Budget-Friendly Family Game Night Ideas

The family that plays games together stays together! Game nights offer a great way for family members of all ages to relax and unwind. Plus, you can invite other families for a low-key evening where adults and kids socialize. You can do it affordably, too, using our tips.

How to Prep for Game Night

Planning your event doesn’t have to be complicated. Check out these 5 quick tips to help you get started:

1. Keep the guest list small, ideally one or two other families. With more than that, you may need help finding games everyone can play at once. Once you know how many people are coming, you can plan games based on the kids’ ages.
2. Create a fun music playlist for the night’s activities. Let your kids pick the songs.
3. Plan breaks throughout the night. Giving young kids with short attention spans a few minutes to run around between games will help them concentrate when the action begins.
4. Ask other families about food allergies or sensitivities, so you can plan a menu everyone can enjoy.
5. Buy paper products at Dollar Tree, where you can also grab small prizes for game winners, like candy or gum.=

Game Suggestions for Kids

If your family game night includes kids of all ages, you want simple games younger kids can grasp that will still engage older kids. A few great choices include:

• Apples to Apples: Players pick one of their cards (a person, place, or thing) that best matches the theme card. The explanations behind what’s picked are always hilarious.
• Jenga: Do your kids love making a mess and being loud? Then this game in which you try to build a block tower to the sky is perfect.
• Scattergories: Young and older players can team up on this game where you name things that fit a category — the catch is they all start with the same letter.

You can also try free standbys like charades and cards or invite other families to bring a game, so you don’t have to buy new ones. Bonus: You’ll also get new ideas for your next game night!

Food Ideas

Keep it simple. Eat a potluck meal before the games begin, ask each family to bring a dish, or limit the food to snacks and drinks. Save on groceries for a meal by making recipes from scratch, such as homemade mac and cheese instead of boxed, and using supplies you already have in your pantry, such as chips and salsa.

General Tips

Don’t forget these last-minute hacks to keep the fun going:

• Play some games individually and some games in teams of kids vs. adults.
• Head off arguments over rules or winners by reminding everyone you’re just playing for fun.
• If the evening goes well, suggest turning game night into a monthly gathering — and smile at your kids’ squeals of delight.
• Finally, remember to buy all your game night supplies with our low-rate Visa card to earn rewards or get a low rate on purchases.