Want a great way to spend time with the kids?  Turn off the TV, put away the laptop and pull out a board game that the entire family can play.  The kids may object at first but they will quickly change their tune!  Family board games have provided hours of entertainment for generations and will continue to do so for years and years.

One night a week we have family game night.  We cook a light dinner, clean up and then wepull out the games.  It is always a night full of cheap fun.  Our family looks forward to game night each week  – it’s now our family tradition.

Whether you’re looking for a new family favorite board game to add to your stash or are looking for something to get started with, here are a few that have been favorites in our house over the years.

1. Blokus:

This is a family favorite board game at our house.  It’s also the first game that comes out whenever we have the cousins over to visit.  Loved by all ages, this game requires no reading and can be played by all ages.  Four players allow for optimal enjoyment but it can be played with 2 or 3 players as well.

Each player starts with 21 tiles.  Each tile is made up of a number of different squares arranged in different configurations.  The object of this game is to place your pieces on the board in a manner which will block your opponents while leaving you the majority of the space to place your tiles.  The person with the fewest squares at the end is the winner.

2. Quiddler:

This game of “word” skill can be played alone or with up to eight players.  It is a card game where each person holds a number of cards so that others can not see his/her hand.  Each card contains a letter. Each letter has a numerical value (to calculate the score).   Your job is to make a word (or words) from the letters you are dealt.  Speed is a factor but there are bonuses to be earned for longest word.

This game was the Parent’s Choice Winner in 1999 and remains a best seller ten years later!

3. Set:

A very simple game to learn, this game can be played without reading but is recommended for ages 6 and up.  Another game played with cards, this game differ in that all players play this game at once.  Pandmonium can insue and you must be quick witted.  We love this game because it’s one where kids and adults are on the same level of play.

Each card contains a random set of symbols and colors with different degrees of shading.  Twelve cards are placed face up on the table and play begins.  All players study the cards, looking for a set of three matching cards.

Our family enjoys family game night each and every week. It’s time spent together and it’s just about the only time when all the electronic are off! Good clean fun with the family, keeping us all happy! Want to find out more about the best family board games? Visit our blog at Best Family Games Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Erin_Kelsey

Share your stories with family and friends around the campfire or in the car.

Lots of families will be going camping and driving in the car for long trips headed to fun vacations. We really try to not scrimp on experiences and memory making trips, but to cut down on things when money is an issue.

Storytelling is one of the cheapest and best entertainments in the world. Turn off the electronic games and iPods and turn on the communication between real, live and loving people.

Our culture is so addicted to electronic entertainment that story telling and sharing conversations are getting to be a rare commodity. So when you have the opportunity, make a commitment to set around the campfire or snuggle up in a car traveling, or a living room and ask the questions that get the stories started.

Set the mood with firelight or a soft candle

Since the beginning of time, firelight has created a community and yet intimate setting and experience. Campfires which keep you warm and well fed with hot dogs and S’Mores, also add to the ambiance of being safe, protected and ready to share.

We loved telling stories in the car as we traveled and found that we could cover much more ground at night, than during the day when the children were awake and fussy. It was the ritual that they came to expect as we traveled, that as the day turned to dusk, I would tell stories until one by one they fell asleep.

For more information on gathering family stories, see http://www.ArtichokePress.com You will be glad you did. Artichoke Press is the home site of Judy Helm Wright, author of over 20 books and many articles on family relationships. If your organization would like to schedule Auntie Artichoke, the storytelling trainer, for a workshop please call 406.549.9813. Thanks for joining our community of caring parents, family members,coaches, teachers and mentors who want to help raise a generation of responsible adults who respect others. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Judy_H._Wright

While shopping for some games as Angel Tree gifts, I came to realize that so many games today are electronic games. It made me begin to think back to my own childhood days and the games that we used to play.

Since we were poor a lot of our games were free or very inexpensive to play. I remember that one of our favorite indoor games was to play a card game named “Go Fishing” or “Go Fish”. It is usually played with two to five players. Usually both the adults and the kids would join in a Go Fish game.

Using a standard card deck, 7 cards are dealt to each of the players. The rest of the deck is spread out in the center of the table. The first player will ask another player to give them their cards of a particular rank. For example, “Give me all your Queens”. The requesting player cannot ask for a card that they are not holding in their own hand.

If the player asked has any cards of the requested rank, they hand them over and the requesting player earns another turn. If the player asked does not have any cards of the requested rank, they say “go fish” or “go fishing”. The requesting player then draws a card from the pool in the center of the table.

When a player has four cards of a given rank, then they have “a book” and they place that book face up in front of them on the table. When a player runs out of cards they draw a card from the pool and the game continues until all cards are gone from the pool. At that time the games ends and the player with the most books wins.

We had several different card games that we could play with that same deck of cards.

When the weather was good and we could play outdoors, we would entertain ourselves with a neighborhood baseball or softball game or we would take a stick and draw out a hop scotch game in the dirt or a sandy area.

We lived in a rural area and our preference was to play outdoors. We would take walks in the woods and go down to the nearby swimming hole on a hot day.

Today kids start out as very small children with learning DVDs, TV entertainment and as they grow there are all the video games that eat up hours and hours of their time.

That’s not to say that these games cannot be shared between the adults and children. For instance, the Mario Kart Wii is a game that is loved by the racing fan dad as much as the kids.

Learning DVDs can help the child with getting a head start on things like their A-B-Cs before they even start to kinder care.

