Your Guide to Hosting The BEST Family Pizza Night

Family Pizza Night is a tradition that families have enjoyed for many years as it's a great way to spend an evening with friends, family, or a significant other. 

While ordering a delicious pizza from your favorite restaurant is always tempting, there's something special about making a homemade pizza and making it an activity that the entire family can be a part of and enjoy.

Our family loves to do this all year round, and it can be easily combined with a family movie night!

In this blog post, you’ll learn valuable tips for creating your next homemade pizza night, along with our top movie night must-haves and a list of unique movies to try!

How To Host The Best Family Pizza Night

• Choose Your Pizza Dough

Whether you prefer mixing your own pizza dough or you'd rather keep it simple and purchase pre-made pizza dough from the supermarket's freezer section, creating your signature pizza is a fun activity. 

• Pick Your Pizza Sauce 

While there are lots of options for pizza sauces in the store, if you're ambitious, try making your own homemade pizza sauce. We love this easy recipe from The Pioneer Woman.

• Curate Your Toppings 

Whenever we decide to have a family pizza night, I prepare and cut fresh toppings, chopping vegetables like bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and olives, and occasionally cooking meat like sausage or bacon.

I ensure I have all the necessary ingredients, like tomato sauce, grated cheese, and any additional toppings the kids like, such as ham, pineapple, pepperoni, or jalapenos.

This is the part that makes it fun! Each family member can choose the toppings that they enjoy most, making the dinner something truly unique for everyone.

Pro Tip: 

To make the process easier and more efficient, I ensure each ingredient is kept separately in its container. This way, everyone can easily access the toppings they want, saving time instead of searching for the right ingredients in a cluttered kitchen.

Having a family pizza night is always a fun and exciting activity for us, and being organized and prepared ahead of time makes the experience even more enjoyable.

Level Up Your Homemade Pizza Night With A Pizza Oven

If you really want to level up your homemade pizza night, I can’t recommend investing in an outdoor pizza oven enough! Last summer, my family and I bought an Ooni, an outdoor pizza oven that has become popular lately and let me tell you, it's fantastic!

You can quickly and easily get that delicious wood-fired pizza flavor in your backyard. It's so convenient and versatile, too. We use it just like a classic grill, but it can also reach high temperatures to cook all kinds of yummy foods. 

End Your Homemade Pizza Night With a Classic Movie or Educational Documentary

In my opinion, a family pizza night is one of the best ways to connect and make memories as a family without having to go out of the house. 

To make the night a little extra special, we typically combine it with a family movie night by watching a classic favorite or an educational documentary. 

As a parent, my children must stay informed about global issues and learn how they can positively impact the world. Additionally, I need to expose them to experiences beyond our local community. That's why documentaries are a perfect tool for educating and inspiring young minds.

If you’re searching for your next family movie night film, go beyond the traditional movies and opt for a family-friendly documentary, such as:

1. A Plastic Ocean In this adventure documentary, Craig Leeson, Tanya Streeter, scientists, and researchers explore 20 locations worldwide over four years. They reveal alarming truths about plastic pollution and practical solutions.

2. A Place at the Table shows how hunger severely impacts our nation. If Americans prioritize making healthy food affordable and available, we can solve this issue for good.

3. Maidentrip - This documentary follows 14-year-old Laura Dekker's two-year journey to become the youngest person to sail solo worldwide.

4. Vanishing Bees -  Honeybees disappear from their hives worldwide due to Colony Collapse Disorder. This poses a crisis for beekeepers producing vital fruits and vegetables like apples, broccoli, watermelon, onions, and cherries. One-third of our food depends on honeybees' pollination.

5. Bully - Filmmaker Lee Hirsch examines five cases of youths who endure vicious persecution at the hands of their peers.  *Please be advised that this content may contain sensitive material. We highly recommend that parents view it first to ensure its appropriateness before sharing it with their children of age and emotionally mature enough to handle it.

6. March of the Penguins -This film is about penguins' lives. The footage follows them on their annual trek from the Antarctic shore. Although some scenes could be disturbing for kids, it's a fun exploration of these fascinating birds. Narrated by Morgan Freeman.

7. Pick of the Litter is a documentary that follows the journey of five puppies at Guide Dogs for the Blind. The documentary showcases the rigorous training they undergo to become guide dogs and highlights the challenges of blindness. The film sheds light on the sacrifices made by volunteer families and the enormous amount of effort that goes into training these dogs. It's a heartwarming documentary that's a must-watch with your kids.

8. Jane- Jane Goodall, a chimpanzee researcher and environmental advocate, is the subject of a documentary that chronicles her journey from the Tanzanian jungle to scientific acclaim. Although she lacked formal education, she spent years conducting her research. *Parents should note that the film contains disturbing footage of predators attacking prey, chimpanzees killing each other, and a brief scene of chimps mating.

9. Living on One Dollar is a documentary set in Guatemala that follows four American college students as they try to survive on one dollar a day. The film sheds light on the difficulties of living in extreme poverty and is informative for all audiences. However, some graphic content may be disturbing to younger viewers.

10. Underwater Dreams* is a movie about Carl Hayden High School's robotics team, which comprises low-income undocumented Mexican immigrants. In 2004, they participated in an underwater robotics competition, outperforming prestigious schools such as M.I.T. The movie also focuses on the alumni's efforts in addressing immigration reform. 

*Please note that expletives are used in the movie but are muted.

Overall, family pizza night is the perfect opportunity to unwind and spend quality family time amidst all the chaos.  

To help you make your family pizza and movie night the best it can be, click here and here for all of my must-have essentials!

And the next time you host a night like this of your own, I’d love to see it – connect with me on Instagram and tag me so I can cheer you on!