So, I’ve been told life at our house has it’s own…Spontaneous Rhythm?
We drop everything to dress or up do a silly theme but makes these excursions fit in among the routine. One example I want to introduce you to Impromptu Family Fun Night!
The Criteria?
- Festivities are ready with only a few minutes prep.
- Eating the meal you were already going to eat but in an unusual way.
- Playing a game or movie you already own.
- No cost, spontaneous fun!
So, it’s a typical weekday night but one with NO practices, games, or meetings!? What can you do to shake dinner up and show the kids you’re still a little fun? We invented Train Night! Why? I don’t know -but we wanted to play “Ticket to Ride” and it just snowballed from there.
Here’s what we did
Prep Time: 5 mins. (not including dinner)
- I was already making hard and soft shell tacos so I put on an apron and went around the house taking everyone’s “order” for toppings.
- Then we took 2 TV trays and 4 chairs, arranged them facing each other in the middle of the room like a booth in a dining car and called everyone to the “train”.
- My husband found 8 hours of train sounds on Youtube and placed a little speaker under our table with the sounds playing (his idea). The sounds made the floor vibrate- a surprise addition to our ambiance!
- My son put on his train conductor hat (his idea) and I’m sure would have literally brought more to the table if I’d given more time.
- I put on some Big Band music in the background for an old-timey feel. The train sounds and instrumental music together were an awesome feel!
- I called out their order and served their tacos on a divided section plate.
- We ate our normal dinner but giggled because we were pretending to be on a train in our dining room and enjoyed the rhythm of the train cadence beneath our feet.
- For conversation you could talk about any place you’d like to visit by train or reminisce about any places you’ve been.
Afterwards, our plates were disposable so we did a quick clean up and then used the real dining table for games. We ended up playing Mexican Train Dominoes and then watching a silent Buster Keaton movie with his crazy antics to save a stolen train. I want them to appreciate silent film and the genius in observing the physical comedy and emotions. But there are endless possibilities in how to tailor this to your family interests and age-levels.
Here’s a few suggestions to help you launch your own Train Night:
Game Suggestions: Mexican Train Dominoes, Ticket To Ride, Thomas the Train games, Monopoly
Show Suggestions: Anything Thomas the Train or Chuggington (endure one for the kids!), Dinosaur Train, The Lion the Witch & Wardrobe, Dumbo. Many shows with a train emphasis or appearance are easily found searching Youtube or Netflix, or your shelf.
(As always, use common sense and caution if choosing something un-previewed.) Or if you want to watch the Buster Keaton Movie, The Admiral, you can watch it on Youtube.
Last stop? The sleeping car- bedtime!
The bottom line: Be as goofy, corny, clever as you want. Do something silly, unusual, expected and your kids will love it. My kids never question why or think it’s weird. We made dinner fun. All they really want is time with you anyway and if a theme is a good excuse, then do it! If you try it, tell us how it went!
