If you’re frustrated with how much time everyone in your family spends in front of screens, family game night can be a great way to disconnect and have fun at the same time. And even though board games are fun, there are lots of other games you can play as a family that can be done both in and outdoors. We have some fun and creative games to share that will have your family laughing, giggling, and having the best time together.
Family game night ideas
The alphabet game
This is a rather fun trivia game that everyone can enjoy. It is a simple game that begins with choosing a category. That category could be anything, whether you want it to be desserts, music, or fruit. After that, say, your category was animals, the first person can say whatever animal they want that begins with an ‘A.’ But the next person has to continue it on, answering with an animal that begins with ‘B.’ If you can’t figure out an animal within an allotted time frame of your choosing, you have to wait until the next go-round.
Family Olympics
Much unlike the actual Olympics, you do not have to be an acrobatic high-flying gymnast or a figure skater. All you have to do is bring your sense of humor. There are all kinds of games that the whole family can play. Some of them include:
- Relay races
- Sack races
- Bike races
- Capture the flag
- Crabwalk races
The great thing about these games is that you don’t even have to keep score if you don’t want to; everyone can just have fun for the sake of doing so.
The cookie challenge
This is a fun and satisfying game that everyone, especially the kids will love! Grab a bunch of different cookies, all kinds that you like or want to try. To start, lay out the cookies on separate plates. Next, you will want to blindfold the other players, which can easily be achieved with a sleep mask.
Place the same cookie on everyone’s plate, and when you say ‘go,’ you have them try it, and whoever guesses the flavor of the cookie the quickest wins the round. Grab a variety of cookies so that you can all play a few rounds of this fun game!
Cat and mouse
This is a great game to play outdoors with the whole family. This is how it goes: To begin, choose one child to be the “cat” and one child to be the “mouse.” The rest of the participants of the game form a circle around the mouse. Everyone will hold hands to make a fortress around the mouse. Then the circle, along with the mouse, starts to move around. They begin to chant:
“What time is it?”
“Just struck nine.”
“Is the cat at home?”
“He’s about to dine.”
After they finish the rhyme, the circle stops moving and the cat has to chase the mouse so that they can tag them. If the cat is chasing the mouse, it must follow the same path as the mouse. After the mouse is caught, the cat pretends to eat him and the game starts over again with two new participants. This is such a great outdoor family activity that can go on for hours.
Hot potato dress-up
The only thing that you need for this game is a sense of humor and a bag of everyone’s old clothes. Also put in accessories, if you can, like sunglasses, hats, etc. That’ll make it extra fun. Have all participants sit in a circle. Designate someone to start the music.
As the game starts, everyone begins passing around the bag of clothes. But they have to be quick! Once the music stops and they are left holding the bag, they must choose an item from the bag to wear for the entirety of the game. The fun of it is, as it lands on people more than once, the sillier the outfits get.
Simon says
We can’t neglect one of the ultimate party games that people of all ages can play. Simon Says has been around for quite a while, and with good reason, it has staying power. It is a fun game, especially for kids, plus it can help their hand-eye coordination! The rules are pretty simple. Someone is designated “Simon,” and they say commands like, “Simon says sit down!” Everyone else would sit down.
Now, there will come a time when “Simon” doesn’t say the Simon part of Simon says and will command the others. Those who caught that they didn’t say “Simon Says” and only a command stay still. The people who do the command are out until the next round.
Make sure you play age-appropriate games
There are so many games to choose from when picking your family game night activity, but make sure you choose age-appropriate games for all family members. This ensures that everyone will feel included and have fun at the same time.
When everyone understands the rules and feels included, it promotes positive interactions and helps develop important social skills like teamwork, communication, and sportsmanship. Nothing will discourage your younger family members quicker than playing a game they don’t understand, because they won’t enjoy it. Selecting the right games creates a memorable and enjoyable atmosphere where every family member feels valued and connected.
While there are plenty of fun games out there for families to play, it’s always a good idea to try creative and different games together. Sometimes, other games can be more fun than board games, especially when you’re able to get outside in the fresh air. The next time you want to implement a family game night, give these ideas a shot. You won’t regret it!
