With today’s hectic pacing of life, finding time together as a family has become harder and harder. One relatively easy way to begin recovering some quality time is to designate a few hours, one evening each week as family game night.

A family game night can be a fun, inexpensive, and relaxing way to begin reestablishing time together as a family. There are a multitude of card games, board games, and other games of dexterity and skill that will enable you to interact on another level with your children.

Establishing a family game night is relatively easy and painless. Choose one night each week and make a personal commitment to adhere to your plans. Show your children that your time with them is a priority. Make it a point to eat dinner together and to clean up afterwards together. Then, turn off the television, turn the ringer on the phone either down or off, get together some snacks, and let your children break out their favorite games.

Rotate the game choice each week so everyone gets a fair chance to play their favorite and add some variety to the night. Remember to keep in mind the ages of your children and purchase games accordingly. If there is a wide age difference between your children, let the younger ones roll dice or move game pieces, anything to give them involvement. Take this time to show how to practice good sportsmanship—don’t let the game become a competitive environment. Also, take this time to praise your children—especially if they're not winning. Most importantly, make the evening fun—after all, it is a game!