Movie nights are the BEST, but if you haven't checked prices at the theater lately, the cost just to get in the door might make you faint! Add on snacks, and you almost need to take out a loan. Today, we're ending that. These movie night ideas are affordable, fun, and easy on the wallet. We've even got free printables you're gonna love!
There's nothing more fun than watching a movie together as a family! We all love a good pizza and movie night, but sometimes we want to do a little something extra fun.
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Get excited because this post is about to blow your mind. Not only are we sharing some awesome-sauce movie night ideas, but we're giving you tools to help you keep your kids on task and motivate them to actually get things done! We even have free printables for you so you can turn your family room into your favorite movie destination! How's that for a quick read? Let's go!
FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT IDEAS
No matter how you choose to watch, family movie night is something your kids will LOVE. Unplug from electronics and enjoy your time together. Here are some of our favorite ideas!
DIY MOVIE THEATER
Buh-bye movie theater. There's a new screen in town. If you're trying to save money, stay home, or just enjoy some simple togetherness, turn your house into the coolest movie theater around with just a few things:
- The Movie – This might be obvious, but don't wait until movie night to pick what you're showing. You'll lose everyone's attention while you search for it.
- Movie Posters – Either print out the poster of the movie you're showing or let the kids make one on some poster board. Hang it up at the beginning of the week, so everyone will be looking forward to family movie night all week!
- Movie Tickets – Heck yes, you need a ticket to get into the theater! Make it more fun and let them “BUY” their tickets. (SUPER fun idea and printable ticket linked below!)
- Concession Stand – No movie theater is complete without boxes of candy and melt-in-your-mouth popcorn! Grab some from the dollar store or Walmart with grocery pick up.
- Lighting – Keep the lighting low to mimic the theater feel!
(Pssst…keep reading because we have a REALLY cool idea to motivate your kids so they can “earn money” for movie tickets and concessions!)
THEMED MOVIE NIGHT IDEAS AT HOME
What's more fun than watching a Star Wars movie? Dressing up like a Storm Trooper while watching it, of course! Here are a few of our favorite themed movie nights:
- Super Hero Night – Everyone dresses up as their favorite superhero and watches a superhero movie!
- Star Wars Night – Get out your lightsabers and put buns on the side of your head for a Star Wars themed night.
- Disney Movie Night – Pick a Disney movie and have everyone dress up as their favorite Disney character. Take it up a notch and make Mickey Mouse-shaped pancakes for dinner!
- Under the Sea Night – Watch a movie that mostly takes place on the water. For dinner, only eat food that comes from the sea or is named after something that comes from the sea.
- Princess Movie Night – Get your tiaras and dress up as princesses and princes for this fun night! Eat dinner by candlelight before you watch to make it even more fun.
It sounds like so much fun, right?! Pinterest has even more great ideas so you can use what you've got, so be sure to check it out.
BACK YARD THEATER IDEAS
Take your TV outside and make it work! If you have a projector and screen this will be tons easier, but it's not necessary. Grab your lawn chairs and cozy blankets or re-create a drive-in theater by sitting in your car to watch. If you have neighbors (and it's a good time to invite them over), have a block party! Invite everyone to bring their own chairs and settle in for a fun family movie night in your backyard!
INCENTIVE IDEAS FOR KIDS TO ENJOY MOVIE NIGHT
Ready for one of our favorite movie night ideas? Turn family movie night into an incentive for your kids to complete their chores. Sounds unbelievable, but it works! Here's how to do it…
CHORE STICKS
Chore sticks are seriously the best things ever. Basically, your kids will “earn money” by completing chores. To make it more interesting, color code them and assign a monetary value to each color: red chore sticks earn $1 and green earn $2.
Each time they complete a chore, pay them with pretend money from a game like Monopoly or grab some from the dollar store. Let it be THEIR responsibility to keep track of their money all week! If they're too young to keep up with it on their own, put it in a jar on the counter where they can see it and be reminded of how much they've earned.
MOVIE NIGHT TICKETS AND CONCESSIONS
Now comes the fun part! With the money they earned by completing chores, they can buy tasty snacks and drinks they normally don't get for family movie night.
- Tickets – You can sell tickets or give them out for free. We recommend starting them out with $1 in play money at the beginning of the week and charging $1 for the ticket so they'll always have enough to pay for a movie ticket. No one needs to miss out on the movie!
- Concession Stand – Set up a price list for the concession stand and let them shop using the money they earned. Price big boxes of candy or special snacks at $5 and sodas or other special drinks at a high cost, too! Offer water for free and popcorn for cheap!
- Extras – If there's a family favorite chair or blanket, put a price tag on it! Shoot, make it epic, and blow up an air mattress! Let whoever has enough extra money pay for a seat on it.
Pro Tip: If everybody wants to share the snacks they bought to have a tasty variety of treats, give everybody a muffin tin and split up all the goods! We love a good snack tray for movie night!
FREE MOVIE NIGHT PRINTABLES
Because we LOVE you, we created the cutest movie tickets, a “now showing” sign, and concession stand printables and are giving them to you for FREE! If you want them to last longer, laminate them and write on the “now showing” sign and concession stand printables using dry erase markers. If you don't have a laminator, you can also stick them in picture frames and write on the glass with a dry erase marker.
Your entire family will LOVE this new fun approach to movie night! What are some of your favorite family movie night ideas? Let us know in the comments below!
If you liked this post, we know you'll love these others!
- If you love family night, you'll love these 5 family night competitions
- Check out these tips to make family dinner time fun!
- If game night is more up your alley, check out the BEST ideas to host a game night that no one will forget.
Have fun, and save some popcorn for us!
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