And even before that, the parents can get an entertaining DVD that helps the child learn potty training.

Little girls still get dolls; they are just more sophisticated. Dolls today are almost like a real baby. Families years ago had so many children that I guess we just had the real thing to learn from about what babies really do.

Little boys still get toy trucks but I guess you don’t have to really push them by hand anymore.

There is nothing overly good or bad about the old and the present, however it is sometimes fun to just look back and compare. It’s even fun to share with your kids some of the older games and play them together.

A modern day word game that is very popular and sooo much fun to play by both kids and parents is the Bananagrams Word Game. It is very portable and therefore easy to carry to grandma’s, a friend’s house, on vacation and even out to dinner. A game can be played in just five or ten minutes and does not require a pen or pencil; just a flat surface. For the little ones just learning their alphabet then they can get fun help with Elmo’s Alphabet Bus. Check out these two modern day items that your kids will love. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jackie_Beem

New Years Eve is traditionally an evening for fun and celebration. It is the one night of the year where the current year is sent off with fond memories and good times and the New Year is welcomed in with jubilation and great expectation. Why not enjoy the moment by planning an easy last minute party? Call up some friends and throw together a fun party. Keep it simple and inexpensive.

Food preparation is a snap when you ask each guest to bring an appetizer and make a buffet from only appetizers. Appetizers are found in your supermarkets deli, freezer and grocery shelves. Serve a variety of chips and dips, cheese, sausage and crackers. All of these are simple, have minimum prep times and easily purchased at any store. As a toast at midnight is a major tradition make sure you have a toasting beverage either champagne, sparkling juice or other suitable beverage available to be served close to midnight.

Decorations can also be very inexpensive. Try and clear as much space as possible so that people can easily circulate. Purchase some colorful crepe paper streamers, a few hats, noise makers and confetti. These can all be found at the local dollar store and add just the right festive touch to the party and are instant and inexpensive decorating. Tossing confetti at midnight is fun and colorful. Confetti is easy to clean up with any vacuum cleaner so although it is messy it is also a snap to clean up. Plus, the morning after, it still leaves a festive touch as a reminder of the good time had by all the night before.

The following is a list of simple entertainment ideas to incorporate into the evening:

*Have everyone make a list of what they think will be the most memorable events for 2009. The categories could include politics, music, fads, fashion, social, tv shows, gadgets, and news items.

*Have everyone give a prediction as to what will occur in 2010;

*Pass around a magic 8 ball that provides random answers to questions that are asked by the guest. The New Year is synonymous with resolutions so why not have guests write down their resolutions. toss them into a party hat, have someone read each one aloud and the guests try to match up the resolution to the person they think wrote it. At the end toss the resolutions into a glowing fire in the fireplace.

New Years Eve is about remembering the good times with good friends and families. It does not have to be about expensive parties or clothes or food. Have a get together and focus on the wonderful memories and loved ones of 2009 and the great expectations for 2010.

Kids grow up so quickly. This makes every moment spent with them absolutely precious. So, what’s better than a fantastic movie night cuddled together with a big bowl of gourmet popcorn in the best flavor? And when it’s for a great cause or non-profit organization, it makes it even better. Whether it’s sweet but edgy cinnamon popcorn or savory caramel popcorn, movie nights are sure to be a hit with a few of these great tips.

Themed Movie Nights

Group family nights are a blast all on their own, but build them around a specific theme and the possibilities are endless. Imagine an evening safari with a mix of gourmet popcorn and calling it animal mix. Then, add fun games like hunting for balloon animals or scavenger hunts along with cool little prizes and even the big kids will have fun.

Christmas time is often a time for parties, but by offering a family-oriented solution, it can be a great option for food banks to collect donations. Imagine sitting around on a warm blanket watching the classics with a big bowl of cinnamon popcorn for everyone to share and eggnog to wash it down. Then, everyone can get together and decorate Christmas trees, wrap presents for children in need, or just have fun hanging out.

Collecting Donations

Movie nights give non-profit organizations many different options for collecting funds. Consider selling specialty flavors like cinnamon to make some extra cash, ask families attending the event to bring food or household items, or charge an admission fee. Others, however, have simply asked for a monetary donation at the door and found that they’ve made more money than they would have if they’d asked for a specific amount.

If there will be games and other activities, consider selling tickets and ask for a certain number of tickets for each activity. Adding additional fundraising options such as chocolate and other items can also be a great idea.

Head Outdoors

If there are warm evenings to enjoy, consider working with local officials to display the movie in a local park or green space. This is a great way to give the kids somewhere to run around and a comfortable, romantic spot for parents to cuddle up. To increase the donations collected, sell gourmet popcorn flavors like cinnamon popcorn and others that are not generally enjoyed at home.

It can even be made into an all day type of event with an outdoor carnival, kite flying, fun sports, or even crafting. The important thing is to have something that everyone will be able to do and enjoy. To collect donations, there could be fun things like craft auctions, slave auctions, bake sales, or even lessons such as skateboarding or kite making.

Movie nights and gourmet popcorn are a great way to give families an evening of quality entertainment while generating money for a good cause. So, grab some cinnamon popcorn or whatever the flavor of the day is, and enjoy the fun of helping others as well as the time spent with family all in one.

Chris Harmen writes for The Big Popper, a gourmet popcorn company. They offer a large number of varieties including cheese, caramel, and cinnamon popcorn. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_A._Harmen