by Rachel Wells
In today’s world, we’re surrounded by screens and gadgets for entertainment, but not so long ago, families enjoyed playing casual games together to fill their time. Those simple games not only helped strengthen family bonds but were actually quite educational – boosting both language and memory skills.
If you’re yearning for a dose of good old family fun, you’re in the right place. Check out these eight hilarious and fun family games you can play anywhere – no batteries required.
Would You Rather
Would you rather is simple and easy to play. All you need to do is take turns asking ‘would you rather’ questions where everyone has to choose between 2 silly things.
- Would you rather…have one eye or two noses?
- Would you rather…ride an elephant or a dolphin?
- Would you rather…eat a dead bug or a live worm?
- Would you rather…be super strong or super fast?
Story Starters
Story starters is a game sure to end in laughs! One person starts a story, but doesn’t finish the sentence. The next person finishes that sentence and starts a new one to continue the story. Get ready, this one can go on for a while!
Story Circle
Similar to the story starters game above, story circle is played by having everyone sit in a circle. The first player starts with a word – and each player after them adds only one word to keep the story going. Keep going around the circle, taking turns, until you have an entire (most likely very silly) story.
Don’t Say It
Don’t say it is a great game before heading out on a car ride. Before you start your drive, come up with 3 words that are forbidden for the rest of the trip. Anytime a person is caught saying one of the forbidden words they get one point. The person with the least amount of points at the end of the trip wins.
I Packed My Bag
I packed my bag is perfect for working on memorization skills and keeping everyone focused. The first player will say “I packed my bag and in it is… (name an item).” The next player will have to repeat the previous item, before adding a new one. The player after that will need to repeat all the previous items before adding a new one. The game ends when someone forgets all the items in order.
Example:
Payer 1: “I packed my bag, and in it is a toothbrush.”
Player 2: “I packed my bag, and in it is a toothbrush, and a stuffed toy”
Player 3: “I packed my bag, and in it is a toothbrush, a stuffed toy, and a blanket.”
Categories
Categories is a game where players take turns naming items that belong in a certain group. The categories can be as broad as “animals”, or as narrow as “types of dogs.” The game continues in a circle until one player runs out of ideas for that category and looses the round. A fun variation of this game is alphabet categories, where each word said has to be in alphabetical order, continuing until every letter of the alphabet has been used. If you make it to z you all win the game! For example, if the category is animals the first player might say, “alligator”, then the next might say “bear”, and the next might say “cat.”
Stinky Pinky
Stinky Pinky is a engaging game with rhymes and riddles. One player thinks of 2 words that rhyme and have the same number of syllables. They give the other players hints about their words by describing each word or listing their synonyms. The first player to guess the word pair correctly wins the round and gets to think of the next rhyming word pair.
- “Hot, Cot” (clue: a bed on fire)
- “Fat, Cat” (clue: a chubby kitty)
- “Hairy, Berry” (clue: a fuzzy fruit)
- “House, Mouse” (clue: a place to stay, and a furry creature)
- “Big, Pig” (clue: an oversized farm animal)
These simple games are entertaining, strengthen family bonds, and create awesome memories – so keep them in mind the next time you’re looking to bring joy and laughter to your family time.
