Family Games to Play This Winter!
We’ve had just about enough sitting inside and twiddling our thumbs, watching TV and cooking up another batch of calories in the kitchen. Now it’s time to get up off the couch, challenge your family members to a game or two and send your bubble group joyful meter soaring! Here are a few ideas for winter/holiday diversions in the way of fun and games.
Family Activity Games
Leave it to Shutterfly to come up with 30 ideas for reindeer games for different ages to commemorate this holiday season. Here’s a rundown of some of our favorites for the whole family.
If you and the family are planning to watch one of the 37 Christmas movies premiering on Hallmark this holiday season, you can make your viewing that-much-more fun by playing along with a Bingo card. Get the printable here – you’ll have to make your own “chips” for the card.
Put your sniffer to the test with a silly kids’ game featuring holiday scents like peppermint, pine, nutmeg and put them to the smell test. Get the tutorial at Kid Friendly Things to Do.
To Pin the Nose on Rudolph, first print out a picture of Rudolph (like one of these from Cool2BKids) and place it on the wall. And get a red circular piece of paper (for his nose) with a thumbtack or piece of tape. Then blindfold the participant, spin them in a circle, then have them try to pin the nose on Rudolph. Mark their attempt with their name. Give everyone a chance to pin the nose and whoever pins it most accurately, wins.
Have you seen the viral video of the Saran Wrap® game? It’s become super popular and in a nutshell, here’s what you do. Collect some goodies that everyone wants: candy, toys, trinkets, a $20 bill, etc., then wrap things up one at a time, using sheets of Saran Wrap® — each going in the opposite direction (makes it harder to unwrap!). Once you’ve got everything in a nice basketball-sized bundle, the game is on. One player rolls a pair of dice while the other player starts unwrapping. Once doubles are rolled, the ball moves to the next player. The object of the game – get to the money!
For more games, including game-show inspired Christmas party games, check out the Play Party Plan site for holiday spins on Deal or No Deal, Wheel of Fortune and Family Feud! Or you might like the Just-For-Adults games (we think adult beverages might be involved!) at The Spruce.
The Best Board Games for 2020
For super easy, don’t-have-to-think-about-it games for the whole family look no further than New York Magazine’s The Strategist. According to the super enthusiastic reviews on Amazon, the best rated family board game is Exploding Kittens, a card game for two to five players for $20. One parent who bought it for her teenage daughter says, it’s “a quirky and flexible game that provides actual interaction in a light and funny way.” The best-rated, less expensive board game is Clue for $8, a classic that remains a family favorite for kids and adults.
CNET classifies it’s best-of list according to word games, party games, chaotic games, deception games and puzzle games, plus the best two-player games in case it’s just you and your significant other whiling away the holidays.
According to Games Radar, and particularly timely this year, Pandemic was dubbed the best board game overall for two to four players with a “hard” difficulty level. The goal is simple. Besides keeping plagues under control, teams must develop a cure for each disease by collecting five cards of a certain color. Easy, right? Not so fast. New infections drop onto the board at the end of every turn, and if more than three gather in a single location they’ll start spreading to neighboring cities. Sound familiar? It’s been out for a couple of years, and Games Radar calls it one of the best cooperative games around. About $40 from Amazon.
Lots of trivia games are on the best board games’ list this year, from Wit’s End which can be played between individuals and teams, ages 16 and up (there’s also a junior edition), and I Should Have Known That! for ages 14 and up. These work for small or big groups and encourage lots of fun and addictively entertaining interaction!
Fun and Games in Crystal Valley!
Entertaining ourselves in the brand new homes in the master-planned community of Crystal Valley happens easily in the family and bonus rooms. Or take off on the trails and paths surrounding the neighborhoods with a walk, bike ride, jog or skating jaunt. There’s never been a better time to buy a new home from Richmond American Homes, Kauffman Homes, Century Communities or D.R. Horton. You can virtually visit these homes – via a variety of video chat apps! — or set up a private tour. Choose from ranch or two-story models set in natural surroundings — priced from the $300s.
