Spending date night alone with your sweetheart can be an enjoyable and romantic time. However, life gets in the way sometimes – the babysitter cancels last minute, your child decides not to go to the sleepover, your mother-in-law decides she does not want the kids for the night, and so on.
However, you can also have a fun and successful date spending it with your kids! Not to mention, family time is always valuable. Here are some ideas for a family date night and some tips to help it flow smoothly.
Make it education
- Most museums stay open until 8 pm or 9 pm during Fridays, Saturdays, or Sunday. There are so many different types, one is bound to pique your kid’s interest. In addition, you can also take them to the zoo, the aquarium, planetarium, greenhouse, and more. It does not have to be a museum.
In fact, a lot of places will have docents that show you around and give free tours, explaining everything and perhaps even allowing some exclusive access to only the tour group. Your kids will have so much fun exploring everything, they won’t even know they’re learning.
- Tip: Find an exhibit that has a lot of walking and exploring as opposed to sitting and listening to an audio tour. Try to see if the place you decide to go to has a kids’ activity area or a touch pool to keep your kids entertained. Maybe you’ll wear them out so much, they will be asleep by the time you all get home and you can still have an evening alone with your significant other.
Have a picnic
- What better than some good ol’ outdoor lawn games on a warm weekend afternoon? Lawn games with food and great company, of course! There are so many ways you can have fun with your kids. Whether you take them to a playground with slides and swings or a grassy field with a wide-opened area to run in, the limit is your imagination.
You can play games that already exist, such as tag, hopscotch, capture the flag, jump rope, or you can make up a playground with your own rules. You can also bring toys such as water guns, water balloons, kites, and balls.
When they’re all tired out, you can treat them (and yourself) to some ice cream from the ice cream truck or some homemade snacks. This is also a great opportunity to take pictures for the family photo album.
- Tip: Incorporate your kids by teaching them how to prepare for the picnic. Teach them how to make the food, fold up the blankets, set up and clean up the lawn games, fill up water balloons, and putting everything away after the picnic is over. Bring a checklist and make sure nothing gets left behind.
Family kitchen time
- If you do not mind a messy kitchen for just one night, try cooking or baking with your kids! This is also a great idea for a rainy day. If you decide to cook food, let your kids help you by allowing them to pour in ingredients, stir, set the timer, and plate.
If you are baking, buy different colored icing, sprinkles, and toppings to let your kids decorate the desserts. Make sure you set some rules beforehand so your kids do not get hurt or burnt.
An example is that that only you and the other parent is allowed to touch anything that is on the stove, use knives and scissors, and operate the oven. This is a great way to introduce them to food safety and cleanliness and basic cooking skills.
- Tip: Make sure you incorporate your kids. Ask them what they want to eat, grocery shop with them, let them help prep/clean up, and make sure they are having fun, too. If you just cook while they watch, it is no different than any other night. If they want to make banana crème pie with blue food coloring and put sprinkles on their pizza for dinner, then let them go crazy – just for tonight!
Do some recreational activities.
- Are you a yogi? Is your spouse an artist? Introduce your kids to your hobbies and interests. To switch it up, try to choose one activity that requires a lot of physical movement and then one activity which is more relaxing and serene.
Some examples of physical activities can be bowling, swimming, dancing, and even rock climbing. Your other activity can be painting, photography (have a photoshoot!), collage making, and even origami. There is so much variety for this and you are guaranteed to find something your kids will like or something that you have always wanted to try but never found a chance.
- Tip: If you cannot settle on an activity or agree with one, write out a couple onto pieces of paper, put all the physical activities into a hat and the instructional activities into another hat, and let your kids choose.
A date night does not always have to exclude your kids. In fact, it does not even have to be night – try making it last the whole day or try out multiple ideas to occupy your weekend. Use this time as a way for some good family bonding time and an opportunity to introduce your kids to something new.
A date night does not always have to exclude your kids. In fact, it does not even have to be night – try making it last the whole day or try out multiple ideas to occupy your weekend. Use this time as a way for some good family bonding time and an opportunity to introduce your kids to something new.