Xmas Family Entertainment

Alfrescodave

My 88 year old dad is visiting for Xmas and I'm looking for suggestions for family entertainment which involves the whole family. As he's not good on his feet it would need to be a sit down activity.

Do you know of a board game / card game that might be suitable ?

In the past we've played dominoes (which he always wins at), tv video games (OK), monopoly and cluedo were a bit too involved so I'm looking for entertainment without too much detail.

Any ideas ?

pmlindyloo

We always play games at Christmas and my mother is 87 years young so hope the following may be of use.

The alphabet game.

You need paper, pens and something to rest the paper on (we use books or table mats)

On the paper you write (in a list going down) the following :

Boy's name
Girl's name
Country
Town
River
Fruit
Vegetable
Flower
Bird
Tree
Car
Celebrity
Any other categories you like.

(I print these out on the computer beforehand)

You then choose a letter (we choose a number between 1 and 26 and use that letter of the alphabet). Then everyone (in secret) finds a girl's name, boy's name etc beginning with the chosen letter and writes it down.

When everyone finishes you take turns to say what you've chosen. If no -one else has the same as you (anyone who has the same calls out ' I've got that) - you score a point.
The winner is the one with the most points.

We play this every year at family get togethers. You can also vary this by using every letter of the alphabet and finding a Christmassy thing for each letter. We had much fun (!) deciding whether 'gravy' was acceptable!

My mother is extremely good at this and always knows trees and flowers while the rest of us fail miserably.

If I have time I will update this with other games we play but this is the favourite and everyone looks forward to playing it.

Ken68

Dominoes without a doubt, but don't let him bang down the last piece.
And Scrabble is a nice quiet game. Maybe with the board facing him.

Primrose

I always like to set up a small separate table and have a not-too-large (500 piece) jigsaw going over Christmas. It makes a change from boring TV and you can come and go with it according to how you feel.

Newly_retired

There's a game called Triominoes which = 3 sided dominoes. It's a bit more challenging and more fun.

Ken68

That's one of my hobbies, Primrose. Jigsaws. Got one now Mont Blanc. A SOD to do.
Trees, snow, rock, the only easy bit is the red train.

Savvy_Sue

Someone once gave DH and I a jigsaw, in the hope that it would encourage / enable us to spend more time together.

Nearly led to divorce, if not murder!

Who'd have thought there was a right and a wrong way to do a jigsaw! :rotfl:

I didn't even like the picture, an Escher ... all blacks and greys!

red_devil

pmlindyloo wrote: »

We always play games at Christmas and my mother is 87 years young so hope the following may be of use.

The alphabet game.

You need paper, pens and something to rest the paper on (we use books or table mats)

On the paper you write (in a list going down) the following :

Boy's name
Girl's name
Country
Town
River
Fruit
Vegetable
Flower
Bird
Tree
Car
Celebrity
Any other categories you like.

(I print these out on the computer beforehand)

You then choose a letter (we choose a number between 1 and 26 and use that letter of the alphabet). Then everyone (in secret) finds a girl's name, boy's name etc beginning with the chosen letter and writes it down.

When everyone finishes you take turns to say what you've chosen. If no -one else has the same as you (anyone who has the same calls out ' I've got that) - you score a point.
The winner is the one with the most points.

We play this every year at family get togethers. You can also vary this by using every letter of the alphabet and finding a Christmassy thing for each letter. We had much fun (!) deciding whether 'gravy' was acceptable!

My mother is extremely good at this and always knows trees and flowers while the rest of us fail miserably.

If I have time I will update this with other games we play but this is the favourite and everyone looks forward to playing it.

we play that and we call it country/town.