Family Movie Night Ideas: Tips for the Perfect Family Night In

If you are a parent, it can often feel like a never-ending battle to try and spend time with your kids. When they’re not with friends, they’re glued to their screens, so it can feel like you all spend no quality time together.

If you have multiple children, spending time together can be even more challenging. Your kids likely have different ideas of fun, so picking one activity to do together can feel impossible.

One activity that unites us all is a movie night. No matter who you are, everybody loves to get cosy and watch a film. 

If you are looking for a fun idea for a family night, watching a movie may be your best bet. However, it doesn’t come without its challenges, as getting your children to sit down for a few hours of peace may feel like an uphill battle.

Here are some family movie night ideas that you can use to host a successful movie night with your family.

Getting The Kids Onboard

The first challenge you will likely face when planning a movie night is getting the kids on board. We know it can feel tempting just to give them no choice, but you don’t want to start the night off badly. 

Before you start the party, ask your kids what time works best for them, as they may have plans with friends. The last thing you should do is interfere with their plans, as this could put them in a bad mood.

Let them feel as though they have control over the evening, and they will feel much more enthusiastic about the night. Remember, it's supposed to be fun for everyone, so keep the pressure low. 

If you need to use a bit of persuasion, you could always encourage them by offering up some fun things to use and wear for the film. For example, if your child is obsessed with Bluey, you could get them some Bluey sweets or even some Bluey Pyjamas to wear. 

Setting The Stage

If you want your kids to be enthusiastic about movie night, you can set the stage for it. Who says movie night needs to happen from the sofa?

Even though this summer is admittedly not offering the best weather, we are still getting many nice warm summer nights, and taking advantage of this may get your kids excited about the evening. 

Having a movie night outside allows you to break away from your usual routine, and it is something your kids will remember for years to come. Hook up some fairy lights, get plenty of throws, and move the TV to the back garden. 

If the weather isn’t on your side, you could even set up a blanket fort indoors, don’t be afraid to use your imagination and have fun. If you want to push the boat out, you could even buy a projector to use indoors or outdoors. 

Picking The Movie

One of the hardest parts of any family movie night is picking the movie. Throughout history, there have been countless movie nights ruined by arguments caused by picking the film, so try to avoid this at all costs. 

If you only have one child, this process will be a lot easier, as you can just let them pick the movie that they want to watch. However, if you have multiple children, you may run into a few disagreements.

You can make the decision as fair as possible by picking a film out of a hat. Have all of your children write down the film that they would like to watch and then pick one at random. By picking the family movie by random, you can (hopefully) avoid any disputes and set yourself up for an easy night. 

Don’t be afraid to suggest any films you like, as you’ll want to make sure that you’re having a good time, too. It can be easy to forget your own enjoyment, so be sure that you enjoy the film that you are getting cosy to watch. 

Use Your Movie For Inspiration

Once you have picked a movie to enjoy with your family, you can make the night even more special. 

With kid's movies, you can often expect some excellent visuals that you can bring to prepare your movie night. If you are not sure of some ways that you can get creative, here are some tips:

• Dress up as the film characters.
• Decorate the room with movie posters.
• Have some movie-related snacks. 
• Host a fun game before or after the movie.
• Test your kid’s movie trivia.

If you make the night a whole experience, your children will feel more engaged and excited about the evening. 

Shop our range of character pyjamas and get dressed up for the big family movie night in.

Make it Cosy

Comfort is essential when it comes to hosting any family movie night. When you are expected to sit down for two hours, the least you expect is to be comfortable.

Put mess to the back of your mind and gather all of your comfy materials together. Bring mattresses downstairs, strip beds of blankets, or do anything else you can to create a comfortable setup. 

Your environment should be comfortable, and you should be comfortable, too. There is absolutely no need to wear jeans when you are trying to relax, so switch those day-to-day clothes for something cosy. 

If you want the evening to be unique, you could even look at getting matching pyjamas for the family. Not only are matching pyjamas a bit of fun, but anytime you wear them after the event, you will be reminded of the brilliant time that you had with your kids. 

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Make The Night More Interactive With Food

A great kids' movie night idea that has trended recently is interactive eating. If you have never heard of interactive eating, let me explain it to you. This fun activity consists of eating the meals that they show on the screen as they show them.

This will take some planning, so it might be wise to only do this with a film that you have already watched. Doing something fun like this will completely transform your kids' experience, and they will definitely be bragging about it to their friends.

If you are looking for some inspiration for what you can do, I suggest a food-heavy film such as Willy Wonka or Matilda. You can play around with some of the recipes from these films.

Just imagine your children’s faces when you present them with a slice of Bruce cake. Again, make sure that you just have fun with it.

Give it a Go and Enjoy a Movie Night with the Whole Family

Hopefully, this article has given you some ideas for your next family movie night. 

Remember, this is supposed to be a fun night for everyone, even you, so try not to get too stressed about making it perfect. 

You know your kids best, so use your intuition when planning and go with your gut.