way to spend time and can affect your mental health which is why you may feel depressed in winter or experience SAD which is also known as seasonal affective disorder. This is why at least once a week you should look to spend quality time together as a family and even invite friends over too. This way you can be social and laugh with people you are closest to. Here are some ways to spend quality time together without screens.
Have A Games Night
While video games are great and there are family-friendly video games you can play together you can’t go wrong with some classic board games for an evening. Board games have more of a strategy element normally and can get people really involved and enjoy taking part. If you are an avid gamer you may like games you can play with friends on the go like Dungeons and Dragons. You could also play some of the new and trendier games like a cool card game to play with friends or family. You could also just go for the classics like Monopoly and Scrabble. If you have children playing you may want to have some games more aimed at their age brackets like mouse trap or frustration.
Try Bowling
Bowling is another thing you could try that can not only give some healthy competition to your family but can also get you out of the house for the evening. Bowling is one of those things that isn’t just a game but an experience of an evening. You can change up teams and do parents against the kids and girls against boys. A lot of bowling places also do food you can order while bowling like the classic burgers, fries and nachos. If you’re lucky some bowling places also have an arcade section attached to them. You can then spend time after bowling and food going around on different arcade games winning tickets and simply just having a good time.
Make Your Own Pizza Night
If you fancy a night in and do not want to do all that much you can simply just make dinner a bit of an activity. It is fun for all the family and you can’t go wrong with pizza. Kids also love to make their own pizza nights as it gets them involved in making dinner as well as being able to choose their own toppings. You can make it fun and try to make a picture on your pizza out of different toppings and enjoy them together. You could even make it a competition and all vote for the best pizza of the night.
Have A Crafty Evening Together
A great thing to do whether it is just adults or children as well is to have a crafty evening. It is where you can try out different things and you may find your passion in life or help your children find a creative outlet for their frustrations of the day which isn’t to just scroll through social media. There are so many different things you can do that you can all do together after a delicious family meal. You could try different things each week until you find your favourites. You could do painting or paint by numbers and paint some beautiful pictures you can hang on the wall. You could get some air-dried clay and make different creations like a dish for your jewellery, an ornament or the TikTok trending tic-tac-toe. You can then spend the following family evening painting it as it will take a while to dry. You could then try things like crochet, knitting, embroidery, or even scrapbooking with your favourite family pictures.
Family time is so important and something that is often forgotten about with the hustle and bustle of everyday life. People like work and other things get in the way of family time but at the end of the day, your family is what matters most. So cherish the time together and add a family night into your week.
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