6 Family Night Competitions to Start Right Now!

May 2, 2020 | Baby and Kids, Family Time

It's so important to bond together as a family! Try out these 6 fun family night ideas to really strengthen those relationships. Make fun memories while having fun in the process!

Try out these 6 fun family competitions to compete against and bond with your family - Family night ideas from Fun Cheap or Free

A little healthy competition is a fun way to connect and bond with your family. It takes family time above and beyond the basic pizza and movie night, getting your family playing, laughing and trying new things! What more could you ask for, really?!

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As an added bonus, these family night ideas work great with any size group. They’re perfect for individual families at home, but they also work well for bigger groups like parties or reunions. You won't be disappointed when you try them out for your next get together!

This post was originally contributed by Britney from Color My Happy! It's since been updated with even more family fun ideas.

FAMILY NIGHT LIP SYNC BATTLES

Lip sync battles are fun for the whole family - Tips from Fun Cheap or Free

The basic idea of a lip sync battle is that you pick a song, then perform it as if you were actually singing it, even though you’re only lip syncing. The battles can be done individually or in groups, depending on your numbers and preferences. Voting and prizes are optional, but a fun bonus!

TAKE THE BATTLES UP A NOTCH

You can take things up a notch by using one of the following ideas:

  • Assign songs
  • Pick one singer/band/musical/era/etc. to choose songs from
  • Have judges
  • Have two family members battle out the same song at the same time

TIPS AND IDEAS

You can give people a couple weeks notice before the family night so they have some time to prepare their performance. It's also fun to make it spur of the moment and see who thinks fastest on their feet!

Preparing gives people a chance to create their best performance. They can get costumes, prepare a dance, learn all the lyrics, and practice. This may also help shy family members not feel as anxious about it. But it also means that family members may feel the need to spend lots of time on it, and it’s another thing to add to their Productivity Planner.

With a spur of the moment performance, everyone is on an equal playing field. Everyone has the same amount of practice time (read: none), and it doesn’t give them time to stress or worry about it. But on the flip side, performances might not be as fun to watch.

Pro Tip: Use a karaoke machine if people are worried about remembering the lyrics! This also gives them a microphone to hold so they can really feel like they're up on stage and shining.

PLAY A SPORT FOR FAMILY NIGHT

Play a sport for family night - Tips from Fun Cheap or Free

This is the easiest way to get families bonding through competition on family night! Simply choose a sport, divide into teams, and play.

If you want to explore new hobbies, pick a new sport to try each month as a family. Learning a new sport together is a great way to connect and strengthen those family relationships in a fun way!

SPORT IDEAS

Here are a few sport family night ideas to take it to the next level! You can either play them at home with equipment you already have or go to your nearest park and play them there.

Those are just a few ideas to get you started!

COOKING OR BAKING COMPETITION

Cooking and baking is one of our favorite family night ideas. It serves as both an activity and a meal or treat! Plus, you get to work a fun little cooking class into the mix. This competition can be done individually or as teams, and there are lots of ways to run it.

EVERYONE MAKES THE SAME FOOD

Pick a food, then have everyone make it and choose the best version. Cakes, chili, cookies, homemade mac n’ cheese, soup, pie, and tacos make great competitive foods. You can also get really specific, like chocolate chip cookies, creamy chicken soup, or chocolate cake. It’s your call!

CHOOSE A THEME

Pick a theme, then have each team make something within that theme. Mexican food. Italian food. Side dishes. Dessert. This gives people a little more freedom, but still stays within a similar feel.

CHOPPED SPIN-OFF

Another idea is to take a spin off of the show Chopped, where you assign a food, then give each person or team a random ingredient they have to work into their recipe.

$5 MEAL COMPETITION

Give each person or team $5, then head to the grocery store to buy ingredients with only that $5 before coming home to turn it into a delicious dish. You can even assign each team a type of dish, like appetizer, main dish, side, or dessert, to end up with a complete meal to eat together afterward!

FAMILY OLYMPICS NIGHT

Family Olympics are a fun way to bond - Tips from Fun Cheap or Free

Hosting a Family Olympics is a great family night activity! And the options are endless. You get to choose the competitions, so you can make it indoor, outdoor, athletic, creative, trivia-based, strategic, or anything else you want!

This would also make a great family party idea right before or during the winter or summer Olympics. Create competitions similar to the Olympic events, then get together and compete for the gold medal!

FAMILY OLYMPICS IDEAS

  • Wheelbarrow Race
  • Three-Legged Race
  • Egg Toss
  • Fill a Bucket – Have a bucket full of water on one side of the yard, then dip a sponge in it, run to a bucket on the other side of the yard, and squeeze out the water. See who can fill their bucket the most in the allotted time!
  • Water Balloon Blanket Toss – Each team has a big blanket or quilt. Place a water balloon on the blanket, then launch it to the other team and see if they can catch it. Then they pass it back. See who can catch the most balloons without them breaking!
  • Ring Toss
  • Obstacle Courses
  • Relay Games

The options are endless!

RACE TO CLEAN THE FASTEST

Turn cleaning into a fun competition - Ideas from Fun Cheap or Free

This is the best (and sneakiest) way to get chores done. Got a messy house? Divide it up and see who can finish first. Is it the end of your family reunion and the giant cabin you rented looks like a bomb went off? Divide up the rooms and see which individual family can clean their area the quickest.

This takes the emphasis of cleaning off the work and places it on the fun! You can either assign areas, let family members choose (youngest to oldest), or write all the tasks on slips of paper and have each person or team draw one out. Your chores are sure to be done in no time!

For easy clean up, we recommend e-cloth! It's an easy way to let kids help you clean without needing a ton of harsh chemicals. Plus we KNOW you'll fall in love and be hooked once you try them!!

MINUTE TO WIN IT FAMILY NIGHT

Minute To Win It games are so fun and you can easily make your own competitions by using whatever you have around the house! You can have everybody compete individually or as partners. Each competition is only a minute long, so it's super fast-paced and exciting!

A FEW IDEAS TO GET YOU STARTED

  • Cup Stacking – Get some plastic cups and start with them all stacked together. When the timer begins, race to see how fast you can stack the cups like a pyramid and then stack them back together. Stop when the minute is up and see who finished first or who got the most cups stacked back together.
  • Balloon Game – Blow up a balloon or 2 and see who can keep their balloon from touching the ground. Make it harder by only using one hand, or no hands (head, elbows, knees and blowing on it are fair game).
  • Break Down the PyramidStack your cups into a pyramid and use the balloon to knock the cups down. Aim the balloon at the pyramid, let it go and “shoot” it at the pyramid to see how many you can knock down in a minute.
  • Chopstick Races – Using a round cereal, see who can get the most pieces moved from one bowl to another only using chopsticks.
  • Tallest Tower – Using coins, cereal or any other stackable item, see who can build the tallest tower using only one hand in a minute!

Feel free to make the games easier or harder depending on the age range of who is playing. Regardless, everybody will have a blast with this fun family night!

FAMILY NIGHT COMPETITIONS

All of these family night competitions can end with prizes or awards, but they can also simply be a fun, bonding experience for your family. The fun is the ultimate reward! So pick your favorite, gather up your family, and have a family night you’ll always remember.

Your family is going to love these competitive family night ideas! Let us know which one is your favorite in the comments below.

These fun family competitions are a new way to have fun with your family! Family night ideas from Fun Cheap or Free

Don’t forget to check out our other posts on family fun ideas:

1 Comment

  1. Maty

    thank you for these ideas you guys are having.Make some more like escape rooms or you can also make some things that you can do indoor please I do not have a backyard.

    Reply

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