This guide on how to have fun family movie nights during the busy school year is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Snyder’s-Lance, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #Pop4Captain http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

With school back in session, it can be really hard to make time for family time. Honestly, between sports, music, and other extracurriculars, plus homework, it can feel impossible to get the whole family in one place at one time. But making time for that family connection is very important, so I’ve got a few tips to make sure you can reconnect with a fun family movie night and make sure it goes really smoothly! We’ve already got a fun family movie night planned in our household around the release of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie.

Make It a Date

One of the best ways to make sure you follow through with family time is to make it a date. Seriously– put it on the calendar! At the beginning of the month, when you’re filling in all of your practices, plans, and meetings for the month, go ahead and place your fun family movie night on the board, too. Once it’s there, do your best to stick to it, rearranging anything non-essential that gets in the way.

Then, make sure the whole family knows it’s their responsibility to be there… and make it fun so they’ll want to join, too!

Set Aside Homework Stress

Movie night is way less fun if everyone is stressed about to-do lists. Work together as a family to tackle stuff like homework right away so everyone can stay focused on the movie. Or, plan movie nights on a weekend to allow for more time to finish those projects. Either way, make movie night a no-homework and no-work zone, so everyone is focused on family time, not stressful things.

If you’re a homeschool family like ours, consider rearranging the schedule to allow for more family time one evening, and picking up the extra slack on another day before or after the movie night.

Power Down Devices

When you go to a movie theatre, the expectation is that you’ll refrain from using your cell phone, even to text, because the noises and lights can be distracting to other patrons. Make sure to enforce the same rule at home when you can– make family movie night a device-free zone so your family can take time to reconnect. Consider playing some fun games before or after the movie, do some movie trivia, or cook movie-themed snacks together before the show.

One fun way to make sure everyone stays off of their phones and tablets is to make it a challenge– all of the devices go in a bucket. The first person to pull their phone out of the bucket to check it has to help with dinner the next night, or has to clean up the stray popcorn after family movie night, or unload the dishwasher next! By making it a challenge, it’s fun for the kids and the adults to try to stay unplugged and engaged in fun family time.

Grab Movie Snacks for the Family

One way to entice the family to join for a fun family movie night is to bring the kind of snacks they’re going to love to the party! In my family, that means a selection of fresh fruit, some Pop Secret popcorn, and delicious Lance Crackers from Walmart.

We love Pop Secret for our family movie nights because we love the high-quality, delicious flavor. It’s great for passing around and sharing with the whole family!

I’m a huge fan of the taste– they’ve got better ingredients, and now that they’re making popcorn with their best butter yet, it has a great butter taste that reminds me of a trip to the movies!

Lance snacks are great for movie nights and ALL the time. I love packing these portable little sandwiches for on-the-go snacking, like for a trip to the zoo, but they are great for movie nights, too! I love that they’re flavorful, wholesome, and filling.

But did you know that they contain up to 5 grams of protein? And there’s no high fructose corn syrup! It’s a great snack I feel good about sharing with my family because they use real ingredients.

By making sure you’re sharing snacks your whole family will love, you’re giving them great encouragement to come join the family fun!

Pick a Movie Everyone Can Enjoy

A fun family movie night is no fun if you can’t agree on the movie, so be sure you’re picking a movie the whole family can enjoy together! Do a poll, or a vote, or let each member of the family pick on a rotating basis to help ward off any fights or disagreements about what movie to watch during movie night!

Or, go the easy route and pick one that everyone is going to love. I know that my family is anxiously awaiting the release of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie.  It’s an awesome family film with so much heart. The story is one of incredible friendship. George (played by Kevin Hart) and Harold are best friends that have an amazing connection through creativity and writing, making them perfect examples of that fun creativity for kids. I love the outrageous humor that the film brings to the table, and it even has a Certified Fresh rating on RottenTomatoes, meaning it’s one your whole family will be able to get behind watching!

We are SO excited about this movie that we’ve even pre-ordered it from Walmart so we’ll be able to watch it right away. It’s such a fun family movie that everyone, kids to adults and in between, will laugh and maybe even cry over the great humor and story woven through the film.

What’s your tip for the best fun family movie night?

Let me know in the comments below! The Captain Underpants DVD will be available in Walmart stores 9/12! Be sure to reserve your copy now by pre-ordering today! While supplies last.