Today's guest post is from my friend, Kelly Stewart, who lives in Tennessee with her husband, Jason, and their four kids. She is a great FAMILY NIGHT planner, so I wanted you to hear from a mom that does FAMILY NIGHT'S well!
———————————————————————————————
I am so very excited to share about family nights and how they have impacted our family over the past three years. As a family, we were accustomed to spending time with one another, but as our children, Parker, Emery and Bradley were growing, we felt a conviction that we needed to be more intentional about teaching them Scripture and what it meant to live a Christ centered life. We wanted to be strategic and intentional about teaching them God’s Word in a fresh and fun way! We began to have family nights that were centered around a theme that involved a meal, a game, a craft and a devotional. There are countless ideas out there and I quickly learned I did not have to come up with every idea from scratch, I just needed to take a little time to bring it all together. They have been such a huge blessing in our home and have become one of the most favorite things we do as a family. We have had Luau night, Backwards Night, Bowling Night and even Earth Day Night, and some have been better than others, but the point is that we did them!! My husband, Jason and I, also felt led to begin a website, Family Muscle, that provides pre-planned family nights, to take away the stress of planning a themed night with your family!
Here are some easy steps to begin having a family night:
• Set a goal of how many family nights you want to have a month:
Taking the time once a week to disconnect from the world and engage your family is essential is developing a strong foundation of trust and faith. Not every family night has to be planned to the minute! We encourage you to look at your schedules and set a goal for how many family nights you would like to have a month. We suggest at least 2 a month.
• Pick a night: Having a set night each week to have a family night that will become sacred for your family. Putting family nights on the calendar makes planning smoother and gives you a chance to create anticipation for your children.
• Pick a Theme: Choosing a theme is the easy part! You can base if off of the season of the year, a holiday, what you have on hand, or even what you find on sale at a store. We had a Luau night after finding décor at a local dollar store. Always be on the lookout for what can be easily used for a family night! If you have friends who are also having themed family nights, be willing to share your décor, also!
• Enjoy your family! Being intentional in your family night requires some extra work, some planning and with that sometimes stress! Remember that it is about being with your family, connecting with each other over food, fun and focusing on a truth from Scripture.
I am so thankful for all the nights we have spent together as a family, making fun memories, but more importantly, studying Scripture. We have been able to tie fun games and even food into a truth from God’s Word that makes it come alive for our kids. I highly encourage you to try it. Our children are worth every minute of planning and preparation and you will never regret the nights you spent having fun, making memories and creating an environment, in your home, where Scripture is lived out.
——————————————————————————————-
Thank you Kelly! I love her take on making family nights about studying God's word together. This month we had great times as family, but not every time we got to the scripture part and I love how Kelly makes this the most important part of these nights. Intentionally studying scripture together. Love this! Thanks Kelly!
