Disclaimer: I have received a complimentary Kids Night In Box in exchange for my honest review. The opinions expressed are my own. You can view our full Disclosure Policy here.
If your kids are anything like mine, they crave constant activity and keeping up with 5 year old twins is e-x-h-a-u-s-t-i-n-g. Because we live in Florida, summers are super hot and it’s hard to find affordable activities to keep the kids entertained that don’t involve being outside in the sweltering heat. And there are only so many times per day that they can go swimming before their fingers look like the California Raisins and their hair turns chartreuse.
We recently started playing a lot of board games and matching games. We are working on sight words and rhyming words to prepare my preschoolers for their upcoming school year and to help my daughter with her speech disorder. I’m always on the hunt for fun and engaging new games and activities. Bonus points if they incorporate fine and gross motor skills.
When I stumbled upon the Date Night In Box website, I learned that they have a Kids Night In Box! The delivery guy happened to show up with our first Kids Night In Box when my kids were eating dinner, and of course they wanted to know what was in the box. We popped it open and started examining the contents. This month’s theme was ‘Mind Your Manners.’ Inside the box was a cute children’s book called Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf, that was a fun take on the big bad wolf using his manners, plastic cups that the children were able to personalize and decorate with the included colored pencils, placemats to learn how to properly set a table, plates, disposable silverware, pipe cleaners and beads to make napkin holders, cookies, and a game spinner.
We read through the newsletter that comes in the box and then read the book, Mind Your Manners B.B. Wolf. We quickly got started on the first activity: napkin holders.
I loved that this activity incorporated working on fine motor skills. With a little parental assistance to secure the first bead at the end of the pipe cleaner, the kids were quickly threading beads on the pipecleaner independently, both choosing to make their own patterns. We practiced making napkin art as depicted in the newsletter, and we bent the pipecleaners to form napkin rings around our folded napkins.
Next, we decorated our cups using the colored pencils included in the box.
The kids enjoyed this activity and the cups came with 3 pieces of paper each to make multiple designs. Just a note about the cups: they are probably not dishwasher safe and I know a lot of parents are conscientious of BPA-free plastic, I don’t believe these meet that designation.
We laid out our placemats and put together the game spinner. Each twin would take a spin and ultimately practiced setting the table with our plates, silverware, cups and napkins. Once our placemats were set, we enjoyed our cookies. Twin 1 didn’t care for the cookie, but twin 2 devoured them both and proclaimed them to be “delicious!”
I didn’t know what to expect from the Kid Night In Box. The concept is adorable, the content is very well thought out and very well presented in a neat little package. The quality of the included materials was a little lackluster, but I appreciate the need to keep costs down in order to provide supplies in bulk. I love how each month is a different theme so that the kids are exposed to a wide variety of topics, subjects, and activities. The biggest win for me was that the activities incorporated a lesson in manners and table etiquette, great use of fine motor skills, and something that was out of the norm to keep the kids engaged!
The boxes are offered individually or in package deals for 3, 6, and 12 month subscriptions. Individual boxes are $34.95 per month, and subscription packages are discounted. I’ll admit, for a kid’s activity box, I feel that the price point is a little high if you subscribe monthly. It’s great for a gift idea from grandparents or relatives, or you can order them once in a while if you’re looking to change up your routine. Arguably, you can reuse the included items, but I feel as though for that amount of money, you can purchase a few games that will entertain the kids more than one time. I certainly appreciated the fine motor activities like stringing beads and coloring and the kids enjoyed playing with the game spinner to learn how to properly set a table. You’re never too young to learn some domestic values!
Kids Night In offers two options for boxes. There’s Kids Night In and Kids Faith boxes. So, if you’re looking for some new family night ideas, check out one of these boxes. The beauty is that you don’t have to lock in each month, so if you’re budget conscious, this is a nice way to have a family fun night for a fraction of the cost of going out to an activity that charges admission.
To see all of the options, check out the Kids Night In website using this link. Here’s a promo code for a free box when you subscribe to the 3, 6 or 12 month plans!
Tamar Blazer is an attorney-turned-twin mom, with a passion for her family, friends, writing, good food, home decor and laughing. When she’s not lamenting on her lack of sleep, you can find her doing one of the too many projects she likes to take on, usually with a twin on either side.
I agree. I think the price point is kind of high. I love the concept though. I have done themed movie nights with accompanying meals and activities. There are really good activities for Snow White and Rapunzel online.