Holding a regular Family Night is the perfect way to build unity in your family. If you have a young family, and you don't currently hold regular Family Nights, then starting them might be a little easier for you, as young children usually don't have a problem with playing a game and having a snack with mom and day. If your children are mostly in their teen years, you may find a little more resistance, but if you are determined to make this work for your family, you can accomplish this. Just remember, the overall idea is to have this one night set each week that everyone in your family will know to be family night. This is a night where television, phone calls, work, or even the best video game is put on hold. Over time, with your consistent holding of Family Night, your family will learn to plan their own activities around this special time.

If you are not currently holding family nights, it is important to make it known to your family just how important this is to you. Set apart a time, in the next week, where you can arrange a family meeting. Be sure that everyone in your family will be able to meet at this time, and let everyone know that they are expected to be there.

When your prescheduled family meeting time arrives, explain to your family that you would like to begin holding weekly family nights. With their help, compare everyone's schedules and come up with one night each week that you can set apart as families special night. Be aware that in your family, you might always have an obstacle in your way. For example, your 16-year-old son might tell you that he has no night that would work for him. If something like this comes up in your family meeting, it is time once again to explain the importance of your family coming together once a week, and that there are six other nights of the week they each of you can "do your own thing", but this one night is where we put other things aside for about an hour. Decide what day of the week you will hold your family night, and then determine the time. After this is all set, be sure to mark on your calendar the day and time of your family night, so that everyone will have a visual reminder. I would also like to add that a family night, doesn't have to be held at night. If mornings or afternoons work better for you, then plan them at that time. The key is here is to have your family night once a week, every week...exactly when they are, and what you do during them, is totally up to your own individual family.

I would suggest that is you haven't been holding a regular family night, that the parents make the decision for the first one as to what your family will do. Of course, this is just a suggestion, and if you would like, you can assign specific "jobs" from the start. One person can be in charge of choosing an activity, another can be in charge of refreshments.  Some families also share scriptures, sing songs, or teach mini-lessons.  In our family, one person conducts the entire meeting, another offers an opening prayer, another shares an activity and yet another makes and serves a refreshment. Be creative!   Come up with one job for each person in your family and rotate these each week.

I should also add, that on occasion, you may want to skip the whole family night schedule and all go out to a movie, or to play miniature golf.  Like I have mentioned before, it doesn't matter what you do, or when you do it, the only thing that matters is you do it together. Think of what will work best for your family and start your family night this week!

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