Do you remember the times when we played simple games at home and yet had so much fun with family? These informal games are a great way to spend time together as a family and teach the value of bonding, listening, cooperating and being a sport. It also helps to boost vocabulary, memory and other learning skills. Have some great fun playing these simple games that need no batteries or fancy equipment.
1. Geography: Each player comes up with the name of the place (city, state, country, etc.) that starts with the same letter as the last letter of the place the previous player mentioned.
Example: Player 1 says India. Player 2 has to name a place that begins with an “A”, such as Amsterdam, which ends in “M”. Player 3 then mentions Morocco. Keep the game going as long as you can name a new place.
2. Dumb Charades: This is one of the most popular games to have good fun. Divide players into two teams and each member writes a name of a movie or a phrase on a slip of paper. They fold it up and place it in their team’s bowl. A player picks a paper from the opposing team’s bowl and acts out individual words, syllables and other hints to depict the phrase.
This is an excellent game to hone communication skills, as each player should provide nonverbal clues to help teammates guess the right phrase within a reasonable time limit. Set some rules – for instance, gestures that describe what type of phrase is being guessed, make quote marks with your fingers for a quotation or place hands together then open them to signal a book title, etc. Come up with your own creative format
3. 10 Questions: A player can think of an object, letting others know only whether it is an animal, vegetable or a thing. Then the other members ask questions that should be answered with a yes or no. Set a time limit to have more fun.
For example, if the object is a truck, the players will ask, “Is it bigger than a computer?” or “Can it move?” The objective is to guess the answer in less than 10 questions.
4. Treasure Hunt: Make two teams and give each team a list of items to find within the house. Use small or unique items to add more fun to the game. For example, a safety pin, an orange peel, and a red button are few things that may take some time to find. The team that finds all the items on the list wins.
