Ways to Make Family TV Time More Fun

Make family time even more meaningful with these ideas for turning an ordinary night of television into something extra special.

It’s no secret that we love BYUtv at our house. I wrote a whole post about some of our favorite family-friendly shows, but today I wanted to share some fun things we’ve done to make family movie night even more meaningful. Sometimes when we just plop down in front of the tv, we don’t actually interact as much as we could. Hopefully these tips that we’ve found work for us will help you get more out of your family time too.

This post is sponsored by BYUtv. All opinions are mine.

Watch The Right Shows

Nothing’s worse than getting caught up in a tv show or movie’s plot, only to have to stop watching because suddenly the story gets naughty. Doh! We love that we can count on BYUtv shows to be clean and fun for the whole family. You can access BYUtv on their website and Chromecast it to your tv or you can download their new BYUtv app (for free!) and watch right from your device.

Put Phones Away

This is probably the most important tip. If Mom and Dad (or teenagers) are scrolling mindlessly on their phones, they are not fully engaged with the group. It can be tempting to catch up on emails or to scroll through your favorite social feed, but be present. You won’t ever regret focusing 100% on the people around you.

Plan a Coordinating Craft

Another favorite show on BYUtv is All-Around Champion. I made awards ribbons for my kids since they’re all champions in my eyes. We plan to have a family competition where each family member gets to pick the challenge they’re good at and everyone else has to try. I thought we could use these ribbons when we do that activity. 

Build a Fort

Why is watching tv from inside a fort so much more fun? It’s one of my favorite ways to spice up a normal movie night. And the trick to good forts? Woodworking clamps from the garage and king-sized sheets!

Make Treats

Popcorn is a classic option, but it is super fun to make a treat that has something to do with the show you’ll be watching. Obviously you’d need to make lobster bisque before watching Studio C. LOL. If you know, you know. But you could also do something like making “Puppy Chow” Chex mix and watch The Wizard of Paws. It’s just another way to up the fun factor. My mom keeps a box stocked with full-sized candy bars to pass out on movie night.

Get Cozy

We have the most giant fuzzy blankets in our tv room. They’re so big that the whole family fits underneath and it just feels awesome to be warm and snuggled up together. We also have good, thick curtains so we can block out the light to see the TV better and sometimes we even bring in extra sleeping mats so kids can stretch out on the floor.

Plan a Coordinating Activity

One of our new favorite shows on BYUtv is Malory Towers. In that show, the girls have secret Midnight Feasts. It’s a fun part of the storyline, so I surprised the kids one Friday night with a midnight feast (at 8:30 pm—because this mama is tired). The fare was simple, but they LOVED reenacting something from the story.

What are your family movie night traditions? I’d love to hear in the comments! And don’t forget to visit BYUtv to see all of the available shows and find something the whole family will love to watch together.