Holiday games special
Wholesome family fun
My brilliant and competitive friend, Debbie has written her ultimate games guide this week.
Over to Debs…
I grew up watching Neighbours and Home and Away and fighting with my siblings and when we got bored, we’d be thrown outside to play in the street or told to shut up and play a game.
Fast forward 100 years and I’m a quiz writer and kids coach (and a lawyer) and my early days being forced to play games has turned me into a fully fledged addict. I LOVE THEM - I use them to help me write quiz questions; I use them to keep things light in coaching sessions; and I use them to prize my own kids away from their screens.
1. If you like simple but excellent card games - Rat A Tat Cat
The most steady Eddie of all of my games. Keeps everyone happy and its very fun. I don’t think I’ve been for a family meal without it for about 5 years. The aim is to get as low a score as possible so it’s very good for learning how to add up small numbers. According to Amazon, I've purchased it 9 times.
Does it pack in a freezer bag? Yes
2. If you like Solitaire and speed and a bit of pressure - Dutch Blitz
I’m including this one as a particularly bewildering round of it with Hannah inspired this post. A super fast card game taught to me by a young, very hip friend so maybe this is what they're doing in Dalston right now? It's like a competitive Solitaire. You may need a demo to learn how to play it but it's honestly worth it.
Does it pack in a freezer bag? Yes
3. If you like lists of things and word games- Scattergories
Now this is a winner of a game. Everyone gets a card with the same list of 12 topics e.g a girl’s name, a fad, something your partner does that annoys you, and everyone also gets given the same letter e.g T. You then have three minutes to give a word for every subject (“Tamzin”, “Tamagotchi”, “Turns off sockets at the mains even when there’s nothing plugged in”). If you don't have the same answer as anyone else, you get a point. It's sort of like an inverse and live Family Fortunes and also a test of how basic people are in their lists. Flower beginning with D? Dare you to say daisy and hope to get a point.
Does it pack in a freezer bag? Yes and don't bother taking the dice or timer. All you need is a notebook, pens and the cards
4. If you like Trivial Pursuit - Outsmarted.
I bought this after I got served the advert so many times that I eventually had to succumb in the hope the adverts would stop (they didn't). It's like live Trivial Pursuit with questions updated in line with current affairs as well as a stock of evergreen questions. You play via an app which does kind of put me off but I persevered and it's really good. If you're tech savvy it means you can play with friends in other places too.
Does it pack in a freezer bag? Not really although presumably I could just take my phone and the counters with me and make my own version, I don’t know. It's not coming to Majorca in August though.
5. If you like House of Cards the activity rather than the TV show - Rhino Hero and Splash Tower
Cute tower building games. In both games you stack stuff on top of other stuff, with slightly different rules in each. You can play them so many times without getting bored. Yes it's a bit annoying to crawl around looking for one of the random tower pieces but in this case, the juice is well worth the squeeze when you beat all previous tower height records and your opponent marvels at your dexterity and engineering prowess.
Do they pack in a freezer bag? Yes
6. If you like Only Connect - Linkee (or for kids, Dinkee Linkee)
This is a bit hard to explain but if you've ever played Connections on the New York Times app, it's basically that in a game e.g What links Hasbro, Blue Orange and Gamewright (all game brands). Absolutely amazing and so fun to play with friends. The kids one, Dinkee Linkee, is great too. I can literally see my kids' brains unfurling when we play.
Does it pack in a freezer bag? Yes
7. If you’re interested in predation but also card strategy but are not really in the mood or company for Poker - Kariba
A new one I've got really into recently. I’m shipping it hard with my kids - one has bought in, the other hasn't quite yet. It’s a card game based around a watering hole. People on the games forums I'm on always go on about the design of cards and I'm not really that into it but I guess these are quite nice pics of animals and apparently the pecking order does actually mirror that of an actual jungle watering hole. Does anyone GAF about that? Not me! I'm more focused on winning…I mean everyone enjoying the game. It takes two minutes to learn and there's definitely skill involved. It's really good.
Does it pack in a freezer bag? Yes.
8. If you like Snap but think that you’re too advanced for it now - Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
Now this is a dumb game that never seems to end but all kids love it. Basically Snap but with actions and a sort of hypnotic chant. Very fun but don't take to a restaurant as it gets a bit noisy.
Does it pack in a freezer bag? Yes.
9. Gas Out
I've put this one as a sort of ice breaker game and suitable for all ages. Let's say you have friends round with kids and they're all different ages, you want them to workshop “children should be seen and not heard” and do something together away from the adults, but they all want different things from Snapchat streaks to toy kitchen - whip this one out! Bought just before lockdown and I still use it now. It’s basically about farts and not being the last person to hit the button that triggers one. It is funny despite bringing a shuddering reminiscence of March 2021.
Does it pack in a freezer bag? Yes but don't take it anywhere because of the fart noises.
10. The Mind
Another relatively new one for me but I've been playing it loads and everyone seems to love it. It's money for old rope if you ask me since I started playing the free non-£14.99 version when I was 12 but there you go, capitalism encroaches even on the games world. The premise is to work as a silent team, mind-reading each other to try and play the cards in order, without saying anything. Last week I had 6 gobshite kids in complete pin drop silence around a table playing it.
Does it pack in a freezer bag? Yes
Games I play that didn't make the list but I would still recommend and buy for someone as a gift if on special offer on Amazon:
- Sleeping Queens - I literally hate this game but kids love it. Really easy card game based around getting as many queen cards as possible. allegedly invented by a dad and his daughter although I'm so cynical I believe that that cutesy tale was made up round the marketing table. Very good for adding up fives and tens.
- Sushi Go - now I love this game but hardly anyone does so I can rarely find anyone to play with me. It's a swapping game - you have cards, keep the best and swap the rest. I don't know why people don't love it, it's got a bit of everything including food.
- Sink and Sand - this was a viral hit (with everyone on the games forum rather than the general population) last year and for good reason. It's a race to topple your opponent's piece through kinetic sand. I got it out recently and had a riotous time. Doesn't require anything other than a good attitude!
- Five Second Rule - another winner that has kids crying with laughter. Good to take out with v elderly relatives as they can play too. It's literally "you've got five seconds to name whatever is on the card e.g 3 examples of forced fun". Quick and easy.
To find out more about my coaching or quizzes check me out on Instagram @mightyfinecoaching @mightyfinecoachingforkids @debbiedoesquizzes
Belated thanks! I bought Rat a Tat Cat for my friends and it was a hit with all ages:)
Looking forward to researching these and picking one. A new game I’ve found is Happy Salmon - loved it the minute I played it and it had my family laughing so much. So easy to set up and play, although does require a little space.