Family Movie Night
Screens are everywhere. Many of us carry around our own little screens. Television is more accessible than ever. We’re so used to turning to screens as a source of information and entertainment—so why add more screentime to your schedule, especially as a family activity?
Watching a movie all together—with no one scrolling on their phones—is one of the best ways to bond.
I have such fond memories of watching movies with my siblings. We’d recite the lines along with the actors. We’d act out the scenes—there is probably some pretty incriminating footage of my sister and I doing the Barn-Raising Dance from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. We’d be inspired by the movies and take it outdoors, recreating parts of The Sandlot, blasting the Space Jam soundtrack while shooting hoops in our driveway, roping the neighbor kids into being the Lost Boys so we could be Rufio or Peter.
Besides just the sheer fun of escaping reality through a good movie, there’s other reasons why a family movie night is a stellar idea:
It gives you great excuses to talk about potentially tough subjects.
It allows everyone to share their interests and personalities, especially if you take turns choosing the movie.
It’s hilarious to quote funny movie lines with your kids. (Even more hilarious to see which quotes they retain.)
It’s a chance to snuggle with kiddos who maybe usually don’t sit still long enough to snuggle.
It’s a memory-maker. Sometimes we mark time by when we were introduced to certain media—I remember watching The Little Rascals while my aunt babysat. I can recall every detail, including what was for dinner.
It encourages imagination and pretend play.
Sometimes a family just needs to be all shut up and relax while there’s something silly to watch.
Here’s some ideas to make your family movie night a little more special:
Take turns choosing.
Yes, this means occasionally we’ve all snuggled up to watch a Barbie Christmas movie in the middle of April, but we’ve got some guidelines for this:
The movie choice is respected. Whatever it is. No trying to influence the person whose turn it is to choose the movie, either. (We’ve stopped a bribe or two.)
However! No one is required to watch the movie. If it’s something you don’t enjoy, you are welcome to do something else while the rest of us watch. We ask our kids to still stay in the room and participate in the snuggles and snacks and snark, but they can read or draw or sleep.
Pair a movie with food.
Make ratatouille when you watch Ratatouille. Pick up pizza and Cheese Whiz for A Goofy Movie. Cook something with edible flowers for The Secret Garden. You get the concept!
Here’s some other quick ideas to go from “someone randomly put a movie on and we’re all kind of watching” to “FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT FUN”:
Keep a family movie journal. Pick a notebook and use this to be the official movie log for your family movie time. You can get as detailed as you want! Have everyone write down a quick review. Rate it. Jot down favorite lines. Or keep it super simple and just write down the things you’ve watched together. Years later, it’ll be a blast to flip through the titles.
Make a movie bucket list or bingo card. Maybe you’re a movie buff parent who really, really wants to share your favorites with your kids. Maybe your kids have a list of movies they’re interested in trying. A movie bucket list can be a great option if you tend to squabble about what to watch—you could even put the titles in a jar and pull one out when it’s time.
Switch up locations. Sometimes watching a movie outside in the yard or projected onto kiddo’s bedroom wall can turn a standard movie night into a memory-maker.
Make it a sing-along. Or even a say-the-lines-with-the-characters-along. Impressions are encouraged. Extra points if you know the dances, too.
Go full-on Rocky Horror. If you’ve ever been to a midnight Rocky Horror showing, you know that you get a bag of props to use during the movie: when it starts raining, you hold your newspaper over your head, when Dr. Frank-N-Furter proposes a toast, you throw a literal piece of toast at the screen. Make your own version! Maybe you watch Turning Red and every time Mei transforms into her panda, everyone has to stand up and shake their tails. Maybe you watch Finding Nemo and every time Marlin calls for Nemo, you say a rhyming name like Dory (Bingo? Chico?). You get it.
Add some atmosphere. You could full-on decorate to match the movie’s aesthetic, if you like, but I’m talking about the basics: close the blinds, put up a string of Christmas lights, rearrange the seating for maximum coziness.
Read the book together first. Some recommendations for family-friendly book-to-film adaptations include Matilda, Coraline, Little Women, Howl’s Moving Castle, Alice in Wonderland, The Borrowers, Charlotte’s Web, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, The Great Gilly Hopkins, Harriet the Spy, Holes, Paddington Bear, Winnie the Pooh
Do a marathon. We love a three-day extended edition Lord of the Rings bender! Yes, it’s a lot of TV, but there’s something ultra special about all of us experiencing the story beginning to end together.
Make it movie day instead. Anyone else fall asleep if they’re sitting on the couch after 6 PM? It doesn’t have to be movie night! Our favorite time to watch a movie together is around 4 PM. That way, when it’s over, we can scoot right into dinnertime.
What do you do for family movie time? And what are your favorites to watch with your kids?
