Plan a family “date night” – where you can join together for a memorable evening of cooking, eating, games, activities, and a movie!
We’ve planned all of the activities, from the menu and grocery list, to board games and craft activities. Pencil this on your calendar and invite your spouse and kiddos for a night they will eagerly look forward to!
What’s included in this family date night? Dinner, dessert, decorations, a board game, an activity, a craft, and a movie. Read below to learn more about each element. Feel free to pick and choose which best suits your family!
Decorations
- Head to your local Dollar Store for tropical themed paper plates, napkins, cups, and silverware.
- Place a vase of colorful flowers as a centerpiece on your dining table.
- Make coffee filter flowers with your kids.
- Craft lei necklaces out of crepe paper.
- Buy coconuts, hula skirts, or grass plants to place around your party area.
Dinner and Dessert
Your Hawaiian-themed dinner is a traditional chicken and rice dish, so most kiddos will find this tasty.
- The main dish is Huli Huli chicken, which is coated in brown sugar, soy sauce, ketchup, ginger, and garlic. Grill or bake this, or place it on kabobs with pineapple, bell peppers, and onions.
- Serve the chicken over a bed of white rice. Rice is a staple for Hawaiian dishes, plus it soaks up the extra juices from your tasty chicken.
- A spinach and watermelon salad is a refreshing summer side dish too. If your kids are picky eaters, a simple spinach salad with chopped watermelon and cucumber with some cheese on top is a simpler alternative.
- Tropical juice or Hawaiian punch round off the meal in the Hawaiian theme.
- End dinner with a Hawaiian dessert of shaved ice! Toss a 2 cups of ice into your blender with a peeled orange, peach, or mango. Blend until pureed, and enjoy immediately (quick, before it melts!).
Board games
All ages can team up to play Ohana Mana Adventure Game, but your teenagers will love playing the strategy board game Hawaii (read details about it here). Forbidden Island and Hawaii-opoly are additional board game picks.
Activity
Can you have a Hawaii luau without learning how to dance? YouTube offers great tutorials, like a Just Dance luau or Hula Basics for Kids or How To Hula Dance for beginners. Learn some basic moves, then turn on a Hawaiian music playlist and have a dance party in your living room!
Craft
Everyone can get their hands involved in this craft! Make a lei necklace out of crepe paper, or big Hawaiian flowers out of coffee filters.
Movie
What a fun night you have had as a family, making memories and being silly. Hopefully you captured some pictures or videos of the events! But now it’s time to settle down and unwind before bed. Turn on one of these Hawaiian movies for a family movie night:
- Lilo and Stitch
- Moana
- Johnny Tsunami
- A Very Brady Sequel
- Rip Girls
- Aloha, Scooby Doo
- Teen Beach Movie
- Saved By The Bell: Hawaiian Style
- Soul Surfer
Happy Hawaiian Family Date Night!
We’ve done all of the planning for you, now it’s your turn! Plan an evening this summer to host this family date night. Tell your kids about it so they can get excited. Ask your husband to jump into the fun (and maybe bribe him with the mention of a coconut bra and grass hula skirt as the end of the night…).