Family activity nights are big deals at our house! Not that we spend a lot of money or anything, but we do keep them a big priority. We know that having regular family activities keeps our family relationships fresh. The night gives us something to talk about and look forward to.

Here are is a list of our top ten activities which don’t really cost anything:

1- “Knock Your Socks Off”
Years ago I read an article in a magazine called Family Fun about this great game. This is how you play it. You need at least three players and a blanket.

Lay a large blanket on the carpet or grass and gather round in your stocking feet. Everyone must be wearing two, and only two, socks. My children run for their longest ones when we are going to play this game. You will see why.

The first two people are the players and the third person is the referee. The two players face each other and then the referee says, “Go.”

How to win. The idea of the game is to remove the other person’s socks while keeping your own socks safe. The person with a sock on at the end is the winner.

The match ends as soon as someone is sock-less.

You get out if you hurt another person or go off the blanket. The referee declares the winner and watches the blanket boundaries.

It is absolutely essential to explain the no one can get hurt rule to the group. This keeps the game silly and safe.

Here is a video of how the game goes: watch?v=GBwCq0rP-Vs

2- Four Square
This old playground game is one of our favorites. There is nothing old about it when we play. We reinvent the rules each round. Continue reading →