Family nights are an easy and fun way to keep your family growing together. This month is has been a goal for us to make family nights a regular thing. These can be something small like a game night at home or a bigger event like a family dinner and movie. Even the family night failures can be valuable moments that provide years of memories. Try out some brand new ideas with a Moana-themed family night. Then, keep reading to find out about our family night disaster below.

[bctt tweet=”Try out some brand new family night ideas with a fun Moana-themed family night. #Moana #ad #RWM” username=”diyadulation”]

About Moana

Before we get onto the fun family night ideas here is a little background about the movie:

“From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes “Moana,” a sweeping, CG-animated feature film about an adventurous teenager who sails out on a daring mission to save her people. “Moana is the 16-year-old daughter of the chief of Motunui,” says director Ron Clements. “She’s brave, determined, compassionate and incredibly smart. She has a never-say-die attitude and a profound connection to the ocean.”

“So it’s troubling to her, to say the least, that her people don’t go beyond the reef surrounding their island,” adds director John Musker. “They stay within the confines of that reef, and Moana doesn’t really understand why, especially since she’s felt drawn to the ocean her whole life.”…

Telling the Tale

Pacific Island storytelling culture is celebrated as the fi lm opens. Gramma Tala, the mother of Chief Tui and Moana’s greatest confidante, shares the tale of Te Fiti, the mother island. “Her heart held the greatest power ever known: it could create life itself,” she says. “And Te Fiti shared it with the world.”

Gramma Tala’s story culminates with details of Maui, demigod of the wind and sea, who steals the heart of Te Fiti, unleashing a terrible darkness that threatens the life and habitat of islanders throughout the region. Maui is confronted by Te Kā, a demon of earth and fire, and ultimately loses the heart of Te Fiti to the sea.

The film introduces a very special presence in Moana’s life: the Ocean—a living embodiment of the sea who’s chosen Moana to find Maui and return the heart of Te Fiti, saving her island and her people from the darkness that has begun to take over. The only problem is that Chief Tui, Moana’s father, forbids voyaging beyond the safety of the reef that lies just beyond their shores. Tui has seen too many voyage past the reef—and never return—and out of love for his people, has forbade it. Moana must go against her father’s wishes to pursue her destiny set forth by the Ocean.

The mighty demigod Maui, a charismatic character in the film, was inspired by the varied tales and legends about him throughout the Pacific. Says Musker, “We were fascinated by the stories we read, the tales told to us by people of the region. In most islands, Maui is larger-than-life, a trickster and a shapeshifter. He could pull up whole islands from the sea with his fishhook; he had the power to slow down the sun. He is an incredible figure.”

Maui, who’s on his own journey of self-discovery, reluctantly guides Moana in her quest to become a wayfinder and save her people. Together, they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds, and, along the way, Moana discovers the one thing she’s always sought: her own identity.” – Disney Press Kit

Moana-Themed Family Night Activities

Kakamora Design Contest

Step 1

Before heading to the theater, print out this free printable “Design Your Own Kakamora” worksheet for each family member.

Step 2

Have everyone design a Kakamora, number each one, and tape them to the wall.

Step 3

Next, each family member takes turns voting for his or her favorite by writing the number down on a slip of paper, folding it in half, and tossing it in a bowl.

Step 4

Wait to tally the votes until you get home from the movie. The winner can get an extra piece of leftover movie candy; pick the next family movie theme; or other small reward.

Special Dinner Coloring Sheets

Skip the kids menus at dinner tonight. Instead, print out these awesome free Moana coloring sheets for kids to decorate at dinner. They will feel like they know the characters before you even get to the theater!

Coloring Sheet 1

Coloring Sheet 2

Coloring Sheet 3

Coloring Sheet 4

Coloring Sheet 5

Coloring Sheet 6

Put on a Puppet Show

Let the fun continue after the movie! Print out these free printable bookmarks on cardstock. Next, cut them out and put in a cute envelope. Surprise your kids after the movie with their new “puppets” and they’ll be giggling the entire ride home.

Our Family Night Fail

Now that you have some awesome Moana-themed family night ideas as promised I’ll share our family night disaster with you. As you saw at the beginning of this post, I received 4 free premier tickets in exchange for writing this post. I was stoked and couldn’t wait for us to have our first big family night of the month (prior to this we had only done family nights at home). I set aside money in the budget for a nice dinner out with the 5 of us, childcare for the 2-year-old after dinner, and a fun-tastic Moana movie night at the theater. Ah, the best laid plans. Instead, getting out of the house was a disaster of all three kids insisting on trying to hold my hands while bumping into the door, the wall, the side of the van… pretty much everything. All of this while I’m yelling behind me to make sure the diaper bag was grabbed, there is a sippy cup inside, is the door locked, do we have the keys, and everything else that a large family needs when going anywhere for an extended time period.

[bctt tweet=”Even the family night failures can provide years of memories. Read about our family night disaster here! #Moana #ad #RWM” username=”diyadulation”]

We get to the restaurant and thankfully are seated right away. That’s when chaos took over. Our kids are usually pretty good and, admittedly, they weren’t screaming or anything but they were knocking things over in their haste to get to drinks and crayons. It literally took us 20 minutes to even be ready to order… the appetizer. As dinner winds on, growing ever-more chaotic we still haven’t heard from the sitter. We start trying to get in touch with parents to try to find a back-up. Upon hearing this, the oldest looks at me and says, “I want to see grandma and grandpa. Can I go with them? Wait. What movie are we seeing again?” Talk about a knife in the heart of the momma. I know that grandparents will always trump parents but after all of the stress of the night this was just heartbreaking.

