games to make family holiday gatherings more fun and bearable.
Make Drawings Together
People pair up. Each pair uses one piece of paper. They will take turns drawing one line or shape or object. Remember that this is a joint creation, so you are both creating something together, not making two separate drawings. When it feels complete, you will name your creation - each person takes a turn in picking a letter at random. It is also finished when it feels/seems complete.
GUESS THE OBJECT
People pair up. Each person picks one object, it could be something they have in their pocket or purse, something they see in the room or really any object at all. They take turns guessing what the other person’s object is by asking questions such as - is it square? Is it green? Is it something you wear? etc.
WORD JUMBLE
Each person writes a word, any word they want, on a piece of paper or index card. It should be large enough so everyone can read it from a short distance. Then everyone gets up and holds up their word card in front of them.
FUNHOUSE DRAWING
Everyone has a piece of paper, letter size or larger, and crayons or markers/pencils, etc. They will draw themselves as they can envision how they’d look in a funhouse mirror (http://bit.ly/2gBRBSY). So they could have a tiny body and very long skinny legs, or a large square shaped head and triangle shaped body. Feel free to distort yourself!
Or choose another guest to draw if you feel it’s safe enough…
HOT POTATO
An oldie but goodie - choose a tossable object, something that’s cushy or on the softer side. One person starts by throwing it to someone else. The idea is that it’s super hot and will burn your hands so you have to get rid of it as quickly as possible by throwing it to someone else. Keep it going as long as the fun lasts!
CATCH THE DRAGON'S TAIL
If you have enough room to run around a bit, this is a great game that will help burn some calories too…
Everyone lines up. The person at the front of the line is the Dragon’s head and the person at the back of the line is the tail. The tail person tucks a towel or scarf or similar item into the neck or waist line of his/her shirt or pants so that most of it is hanging down (but not too long so that it interferes with their ability to run).
The head person must capture the scarf/hanging object from the tail. Everyone in between the head and the tail must hold on to the waist of the person in front of them so the line stays together.
If you have a large group you can create more than one dragon/line and you can mix it up by having the tail of one line capture the scarf/hanging object from the other line(s).
CLOTHING MASHUP
This requires some pre-planning. Ask everyone who will be attending your gathering to bring one item of clothing from their closet. Preferably something out of the ordinary or colorful.
Then choose one person who will have the honor of having a custom outfit created for them. You probably already know who it is right now…I hear you laughing!
These items of clothing (all types - shirts, scarves, jackets, socks, skirts, pants, etc) will go over what the chosen person is already wearing. So if something doesn’t fit as it’s supposed to, try to use it in a different capacity. For example, pantyhose could become a bandana. Or pants can be tied around the waste as a belt. Get creative with it!
FUN FOOD FLIP®
Fun Food Flip® is played as a four course meal - players have to come up with combinations that are Gross, Interesting and Good/Delicious for each course (Salad, Crostini, Pizza, Pie) based on random cards they are dealt. They then vote on all of the combos and whoever has the most voting cards at the end wins.
