I’m a member of the Netflix Stream team and enjoy free streaming service. I have been a happy Netflix customer for 11 years and am thrilled to share about my experience.
For most of the country, this time of year it’s just too darn cold to spend much time outside, so figuring out some indoor activities is a must. And if you are like me and my husband, you are doing AWESOME to have one date night every other month, so all those other weekend nights are family nights together.
Before you default to another family night of just Netflix, let me offer a few suggestions to up your game a little bit, have more family interaction together, and to build the excitement around whatever you might decide to watch together that evening.
1. Read the Book First
I think most people agree that when a book has been turned into a movie, you should read the book first. One great idea before movie night is to do exactly that, and read a book throughout the week and then watch the movie together on the weekend. Or you can read a book that inspired some other great shows. A perfect example would be to read Peter Pan together, and then to spend time over the weekend watching Hook and some of the Tinker Bell flicks (Neverbeast is my fave!).
2. LEGO Building Competition
Oh man, the amount of AWESOME LEGO stuf on Netflix is simply amazing! And the perfect activity to go along with a few great episodes is a LEGO competition. You can find building ideas online to try to replicate, or you can let your imagination run wild and see who can build the most awesome thingamajig before it’s time to watch a show.
3. Art Time!
Before you press play on The Octonauts and launch into the depths of the ocean, print some coloring pages first for a fun activity for the younger crowd (who am I kidding? I’m 35 and I love to color, too!). Use the time for your kids to fill you in on all the characters names if you don’t already know them. In fact, you can find printable coloring pages for almost any cartoon character on Netflix you can think of! You can also bust out some glitter glue, stickers and other embellishments if you want this part of the evening to go a bit longer (this is the PERFECT activity if you need to keep little ones entertained while you work on dinner, by the way!).
4. Enjoy a Laugh-Out-Loud Game Before a Comedy
Netflix offers a whole host of hilarious shows and movies that are family friendly. But before you get your laughs from the screen, first get them from a few fun family games. Pie Face makes me laugh so hard I cry every single time (for real) and we are also currently really enjoying Uno (even our 3 1/2 year old can play her own handwith only a little assistance from us).
5. Go With a Classic
Fuller House is making its debut on Netflix, picking up the story 29 years after it first started way back in 1987. I’ve previewed the first 6 episodes and I was delighted to discover that it held the interest of my 6-year-old (and of course it held my interest! DJ, Stephanie and Kimmy are so much fun to watch!). This is a really gentle family comedy, and I really think everyone will enjoy it. So when this show premiers on 2/26, make some oven s’mores and settle in together on the couch for a little binge watching!