These Friday night family activities are wonderful ways to connect as a family and have fun. Includes art, crafts, books, movies and more.
I love spending time as a family, engaging in fun activities, and learning and growing together. However, life gets busy (especially as children turn into teens). It can be easy to feel like we are all running in different directions.
When you find yourself in those busy seasons, it can be a blessing to intentionally set aside time to have fun together as a family at home. Friday nights can be an excellent time for this after a busy week. However, you could pick any evening that works well for your family.
You can keep it simple and enjoy pizza (delivery, frozen, or homemade) and a movie. Alternatively, you can change it up and add other fun, hands-on activities that will encourage good conversation and leave everyone with fond memories.
Paint a fun Artist Express with your Polar Express family movie night!
Friday Night Movie and Art Family Activities
Most of us enjoy a good movie after a long week, but sometimes we struggle for ideas on which films to watch or how to extend the fun. Nana has some great chalk pastel lessons that tie into fun family movies.
This would allow you to extend your family’s Friday evening fun by adding an art lesson to accompany the movie. You could do the lesson after watching the film or even use the art lesson to introduce your children to the movie for the evening.
If you want to take it a little further, some of these have fun thematic snack ideas. Remember, you can make it as simple or elaborate as you want each week.
If You Take a Mouse to the Movies is a great book to introduce your family to movie nights, and this study includes some fun art and snack ideas. You could also choose one of the movies from this series as your first movie night.
This post shares some great family movies with art lessons to accompany them and would be a great place to look for ideas as you choose your next movie night.
Friday Family Night Geography Activities
While movies can be fun, sometimes you want to do something different and more interactive. Another fun idea is to choose a foreign country each week to learn about as a family.
You can choose a couple of easy recipes from that country for dinner and maybe pick out a library book or two. Then enjoy one of Nana’s many Around the World geography art lessons, including maps and various landmarks.
Book Themed Friday Family Night Activities
Our family loves a good family read-aloud. Setting time aside for a read-aloud and accompanying activities can be a great way to enjoy a fun but relaxing Friday evening.
You can do the whole thing, start to finish on a Friday night with a picture book. Alternatively, make it a fun culminating event after reading a chapter book.
My children especially enjoy choosing foods included in books we have read to be a part of our celebrations. Do not overthink it and feel like everything has to be thematic. For example, we recently read a book in which the little boy really enjoyed pickles. So we made sure to include a jar of pickles at our book party.
You can read the picture book (or discuss the chapter book), have some fun snacks, and enjoy an art lesson together as a family. Not only will you create some fun family memories, but you will encourage a lifelong love of learning in your children.
Nana has some great lessons that pair books with art. You can also look through the available classes and choose one that ties into your favorite book. For example, if you read one of the Otis the Tractor books or Charlotte’s Web, you could choose any of these fun farm-themed lessons.
You can also check out these ideas accompanying some of the fun books in the Five in a Row series.
Older students might enjoy these Mark Twain or Jane Austen lessons. You could even incorporate a movie into some of them. Robin Hood is also a hit with all ages!
My fellow homeschool moms might like a Jane Austen Movie Night or other mother culture ideas included in our Little Women unit study.
Finally, check out this post with ideas for Winnie the Pooh, Heidi, and many more classics.
Holiday Themed Family Activity Nights
Finally, you can have some great family nights focused on various holidays and seasons.
Check out these seasonal activities for activities to include throughout the year.
These Christmas book-to-movie ideas are a great way to incorporate family fun during the Christmas season. Also, don’t forget those days after Christmas when the hustle and bustle often slows down a bit.
No matter whether you follow the same pattern every week or choose a different idea each week, these Friday night family activities can help your family bond and create lasting memories.
Join us at You Are An ARTiST and unlock the transformative power of art in your homeschooling journey. It is simple to get started with just a very few supplies. There is not an intimidating or expensive list of supplies. Not only that, art lessons with Nana are a fun way to learn together as a family. Won’t you join us?
Dawn is a passionate follower of Jesus, wife to Chris, and homeschool mom of four. In her spare time she loves to read, hike, and write on her blog Schoolin’ Swag. She enjoys reviewing curriculum and helping moms find the right fit for their family.