These days, the American family is often hard-pressed to find an uninterrupted slot of time for family night. With soccer practice, ballet class, cello lessons, business travel, sleepovers, and more, it can seem like everyone is going a hundred different directions all the time. When you finally do carve out time for something like a family movie night, it can be difficult to agree on what show or movie to watch. Here are some ideas of shows or movies on the DISH network that everyone in the family can enjoy.

Documentaries

Why not spend your quality time learning about the real lives of people in different settings around the world? Documentaries can be about historical or current events. Some cover a short time frame while others cover a span of history, following a thread through time. Often, they feature several main people and follow them through their experiences.

Cartoons

Tune into the Cartoon Network for fun at any hour of the day or night. Cartoons may seem silly, but sometimes, they manage to express concepts that are quite deep. Even adults can enjoy them. Take, for example, Horton Hears a Who!, which is based on a Dr. Seuss classic. It’s insanely funny while still delivering a power-packed theme of defending those who are unheard or in danger.

Classics

A lot of classic movies and older shows are less prone to violence and other adult-themed content, and thus, more family-appropriate. Look for movies made in earlier decades. You could even try some black-and-white movies to give your kids a taste of what life was like in other times in history. Pull out some of the old favorites from your childhood. Your kids might love them too!

Nature Channels

Take the whole family inside a live volcano, through a star-studded universe, or into the wild jungles of Africa with the Discovery Channel or the National Geographic Channel or some other channel featuring natural wonders. It will be like going to the zoo from your living room. The kids will love it.

Sports

Adopt a favorite sport and engage the whole family in cheering for the team. Sports have a way of drawing together people of different nationalities, races, and political beliefs. The comradery of cheering for a team or a player—even if members of the family are cheering for opposite teams—creates a good-natured family bonding time. The Olympics are only held once every four years, but they are an excellent sports series for the whole family to engage in.

With so many options to pick from, your family will be sure to find something you can all enjoy. And don’t be afraid to venture out of your favorite genre every so often—you might discover that you love the nature channel even more than the sports channel!