Children enjoy playing games. Laughter, communication and fun are important ingredients for a happy family. At present, around the world, we are spending more time together at home. The following games are free and use items that are readily available around the house. After dinner is a good time for a family game. I recently received a message from a dad: “I had no idea how much I needed a good laugh after dinner! I was in stitches by the time we played ‘charades with a difference’”. These games suit children of all ages. I’ve even known teenagers to enjoy them.
Changes – it’s the best game!
How do you play ‘changes’? A family member is chosen to go first. The chosen person turns around three times, whilst everyone else has a good look at their appearance and clothing. The person then leaves the room and changes something about their clothing, hair, jewellery etc. For example, they may move a bracelet to the other wrist, turn up a sleeve, or undo a shoelace. When they return to the room, everyone has to guess what has changed with the person’s appearance or clothes.
Changes can be played using different rooms in the house. First, choose a room. Then everyone takes a good look around. One person is chosen to change the room, whilst everyone else waits outside. They may swap cushions or pictures around, move a plant, or take something away. Everyone re-enters, looks around the room and guesses what has changed.
Scavenger Hunt
For ‘scavenger hunt’ you will need paper, pencils or pens, and re-usable bags. To play this game, write a list of things to find, for example: find something that is round; find something that is green; find something that makes a noise; find an object which begins with the letter ‘A’. Children take a bag and collect an item for each description on the list. They return when their bag is full and the list has been completed. I find that children just love scavenger hunts!
What’s Missing?
First find a tray (or if you do not own one, it is fine just to use a tabletop) and a tea towel or small towel. Now, collect between 5 and 10 (or even up to 20) small household objects – perhaps a spoon, saltshaker, apple, small book and so on. Place 5 objects on the tray or tabletop so that every family member can take a good look at what is there. Then everyone else turns away as one person removes an object and covers the remainder with a tea towel. Children take it in turns to guess the missing object. If it is too easy, add more small objects to the game.
The Game of Funny Outfits
To play this game, you will need to gather lots of clothes and accessories, such as bags, scarves and hats, from around the house. Find a dice from a board game (or if you cannot find a dice, simply write the numbers 1 to 6 on little pieces of paper). One family member at a time rolls the dice (or picks a folded number from a cup) and then they must put on the corresponding number of items of clothing. So, if they roll a 3, they must dress in three more items (hats, scarves, clothes). Take it in turns. After three rounds, everyone will look very funny! The winner can either be the person with the least or the most items of additional clothing and accessories.
Charades with a Difference
For this game you need absolutely nothing! Together, everyone thinks of a category, such as animals, occupations or sports. Once everyone knows the category – animals, for example – each family member takes it in turns to mime an animal, and everyone else has to guess the mimed animal.
A variation of this game is ‘headbands’, which requires paper, pens, scissors and sticky tape. Write out different animal names on pieces of paper and stick one to the forehead of each family member (so they cannot see it). Taking turns, everyone asks questions to work out who they are. For example, ‘Do I have fur?’ or, ‘Do I live in the wild?’ One person keeps asking questions until they hear the answer ‘no’, and then it is the next person’s turn, until everyone has guessed which animal they are.
Fun Dinnertime Conversations
Think of some fun family questions. Here are 10 questions from my book, Happy Families, Table Talk: 111 Fun Questions, to start you off:
- If you were a teacher for a day, what would you teach your students?
- If you could take one thing to a desert island, what would it be and how would you use it?
- If your pet could talk, what is one thing it would tell you?
- Using the first letter of their name, can you say something nice to each person at the table?
- If you had a zoo animal as a pet, which one would you choose and why?
- Give each person at the table a compliment.
- What is your favourite family activity and why?
- If you created a new planet, what would it be like?
- What is something I do not already know about you?
- Would you like to travel to the past or the future and why?
Write all the above questions on small pieces of paper. Think of as many new questions as you can and write them all down too. Fold them and place them into an empty cup or jar. Each dinnertime, pick a question out of the cup and share the answers around the table. This game creates fun, laughter, communication and connection.
‘I’m Bored!’ Activity Jar for 6–12-year-olds
Together, create a jar of ideas for home activities for children to do when they are ‘bored’. Write all the activity and play ideas on small individual pieces of paper, fold them up and place them in a jar. For example, read a book; draw a picture; build something new with Lego; make a fort with sheets and cushions; write a story. Now, when children say, “I’m bored!”, invite them to choose a ‘lucky dip’ idea from the jar. This game gives children new activities to complete throughout the day, which can be useful if you have tasks of your own to get on with. Remember to keep filling the jar with new activity and play ideas.
You can also create a jar of family activities. Include the games above and add more ideas – let’s cook a meal together; bake a cake; play cards; start a puzzle; go on a bike ride; practise a sport; share a book; create some birthday cards; make some ice pops; have a dance party! We are spending more time at home, but with these games, it can be a place of great, free family entertainment.
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Lou Harvey-Zahra is an experienced parenting coach and the author of holistic parenting books. Lou runs conscious parenting workshops, online parenting courses, and presents to parents and teachers across the globe. Her books include Growing Children, Thriving Children; Happy Child, Happy Home; and Creative Discipline, Connected Family. She is a mother to two wonderful grown-up children and currently lives in Melbourne, Australia.
Activity illustrations by Danté Roussiyan Lupieri and Charlie Lake.
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Published in issue 68. Accurate at the time this issue went to print.
