Rated F for Fun!
Life’s fast pace gets overwhelming. Add kids to the mix, and you’re bound to start feeling a bit burnt out every now and then. There’s no shame in it! Being a parent is a full-time job that you’ve often got to handle on top of an existing full-time job. Sometimes, you need a break to just relax and disconnect while your child is occupied with something else. Have you considered a movie night at a local preschool or daycare?
Daycares and preschools are all about offering families a place to play, learn, and grow. Many offer fun movie nights to give parents a much-needed breather to recharge, letting you drop your children off at the daycare so they can enjoy a night of fun activities and an age-appropriate movie. Meanwhile, you get a night to yourself! If you can’t find a sitter, daycare and preschool movie nights are a great way to get a bit of time to recharge.
Why Daycare Movie Nights Are a Great Option
Just as children need unstructured playtime to relax and be free, parents need time to get away and unwind as well. Put it this way: a car running on fumes isn’t running at its best. At any moment, it might break down, which means calling a tow truck, arranging another ride, or (at worst) taking the car into the shop for some work.
Parents are no different!
A bad sleep here, a rough night there, and burning the candle at both ends adds up. It drains your energy, and unlike a car rolling to a stop, when you’re out of energy, you crash—hard. It takes longer to recover from exhaustion than it does to practice a bit of self-care here and there. Leaving your children with a sitter, family member, or a daycare movie night isn’t something you should feel guilty about. Simply put, mom and dad need breaks, too! Your child deserves you at your best—and so do you!
Daycare movie nights are a great opportunity to:
- Rest, relax, and unwind
- Enjoy a date night with your partner
- Let the kids have a special treat
- Give your children a chance to burn off a bit more energy
- Spend time together as a family
Knowing you have a reliable, safe, and clean place to leave your children is a huge weight off your mind. You can focus on recharging if you need it, or you can join your kids while letting someone else handle the entertainment for the night.
Benefits for Children
There are several benefits for your children as they experience movie night at a local daycare:
- It’s an opportunity for children to develop socialization skills. While learning to compromise, share, and communicate with others, children are able to deal with their emotions and learn important life lessons.
- Play is an important part of child development and spending time at a daycare movie night provides a fun, stimulating, and educational playtime experience.
- Often, these movie nights offer greater structure than simply going to the cinema or renting something to watch at home, providing further activities and helping children engage with their entertainment actively.
- A movie night can be a new experience for children, helping prepare them for other new experiences alone or as part of a group.
Movie nights at daycares often begin in the early evening, generally around 6, starting with a fun introduction, some ground rules, and maybe even an activity before the main feature starts. After the movie has ended, your child will have the opportunity to explore the play center and participate in various activities. Snacks are provided and you can drop in anytime and join in on the fun or pick up your child when movie night ends.
Movie Nights at Home
If you want to plan a movie night at home to connect and spend time together as a family, here are some tips to get you started:
- Get creative by making movie admission tickets to hand out or pretend you’re at a drive-in and set up a projector outdoors.
- Keep it simple and comfortable by piling pillows and sleeping bags in the floor for everyone to relax on and enjoy the movie.
- Have everyone’s favorite snacks available. Ordering pizza is a great option and provides easy cleanup. You can set up a popcorn bar with various toppings available, as well.
- Focus on making this a night for the family, blocking out all other distractions such as household chores, work, and technology devices.
Deciding to enjoy a family movie night at home or a movie night at Kids Kingdom is a great way to share memorable moments with those special loved ones in your life. Contact us to learn about our preschool movie nights and other fun activities.
