For one thing, many families are turning to video games as an easy way to have fun together, the benefits of which are being substantiated by recent research. Many parents have fond memories of early Atari games, want to incorporate that experience into their family time somehow, and find that their kids are game for gaming as well. Four-player games, especially when played on a Wii or Xbox Kinect 360, can be a great facilitator of family time. Here are some recommended family titles:

Tweeter @GeekDad248 let us know that Atari has some of their greatest hits available to play at Atari.com, as well as downloadable-to-iPhone-and-Android versions. Every family is different, but generally, the games that have humor, entertainment, or exercise as their core element, rather than competition, are best for family fun nights.

@Monnie311 says she has a family game night every week, with either video or board games. For an “unplugged” family night, you can of, course break, out the Uno, Phase 10, or face cards, but you can also try multi-player, less-competitive games like Mad Gab (hilarious, by the way) and Apples to Apples. Families with older children may want to try Settlers of Catan.

Of course, if gaming’s not your thing, there’s also Family Cooking Night, Family Art Night (talked about over at FamiliesWithPurpose.com), and Family Read-a-thon Night. The important elements are interaction and doing something the majority of you enjoy.

• Commit to do one act of kindness each week based on the week’s challenge.
• Leave a comment with ideas relating to the week’s challenge as well as your experience(s) performing it.
• Grab the SOS button at the bottom of this post and put it on your blog or social networking site.
• Enter to win each week’s giveaway. Check out this week’s family focused giveaway by clicking here.
• Join #gno to connect with other Mom It Forward moms about the challenge. (Note: 10 lucky winners will receive popcorn gift packs during #gno!)

10 Ways to Make a Difference This Week

Here are 10 ideas to help you Focus on Family that will make a meaningful difference this week!

1. Choose your favorite games and set aside an hour to play them together as a family.
2. Enjoy mealtime together, having each person take a turn sharing about his or her favorite part of the day.
3. Have a talent show where each person in the family is encouraged to participate. Talents can include simple things like doing a karate kick, juggling, or telling a story to more complex things like playing a musical instrument, reciting a poem, or performing a dance number.
4. As a family, write a letter or send a package to a family member that lives far away, expressing your love and gratitude for that person.
5. Decide on your favorite at-home family activity and plan some time this week to do it. For one extra step, assign each family member a day of the week and allow him or her to choose which family activity to do. Set aside an hour to Focus on Family each day this week.
6. Make a treat together as a family and share it with a neighbor or other relative.
7. Create a CD with all your favorite family songs. Listen, sing, and dance to them together.
8. Choose a favorite family movie and set a time this week to have a family movie night. Don’t forget your Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn! Mmmmm!
9. Come up with a family mission statement. Identify your family goals and short- and long-term goals. Remember to include fun stuff in your plans like vacations, at-home family activities, etc.
10. Make time every day this week to spend one-on-one time with each of your children, telling them how much you love them. Do the same with your spouse!

This week’s SOS Challenge is sponsored by Orville Redenbacher’s. What other ideas do you have for Focusing on Family? Please share a comment here, letting us know how Focusing on Family has made a meaningful difference for you and your family this week.

<br /><center><a href=”http://momitforward.com/” mce_href=”http://momitforward.com/” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv43/momitforward/sos-125.png” mce_src=”http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv43/momitforward/sos-125.png” alt=”Service,Giving,Mom It Forward” border=”0″ /></a></center>

Photo used with permission from Flickr.

#GNO is talking about focusing on the family, specifically as it relates to spending quality at-home time. We have a terrific panel lined up, including author Kathy Peel and parenting bloggers, Marie from Make and Takes and Vanessa from I Never Grew Up among many other fabulous gals. Join the #gno gang here this Tuesday night.

• What: Girl’s Night Out (What’s GNO? Click here to find out!)
• When: Tuesday, June 9, 9-11 p.m. EDT
• Where: Tweet Grid (use #gno hashtag)
  
• Topic: Family activities
  
• Who: @kathypeel, @cgudovic, @makeandtakes, @genamazzeo, @nancy_martira, @inevergrewup, @pamelavl, @ginadstyle
• Party Favors: Remember to enter to win this week’s giveaway sponsored by Orville Redenbacher’s. Click here for details. Twenty lucky winners will be chosen—ten of them during the #gno party!
• RSVP: Enter your twitter URL/ID in the list below (e.g., http://twitter.com/jyl_momIF). If you would like to include your blog, please enter it next to your name. Make sure to include your twitter URL in the URL line. Please do not enter your blog URL there.

Photo used with permission from Flickr.

Enter to win this week’s giveaway here by reading the rules for entry below. You can also enter at these terrific parenting blogs: Make and Takes and I Never Grew Up.

Giveaway Prizes

Four lucky winners from this site will be randomly selected to win a gift package, including:

• A popcorn bowl
• Three boxes of Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn
• Kathy Peel’s most recent book, The Busy Mom’s Guide to a Happy, Organized Home

Entry Requirements

To enter to win, you are required to do the following four things:

1. Take this week’s SOS Challenge to Focus on Family by completing one of the post’s 10 suggestions or by performing one random act of kindness that fits within this week’s theme.
2. Share your experience by leaving a comment on that post.
3. Tweet about this giveaway sponsored by Orville Redenbacher, including this link: http://momitforward.com/giveaway%E2%80%94win-a-popcorn-gift-pack-for-the-perfect-family-night-in.
4. Leave a comment on this post by Sunday, June 14 at midnight EDT, including your e-mail address and information about your extra entries, if applicable.

To receive extra entries (for a total of five extra entries):

• Click here to join the Mom It Forward Facebook group.
• Post about this giveaway on your Facebook wall.
• (For 3 extra entries!) Join and post a picture of your favorite family activity to the Mom It Forward Flickr group.

In the event that you do not win a giveaway, Orville Redenbacher’s would still like you to enjoy family fun with a big bowl of popcorn. Click here to download this coupon for a box of Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn.
The Fine Print
You may enter in all giveaways, but you may only win once. No purchase necessary to enter this giveaway. Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. ConAgra employees and Mom It Forward, Make and Takes, and I Never Grew Up family members are ineligible to participate. All entries received after Sunday, June 14 at midnight EDT will not be considered. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered.