Family Movie Night is a quintessential activity! It’s fun (and easy!) to heat up some popcorn, grab your coziest blankets, turn the lights down, and settle in for a movie together. In the summer months, you may even be able to rig an outdoor screen and do a sundown showing of your favorite flicks!
But there’s an opportunity for deeper connection that can be easy to miss. Movies can be a gateway to conversations that help you get to know your kids better and strengthen your relationship. Here are some of our pointers for making the most of movie night with your kids:
Choose wisely
As parents, we all want to make sure we aren’t showing our kids content that they aren’t ready to see and process. With the amount of movies in the world – and there are a lot to choose from! - it can be overwhelming to try and vet what your family watches on your own. Movie ratings are a solid place to start, but they may not reveal as much information about the movie content as you’d like to know.
Luckily, there are a few resources where you can find reliable reviews that can help you make an informed decision on which movies your family watches together:
Talk about it
Movies can serve us for more purposes than just entertainment – they can springboard some awesome conversations with your family! Here are some questions you can ask to help your kids process their thoughts and reactions after you watch a movie together:
- What did you like about the movie?
- What didn’t you like?
- Who was your favorite character?
- If you could be any character in the movie, who would it be?
- Did any of the characters remind you of someone you know?
- What part got you excited?
- What part made you laugh the hardest?
- Did any parts make you feel afraid?
- Was there anything in the movie that you were confused about?
- How are you feeling after watching this movie?
- Would you recommend this to a friend?
- If there was a sequel to this movie, would you watch it?
These questions may spark some insightful conversations with your kids, and you may even learn more about how they think and process. We hope these questions help you to connect on a deeper level as a family and give new meaning to movie night!
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There are tons of ways to keep movie night fresh and interesting. Here are some other fun ways to experience movies as a family:
15 Movies & Their Perfect Food Pairings
7 Ways to Make Movie Watching More Fun This Summer
6 Unforgettable Movies and the Big Ideas Behind Them
Or mark your calendar for July and join us at LCBC for At The Movies, where you and your family will step into the world of your favorite movies and explore wisdom and valuable life lessons through film!
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LCBC stands for Lives Changed By Christ. We are one church in multiple locations across Pennsylvania. Find the location closest to you or join us for Church Online. We can’t wait to connect with you!