We finally get in touch with the sitter (who had gotten stuck at work) around 6 at which point we are all stressed out and in tears. We realize at this point that it is just not meant to be. We’ll have to take a family night mulligan. On the plus side, we had a dinner that I didn’t have to make and we still have a puppet night to look forward to. Have you ever had a family night goes wrong-side up? I’d love to hear about the tears and laughs in the comments.

Want to know more about the new Moana Movie? Check out the official Facebook and Twitter pages!

See where I’m linking up!

Date night with your kids is so important, especially as your family grows. My oldest is 7 making him four years oldest than his next closest sibling. Unfortunately, because the younger two are still so small they require a lot of my attention. It can be easy for my oldest to fall between the cracks because he is so well-behaved and so independent. That is why we’ve started making mommy-son date nights a regular thing. It’s the perfect way to make sure he still gets important one-on-one time with mom. Goldfish crackers know how important this is too and that’s why they’ve created the Goldfish Tales campaign. Find out how to create Smile Worthy moments from playing a quick game before bed to epic fort building with these 10 awesome ideas for mommy-son date nights.

[bctt tweet=”This week on the blog I am sharing our list of mommy-son dates! See what you’ll love! #GoldfishMoments #AD” username=”diyadulation”]

Arcade

There is nothing more fun than trolling the arcade together. This date night can be as big or as small as you want. My son and I recently did this while we were out of town for a conference I attended. We simply went down to the hotel game room after dinner and played our hearts out. It’s that easy to have a quick arcade date night. Grab some quarters and head to a movie theater arcade for a small date night. You can also go all out and head to a big arcade for an over-the-top date!

Mobile Game

Unless you’ve been sequestered in recent months you have seen the augmented reality games on the internet. These are an easy and inexpensive date night for you and your son. All you need to make it happen is the app on your phone and your neighborhood. Make sure your phone is charged before heading out because these games suck up your battery life. Then lace up your sneakers and hit the pavement together on the hunt. Your son will love searching out new creatures, portals, and more. You will love all of the laughs you share.

Fill a Time Capsule

This is another super fun and inexpensive date night idea. Go through the house and find items that represent you both today. Next, write letters to your future selves or fill out this free printable. Place your letters and your trinkets in an empty coffee can. Lastly, dig a hole in the ground and bury it. Dig it up on the same day next year for another fun date night.

Build a Fort

This one can also be as big or as small as you want. Build a blanket fort inside and play pretend or play a board game. You can also go big and build a permanent fort together in the backyard. Pull out some wood and tools to create a fun fortress he can play in anytime. Another option if you’re less-than-handy is to grab some paint and update a plastic playhouse you already own. No matter which option you choose, you will love the memories you make together.

Basketball

This one is pretty obvious but sometimes the obvious can be overlooked. My son made a comment the other day that made me decide to add it. He was nervous about trying basketball as his next sport because he didn’t know how to play. I realized I had never just shot hoops with him. Something as simple as a game of horse could help him feel more confident. It doesn’t have to be basketball for you and your son but playing any sport together can have an impact you don’t ever realize.

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Dart Gun Fight

What kid wouldn’t love having a dart war with his mom? You likely already have the guns lying around so why not make a date night out of it? Get your protective gear on and head to the family room. Let him know that it is totally okay to duck behind furniture and roll on the floor to avoid attacks. Take a fun picture of the 2 of you wielding your weapons to capture the memory.

Face Paint

This date night is like a makeover night but for boys. Get some face paint and decorate each other’s faces. You can get ideas from pictures online or take creative license to make your own designs. This is another one that you will want to take pictures of. Don’t forget that you can wash it off and try out multiple looks. Add a little more fun by acting out your paint designs. For example paint zombie faces and pretend you’re eating stuffed animals or paint ninja masks and show off your awesome Kung-Fu moves. Remember to be silly and have fun!

Code Breakers

Have a date being spies together. Create secret messages for your son ahead of time using the telephone code or print out these pre-made messages. The telephone code is easy to follow, and teach. It works like this:

1. Draw a pound sign (or hashtag for your kid’s reference).
2. Number the square 1 through 9.
3. Add 3 letters to each square.
4. Decipher each letter by adding the number the letter falls in with an exponent telling which letter in the trio. See the photos for reference.

For the date night, teach your son how to break the code in your secret messages. Then take turns writing notes to each other in your new code!

Selfie Scavenger Hunt

Go on a photo scavenger hunt with your son. This free printable is full of things you can find in your neighborhood so you don’t have to travel far or spend any money. Take a picture of yourselves with each item on the list and be silly with it. For example, for “leaf” take a selfie of the 2 of you holding leaves in front of your faces. The biggest rule for this one is that you both have to be in the picture. It’s important for you to be a part of the photos and not just behind the camera!

Have a Race

There are many ways to do this one. To help you get started, here are 3 ideas to give a try:

1. Toy Cars – Find a slope or build one. Our driveway is sloped so it works for us but you can also use a flattened cardboard box propped at an angle. Next choose your cars and then, race!
2. Remote Control Cars – This one is fun because you can create a track and/or obstacles to make the race a little more interesting. You and your son each choose a vehicle and go head-to-head. Try racing them on multiple terrains to see who wins on pavement, wood, and grass.
3. Foot Race – Playing with your son is a great way to stay fit! This is the perfect activity for that. Pick a start and an end point and simple race. Up the ante of the race by stringing crepe paper streamers across the finish line. When the winner breaks through it, it will be as a true race champion!

Don’t forget your date night snacks when you’re on the go! Goldfish crackers are the perfect snack to throw in a backpack when you’re hunting Pokémon or refueling after a race. We love the Goldfish Colors because anything colorful always wins in our book but you can find the Goldfish to fit your family! Are you ready for even more fun? Visit the campaign landing page to get inspired and learn how to enter the Goldfish Tales promotion for a chance to win awesome prizes!