I am a big fan of movies. We went to very few movies when I was growing up, but that was partly due to the fact that movies could only be viewed in the theatre or if you waited long enough for a movie to come out with commercial breaks on a network. Once we got a VCR player at my house (I think I was in middle school), I was hooked. Luckily, I found a guy who has the same passion for movies that I do. Our first summer married, we were poor college students but still managed to spend over $200 on movie rentals from Blockbuster. Once we started to have children, we still enjoyed movies at home, but mainly we watched them after the children were in bed. However, when the children were old enough to sit still through a feature-length movie, we knew it was time to share our enthusiasm. My friends all know that Friday night has become sacred family time at our house. For the past 5 years, Friday has been our family’s Pizza and Movie Night. We wake up on Friday with the giddy knowledge that we’ll be chowing on our favorite pizza and journeying to a new world that very evening.
Here are some ways for you to find the most enjoyment from establishing a family movie night in your home.
- Schedule It. Life gets busy. If you don’t make a plan and establish it on your family’s calendar(s), then time together as a family will be hard to come by.
- Create a List of Potential Movies. Only you and your spouse can determine your values when it comes to selecting movies for the whole family. Our family is past watching nothing but G movies, but not ready for most PG-13 movies. I will admit that my youngest child has seen movies that I never would have deemed fit for my oldest child. One terrific resource for finding movies or learning more about certain movie choices is CommonSenseMedia.org. I love this website. It gives an overview of the movie, tells you what the minimum age level the movie is appropriate for, and lists any questionable moments in the movie so that you can be prepared. Tomorrow, look for my list of some of our family’s favorite movies.
- Plan It. So you’ve chosen a night to watch a movie together. Put someone in charge of the details. Divvy up the details if necessary. Will there be food? What kind? What movie will you watch? Where will you be getting the movie? If you wait until the last minute, you may have difficulty choosing a movie that will hold everyone’s interest.
- Rent or Buy It. We rarely watch a movie more than once so it doesn’t make sense for my family to buy movies. I would end up spending more money than is necessary and then it would require storage. It used to be that if you wanted to rent a movie, you had to drive to your nearest movie rental store and pay around $4 to rent one movie. If you were late returning the movie, that cost would go up. However, now you have several options for renting movies.
• Your Local Library – This is a great way to rent a movie for free. Libraries have a pretty good selection of old and new movies, and most libraries have some kind of inter-library loan if you have something specific in mind.
• Movie Store – While there are not many of these around anymore, some areas still have a movie rental store.
• Redbox – With over 30,000 Redbox kiosks in the U.S., you are bound to find one within driving distance. You can rent movies for about $1.25/day.
• Netflix or HuluPlus– For plans starting at just $7.99/month, you have access to many movies instantly through your device or TV.
• Zune or CinemaNow or Amazon Instant Video – You can either rent or buy movies digitally to watch on your device or TV (you need a compatible device for this option). While the prices are a little higher (about $4.99 to rent), you will never be charged a late-fee because the movie expires automatically after 24 hours. - Set Rules. My husband and I are particular about what happens during a movie. Our rules are 1) no talking (unless there is a question), 2) no moving around (unless a bathroom break is necessary), and 3) snuggling required. My children know these and so our movie-watching experience is always a good one.
- Save Room for Discussion. Try to start movie night early enough that your family can discuss the movie when it ends. This is one of my favorite parts of the night. I sometimes learn more about my children during these discussions than during an entire week of conversations about school at dinnertime. We talk about the characters, the decisions they made, the effect of those decisions on others in the movie, the setting, the history surrounding the movie, etc.
Does your family have a regular movie night at your house? If so, what is a favorite family flick? If not, what does your family enjoy doing regularly. Tell us in the comments below.
