picture of people wearing socks in front of a real fire

Eight Simple Things You Can Do To Create a Successful Autumn Family Night In

Autumn and wintertime generally mean spending as little time as possible outside. Not only does the temperature seem to plummet as soon as a single leaf turns gold, but October to January are also the wettest months in Britain. Nobody can blame you for wanting to skip the outdoor social events and stay cosy in the warmth of your home instead.

When you have children to consider – whether they’re toddlers who are prone to a tantrum or temperamental teenagers – this can sometimes be a challenge. Kids get bored easily, and they might not be as willing to stay wrapped up inside unless you have an awesome itinerary to offer them. Well, we have exactly that...

Here’s your guide filled with exciting suggestions! Combine two or more for an unrivalled night that the whole family will enjoy.

Movies

The dark cold nights call for cosy pyjamas and the ultimate movie marathon! Instead of sitting on the sofa like you usually would, cover the living room floor with blankets and cushions to make a giant bed! You could also watch the movies using a projector on the wall to create a cinema-like experience, which should make the occasion feel more special as opposed to just another night in the house.

To ensure it’s fair and an entertaining experience for all members of the family, everybody should get a say in the type of movies that you’re going to watch. If there’s a genre that the whole family enjoys, happy days! If there are a few different preferences in the mix, create a varied playlist using a streaming service such as Netflix or Amazon Prime.

Pizza Making

The next time you have a family night in, add ‘pizza making’ to the list of things to do and watch how the activity delights your family members. Not only is making homemade pizza a simple task, but it’s also fun and encourages everyone to explore their creative side. While the little ones may need a little bit of assistance, kids of all ages can get involved in this.

You could make the dough from scratch using flour, yeast, salt, olive oil, and water, or purchase premade pizza bases from your local shop. From there, have a station set up with everybody’s favourite toppings and let them help themselves! This could include sauces, cheese, sweetcorn, peppers, onions, pepperoni, and... pineapple. Yes, we said it.

Crafts

Influence the whole family to get in a creative and crafty mood by dedicating time to some arts and crafts fun. This can be as complicated or as simple as you like, depending on the age of your family members. While the little ones might like to experiment with easy finger painting, the older kids and adults could get stuck in with more elaborate craft tasks such as making a birdhouse or creating string art.

Getting the family together to work on arts and crafts projects is an enjoyable, engaging way to spend a cold autumn night. In addition to this, it’s a great way to bond with your significant other as well as your children, and you may become a stronger unit because of it. Who knew there was so much power in crafts?

Baking

Move over, Great British Bake Off, there are some new bakers in town... Start the night baking some delicious treats with the whole family and end the night by indulging in them! Decide amongst yourselves what you’re going to bake, purchase the ingredients, and get cracking (literally, if your recipe contains eggs) on your baked goods.

If you time your night correctly, you could have the treats cooled down and ready to eat by the time you start the first movie. The baking possibilities are endless, and if you have a big family, it might be a good idea to take turns in creating different recipes. You know what they say – too many cooks spoil the peanut butter cookies. Or something like that.

Make A Time Capsule

Strengthen your family’s bond by getting together to create a time capsule that can be uncovered and cherished in years to come. This can hold present-day memorabilia such as photographs, newspapers, and keyrings, as well as an item of choice from each family member.

To make this activity even more special, ask everyone to write a letter to their future self, outlining where they hope to be in terms of their career and personal life. They could also include fun ‘present day’ facts about themselves to see how much they will have changed by the time the capsule is uncovered.

Dance Party

Relaxing, cosy nights at home are great, but so are wild and energetic ones! Boost everyone’s mood by playing some loud tunes and turn your living room into a dance floor. If you’ve got some flashing lights or a mini disco ball to further set the ambience, that would be amazing.

Dance until you drop and allow yourself this time to be playful and carefree with your family. You might feel a little silly – and any teens in the family might whinge at first – but once you all get lost in the music and let go of any tension you may feel, you’ll have a blast and feel better emotionally, mentally, and physically.

Watch Home Videos

Head up to the loft or down to the basement and dust off those old home videos for a night of reminiscing. You’ll need a VHS player and some patience (can you believe the long rewind process we had to go through before DVD players and streaming services?) but it’ll be worth it. Relive Christmas mornings in the ‘90s and transport yourself back to that first family holiday on a sunny Spanish beach.

If your children were born in the digital age, this activity will be a lot easier for you but still so sentimental. Hook your phone or laptop up to the television screen and flick through the endless family photographs and videos you have saved to your camera roll. You don’t realise how fast they grow up until you see pictures of them from 10 years ago that only feel like 10 months ago...

Make It A Digital Detox Night Too

Unless you’re taking part in an activity that requires a piece of technology, such as when watching home videos or playing music for the dance party, no one should have a mobile phone or tablet in their possession during this special family night in. So, before you get started, make sure everyone pops their devices into a box and that box is kept in safekeeping.

For one night only, your kids can stay off games and TikTok, your partner can go without checking their emails, and you can go without posting an update on social media! This night is about family only, and you’ll be glad you enforced the digital detox when everyone fully immerses themselves in each other and the bonding activities.