Mind Your Media
~Avoiding the Winter Blues

Posted by Stephanie Wright on November 19th, 2010 in Blog | 4 Comments

As the colder weather begins to settle in, families often face impending cabin fever. Without the freedom to spend a considerable amount of time outside, kids and parents alike sometimes get on each other’s nerves and at each other’s throats (not your family, of course. This is purely hypothetical). But if you do find the tension beginning to rise in your home, here are a few simple ideas to keep your family entertained and fight-free.

Once the season gets busier with school and holiday shopping and a million other things, you may feel your family being pulled in all different directions. The best remedy for this problem is a designated family night. Pick a day of the week when the whole clan is home and put away the pots and pans, throw a pizza in the oven and spend some time getting to know your family better.

Family night can take many different shapes. One of the most common styles is game night. With so many fun board and card games out there, it isn’t much of a surprise. From older games like “Monopoly” to the modern “Apples to Apples”, games provide quality entertainment and a chance for families to bond and have a great time.

In a day when video games saturate the world of children, is it possible for parents to relate? If you’ve ever heard of a console called “Wii”, you probably know the answer to that question. The Wii has many games that are user-friendly for all ages, and allows people to have fun together. Games like “Wii Sports” and “Wii Sports Resort” offers team and player-vs.-player games such as bowling, archery, golf (and Frisbee golf), table tennis, and basketball. If you have a Wii, here’s one idea for your family night: have a Wii-Olympics. Divide your family into teams of 2 or 3. Each team wears a different color to distinguish their group. Create a score card and list several Wii games (like those mentioned above), and compete to win the gold. If you’re family has a flare for the dramatic, you could even have each team enter the room to their own theme song. Regardless, Wii-Olympics is sure to be a hit with families who enjoy a little friendly competition.

If you don’t own a Wii, perhaps a family movie night is more your style. Now, if you’ve been alive for the past decade, you have probably witnessed the prices of movie tickets and rentals skyrocket. Even so, there are some great alternatives out there to keep your family happy and your wallet full. You’ve probably heard of Netflix, a service that’s like having a rental store in your own home. For about nine bucks a month, you not only get one movie sent to your house at a time, but hundreds of movies and shows available instantly through your computer or game console. With Netflix, there’s always something to watch.
But if you’re not ready to commit that nine dollars a month, check out Redbox, where you can choose from a variety of movie titles at the low price of a dollar a night. Redbox kiosks are available at many locations (such as Walmart, Target, McDonalds and Walgreens), and once you’re finished watching it, you can return the DVD to any kiosk.

Still looking for inspiration? Start a tradition by hosting a family cooking night. Make food the whole family can get in on: chocolate covered pretzels and peanuts, roasted almonds, or sugar cookies. Share in the responsibility of baking and cleaning up. You can also take this one step further: take the goodies you make and give some away to family and friends. Encourage your kids to discover new recipes and experiment. Don’t be afraid to let things in the kitchen get a little messy (so long as each person knows they are responsible in helping with cleanup). Cooking or baking together is a great way to bring families closer.

If you really want to customize your night, have the whole family brainstorm ways you can have fun together. You might just be surprised at how fun family night becomes!