It happens to most people at least once a year. You are sitting around the table at dinner or standing in the bathroom in the evening, and suddenly, the lights flicker and go out. You wait for a minute, but they do not turn back on. Congratulations. You are dealing with a power outage.

Most of the time, a power outage is a brief nuisance. You have to wash the dishes by hand instead of in the dishwasher one night, or you have to get ready for bed by candlelight. Power outages, however, become a much larger problem when kids are involved, especially when the power outage lasts more than a few dark moments. Kids do not necessarily know what to do with themselves during a power outage. Young children may be scared of the sudden darkness and further unnerved when their trusty bedside lamp does not turn on to chase away the monsters. In some ways, older children and teens can be worse. They may not suffer from the frightening inability to banish monsters from their closets, but many older children and teens today have no idea how to entertain themselves without their electronics. So, what is a parent to do during a power outage? Here are six family activities for during a power outage.