Movie Night at Home: How to Take It up a Notch

Here are some ways to take your at-home movie night up a notch. With countless entertainment venues still closed, it’s time to get creative and put a fun twist on at-home activities like movie night. It’s easy and fun! Just pick a movie and create an experience around the movie’s theme. You can also change up where in your home you see the movie.

SNACKS

Whether you’re renting a new release or enjoying an old favorite, create a snack board inspired by the movie! For Trolls 2, I used bright colored candy, popcorn, Trolls Oreos, and cotton candy emulating Trolls’ hair. The kids would’ve had fun anyway, but letting them dig into all those bright-colored treats made it extra special. For some extra fun, add props!

We love The Sandlot at our house and nothing screams Sandlot like some good ol’ s’mores. To make the snacks a little more interesting I added different chocolate options like Hershey’s and Nutella. I also included different size marshmallows and graham crackers, including kid-sized Teddy Grahams.

Are your kids Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans? Create a pizza-filled board! I used pizza-flavored Combos, Bagel Bites and pizza slices.

A few more movie + snack combinations to get you inspired:

• The Lion King: animal crackers, gummy worms (slimy yet satisfying)
• Beauty and the Beast: place a red rose in the center and surround it with yellow snacks (think popcorn, jelly beans, chips, etc.)
• E.T.: a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup board featuring different Reese’s variations
• The Princess and the Frog: beignets (Disney shared their recipe here) and gummy frogs
• Dumbo: Circus Animal Crackers, Nutter Butter Cookies (or actual peanuts), and popcorn 
• Frozen I and II: frost cookies and top with blue or white sugar sprinkles (they sparkle, representing the “ice”), marshmallows and blue m&ms
• Pirates of the Caribbean: chocolate gold coins, candy bracelets and necklaces, popcorn and candy skulls (which may be available with Halloween coming up)

TAKE IT OUTSIDE

How else can you take your at-home movie night up a notch? Take it outside! There’s nothing wrong with a relaxing movie night on the couch, but if you’re looking to make it extra special for the kids here are a few ideas. If you’ve got a projector and a blank wall or screen, enjoy movie night outdoors!

If you’ve got older kids and a pool, watch the 1975 classic Jaws! The seating? Pool floats inside the pool. If you’ve got little ones, let them sit on a boogie board or pool float outside the water and watch Finding Nemo, The Little Mermaid, or some other ocean-themed film.

Make it a drive-in! Let your kids sit in their battery-powered cars and enjoy a “drive-in” movie. No cars? No problem! You can have some fun pre-movie craft time and make some out of boxes (check out a great tutorial here). 

INSIDE FUN

If you don’t have a projector or the weather doesn’t permit being outdoors, have some fun in your living room. Throw some pillows or a mattress on the living room floor and build a fort in front of the t.v. Even watching a movie and having a slumber party in Mom and Dad’s room will be break from the routine and be fun for your little ones!

For more kid-friendly fun, enjoy making these desserts and check out these activities! I’d also love to know, what’s your favorite film for a family movie night? Share it in the comments!