Mom’s night out doesn’t have to end just because you are an empty nester. If you never had time for a Mom’s night out, this would be a great time to start. In fact, what better time to have a night spent with friends, other moms, going through the same emotions, challenges and successes related to this new time in life! As an empty nester, you probably have more time than you did when you had children in the house. This makes it even easier to find time for an Empty Nesting Moms Night Out! So get out there, have some fun, and make some connections with your Empty Nesting Mom friends!

Forming an Empty Nesting Moms Night Out Group

When forming an Empty Nesting Moms Night Out group there are a couple of things to keep in mind. The first is to try to keep the group small. The reason for this recommendation is it is hard to include everyone in conversations if the group gets too large. When not everyone can be included in conversations, they can feel left out and either decide it’s not worth their time or small clicks within the bigger group begin to form. We all remember clicks from high school. I think you would agree that is not the direction you want your Empty Nesting Moms Night Out group to head. I would recommend a group of four to six people. If you can’t fit around one dinner table, then the group is too large to have successful intimate conversations.

If you have more Empty Nesting Mom friends than four to six and don’t want to leave anyone out, that is totally understandable. In this case, I would recommend splitting the group into groups of four to six people. Then create a rotation schedule so that two or three people from each group rotate to the other group. Different people should be rotating each time so that everyone in the groups gets to interact with all group members at some point. This does make it a bit more complicated, but it alleviates individuals feeling left out or lessens the chance of clicks forming.

Empty Nesting Moms Night Out Activities

There are so many things you could do with a group of Empty Nesting Moms. The more you meet with your group, you will start to refine what works the best for the group. You may even come up with some new ideas or others in the group may have some ideas to incorporate. Here we will discuss five ideas to get you started and to incorporate into your Empty Nesting Mom’s group.

Movie Night

One of the easiest things to do on an Empty Nesting Mom’s Night Out is to watch a movie. Most people enjoy watching a good movie now and then. If you are like me, you rarely go to the movie theater. This is a great way to get out of the house and do something as a group. The downside to movies at a movie theater is you can’t have many conversations. To remedy this, you might want to plan for dinner before the movie or coffee after. This will allow for a little time for conversation and catching up on life.

Another option for movie night is to host a movie night at your house. This allows time for conversations before and after the movie (and there is no one around to get annoyed at your group if you talk during the movie). Serving appetizers to your group before the movie encourages time for chatting. This might take a little more prep time, but can be worth it for more time to catch up.

Group Dinner

Having dinner with your Empty Nesting Mom’s Night Out group is always a hit. Dinner is a great opportunity for having conversations and catching up with all that is new in each other’s lives. There is something about food that always encourages great conversations. Dinner with your Mom’s Night Out group can be held at local restaurants. This is as simple as calling ahead to make sure there will be seating for your group size. Remember especially at dinner, it is important to keep the group size small. This allows for everyone to be able to be included in the conversations.

Another great way to have an Empty Nester’s Mom’s Night Out dinner is to for a group member to host. In this case, the group could be a little bigger, as people can get up and mingle with other groups of ladies and are not confined to one seat at the table. However, this does take a good amount of prep time. But if that is your thing, everyone will appreciate your willingness to open your house to the group.

Start a Book Club

Book clubs are great for encouraging conversations. Not only are there opportunities to talk about how things are going in each other’s lives, but also having a specific subject to discuss (the book) encourages ideas to flow. This allows for more conversation as different ideas and opinions are brought to light. Book clubs can be hosted in a group member’s home. But the club can also meet at many other types of locations such as a coffee house, a deli, or a park (if your weather allows). If you find that your group has several members who aren’t blessed with the gift of gab, a good book might help them engage in the conversation and open them up to more conversations.

Join an Art Class

Another fun idea for an Empty Nesting Mom’s Night Out is to join a local art class. It really doesn’t matter if no one in your group is a budding artist. It’s all about doing something fun together and not about being a great artist. Art classes still allow for conversation while you are creating your masterpieces! Some places also have art and wine events that you can attend. These events are not so much about learning art but more about socializing. These can be fun one-time group ideas for your night out activities if signing up for an entire art class is too much of an obligation.

Attend a Women’s Bible Study

Being a working mom when I had children at home didn’t work with the schedule of the Women’s Bible Studies that were held at our home church. The schedule of bible study events would either conflict with my work schedule or attending my child’s school events. Now that we are empty-nesters, our evening schedules have cleared out a bit. A Women’s Bible Study is a great way to connect with other moms. You could host a Bible Study with your own group of empty nesting moms.

You could also join a Women’s Bible Study at your local church. It may be that not all women in the group are empty nesters, and in some cases, may not even be moms. But, either way, it will be a fun and uplifting way to spend some of your time. And what better way than to meet as a group and pray for your children and their decisions that are leading them to their next phase in life.

Empty Nesting Moms Night Out Group Necessary for Healthy Social Life

I challenge you to start an Empty Nesting Moms group or join a class and become part of a group. When our children leave the home, we don’t always realize the social groups that we have been a part of for so long leave too. We are no longer attending the various school events that brought all the classmates’ moms together, sometimes multiple nights a week. This is a great time to bring some of those moms back together or to join new groups. Whichever route you decide, keep your social life alive. It’s important for your well being. Just as we have discussed how important for your children to get involved and join groups in college, it is just as important for us as adults to also join groups to keep us social in our empty nesting years.

Let’s get out there and be social and have a great time! What are some activities you like to do with your empty nesting mom friends?

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