You’ve long heard these words of sage advice, “Variety is the spice of life.” This applies especially to your off hours, which means if you’re engaged with your computer or smart device most of the day, it’s a good idea to step back, and give your “screen” eyes a rest. Set aside a time or times during the week for a game of cards or pool, a family movie night, or table tennis, checkers or chess with kids and grandkids. You can even designate a separate play zone for kids if they want to do their own activities while the adults relax. It’s helpful to have a family room or game room, but if space is tight, a kitchen table will work for many fun games and projects. A fun night with people in real time can be even better than fun with an
interactive screen.

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Play A Game, Analog Style || It’s always a good time for a good time. Challenge your family members or invite friends to hang out and play together with pool tables, dart boards, air hockey, checkers, and other get-more-people-involved games. And remember, not every fun thing you do has to be photographed or videotaped to be meaningful. Spending valuable time with people you care about, and creating new memories are sometimes all you need.

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Create A Play Space || Ideally, it’s great to have a dedicated space for spending time with family and friends. Whether it’s part of a den, an extension of a dining area, or a roomy basement location that will accommodate lots of guests, you want this space to promote lively fun, easy conversation, and provide relaxing comfort. Sometimes it’s the little extras you didn’t think you’d need that make the biggest difference to your enjoyment. For example, it could be a console with cup holders on your sofa recliner or a hidden cabinet drawer in your wine server to keep snacks handy.

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If you have smaller kids joining in the fun, consider carving out a section of the room that’s just for them with storage for toys and books, a desk, chairs, and a colorful area rug to tie the space together. You can even tailor the space to their interests, whether it’s sports, cars, arts and crafts, travel, or anything else that sparks your kids’ imagination and creativity, and keeps them happily occupied.