The Great Free Family Games Hunt

inkie

put a length of masking tape down the centre of the room (so there are 2 sides). Have a caller. Instruct every one that one side is the river and one side is the bank.


When the caller shouts in the river - everyone should just over the line into the 'river', and when they shout on the bank - yes you've guessed it - people should jump onto the bank. The idea is to catch people out and get them to jump (fall) into the river at the wrong time - therefore the caller needs to get speed up and shout river or bank at random, so as to confuse people and get them to loose their balance (great if you've had a few bevvies!). Anyone who falls in the river is out - and the last remaining player is the winner:T

For those with less energy - there is the failsafe beetledrive.

jamtart6

If you have access to a PC, download Google Earth - for those who dont know it is basically a satellite image of the world at excellent resolution.


It would take a bit of prep before xmas day, but make a power point / just print out several "google earthed" images.

We did this and some are easy some are hard - they included :
*sydney harbour
*manhattan
*blackpool tower
*grand canyon
*mt everest
*london eye

etc etc - we had a great laugh!!

PS - for info there is also google moon and google mars now!!!! - soif you fancy your chances at regonising the Sea of Tranquility on the moon then have a go!

:money: MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

jamtart6

In fact...if anyone wants my google earth quiz.... just PM me...and I will send it you (and the answers!!)

ampersand

HappyBunny wrote:

Bottle relay.

You need:-

Several empty wine bottles
one pencil or pen for each person
string or cotton or similar.

You may have two or more teams and one empty bottle is placed in front of each team. The string is tied to the top of each pencil and each person ties one pencil to their waist so that the pencil hangs down behind them so it hangs about 18" off the ground.

The first person of each team runs up to their bottle, stands over it and has to lower the pencil down into the neck of the bottle (without using their hands). When they've done that, the next person goes.... and so on.

This shorter the string the more the person has to squat down to get the pencil to the bottle. The longer the string the more difficult it is because the pencil swings more.

Warning:- It does look undignified to watch so have a camera handy !!!

I have been laughing out loud(all by my very own self, too)just visualising this one.
Thankyou HappyBunny.

smartiepants

Suitable for all ages but especially children, it is possible to sit or stand.

You will need

• A long piece of string
• A borrowed, smooth wedding ring or curtain ring

The ring is threaded onto the large piece of string and the ends of the string tied together to form a circle.

Everone gets into a circle and takes hold of the string

Once person is put into the middle

The ring is hidden in the hands of the people on the outside of the circle whilst being passed on to the next person or even further afield, spun around whilst making whooooooing noises, or other silly things to hide the ring even more.

Everyone tries to confuse the piggy in the middle where the ring is.

The object of the game is for the piggy to point to the person who they think has the ring, if they are right, that person becomes the piggy in the middle.

Jas

Smartiepants, you beat me to it - I was going to post the 'ring-on-a-string' game myself! It requires no reading, drawing, aiming ability and keeps everyone involved.

'The Interview Game' is worth a try. One person, the interviewee, is sent out of the room while the others decide on a job (to be kept secret from interviewee). When the interviewee is called back in, each person takes turns asking interview questions - s/he will try to guess what they are being interviewed for from the questions being asked. E.g. If the job is 'nurse' questions could be, "Are you likely to faint at the sight of blood?", or, "How do you feel about wearing a uniform?", etc. You can make up your own rules regarding how long the questions go on for, number of guesses, etc and tailor the obscurity of the questions to the age/ability of the interviewee.

Another of my favourites is 'Hello Henry', but it's getting late and the instructions are a bit too complicated for me to get down on paper right now (although it is in 'Games, Games, Games' - see below).

There are loads of fantastic games in the Woodcraft Folk book called 'Games, Games, Games'. Although you would need to buy it (only £8.50 - email: finance@woodcraft.org.uk) it is packed full of the kind of games that cost nothing, and it is really easy to use as it is divided into categories (energetic games, thinking games, etc.) and each game is preceded by age group, number of players, and equipment needed, so you can see at a glance if it will work for the situation you have. I have had mine since my son first joined Woodcraft Folk - over 20 years ago - and I still use it - great all year round, and for different occasions. So what's that then? £8.50, 20 years - about 21p per year!

littlelibrarylass

we play the string game-
all but two people (one who has never played the game before and one who has )sit around the room and the person who has played winds a ball of string around the ankles of the sitting people criss crossing the room to make a string maze. the person who hasn't played has to memorise where the string lines are and then is taken out of the room and blindfolded, they are told they must make their way across the room without touching the string. Whilst they are out of the room everyone in the room take the string from around their legs so the floor is clear. the blindfolded person then tries to cross the room without touching the string- its really funny and usually ends up with them sitting on someone's lap.
don't forget to video it
LLL

feijoa

We play our own version of Party Guests - you might remember this game as one of the items from that TV comedy series whose name I forget, but which included Josie Lawrence and John Sessions. The beauty of this game is that it can be suitably levelled to suit all ages, from young and innocent to the downright decadent!
Everyone is supplied with slips of paper and asked to write either the name of someone - real or fictitious - or a job description. The names are folded and put into a hat. One person is the host - and three others are the party guests. As the host is busily arranging his 'party nibbles and drinkies', each guest draws a slip and 'arrives' at the party. The object of the game is for the host to guess each guest's name or profession by clues the guest gives - in both conversation and actions. For instance, a guest who has to arrive as Father Christmas might say "Ho! Ho! Ho" "Have you got any carrots for Rudolph?" etc, etc. While the host is talking to the first guest, the second and third guests arrive, and great hilarity ensues when the guests talk to one another as well as the bewildered host, as he tries frantically to work out who or what his guests might be!
One of the funniest we had was when one of the guests had to act out the job description "Wet nurse to the aristocracy". This was, as you may gather, a version played when the little ones were in bed! The mirth was compounded by the fact that the host was completely unfamiliar with the expression "wet nurse"! The acting for this job description was worthy of several Oscars! It is also great fun when you, as one of the onlookers, realise that the party guest is attempting to act out the name you have put into the hat.

Marty999

feijoa wrote:

...that TV comedy series whose name I forget, but which included Josie Lawrence and John Sessions...

I think you mean 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' feijoa. That was a good show - they ought to bring it back.

computerwoman

:xmastree:Flip the Kipper
you can play this game with as many people as can line up across your sitting-room or work in teams.
Cut each player a paper fish shape about 10 x 6 inches and decorate each differently or mark with their names; everyone can join in doing this if you want.
the idea of the game is to race the kippers to the far end of the room by whacking on the ground behind your kipper with a rolled up newspaper so that it flaps and flies along.
easy as it sounds, it takes a certain knack, and it may be the youngest player who wins.:xmassmile