Family Fun

Education News from Alleyn's | www.alleyns.org.uk

As we turn our thoughts to the school holidays, Ollie Beauchamp, Head of Year 9 at Alleyn’s tells us how to keep children’s minds active in those spare moments during the summer and help turn a long car journey into a shorter one. Did you know time is thought to pass more quickly as we get older because any duration of time becomes a smaller proportion of your life to date? It certainly would explain why a 5-hour car journey for a child seems like an eternity to them! Here are some fun games to help your child focus on an activity rather than the inevitable passing of time.

Capital City Challenge

Put your Geography and memory skills to the test by quizzing each other on Capital Cities of various countries all around the world. To get your competitive juices flowing, have a go at my 20 Capital City Challenge and watch out for the banana skins designed to catch you out!

Australia Canberra

Turkey Ankara

Switzerland

Bern

Morocco Rabat

New Zealand Wellington

Brazil Brasilia

Canada Ottawa

Monaco Monaco

Pretoria/Bloemfontein/Cape

Guess the rule!

This is a fun variation of the above. Instead of remembering all the items, players aim is to figure out what the secret rule is specifying which objects are on the deserted island. It sounds rather confusing, but it is really fun and simple. Here are some examples:

For example:

Player 1: “On the deserted island, there are Oranges, but no Apples”

Player 2: “On the deserted island, there is Coconut, but no Mango?”

Player 1: “Sorry, on the deserted island there is neither Coconut nor Mango”

Player 1: “On the deserted island there are Olives, but no Wine”

Player 2: “On the deserted island there is Oxygen but no Carbon Dioxide?”

Player 1: “Yes, on the deserted island there is Oxygen and no Carbon Dioxide!”

Can you guess the rule? Yes, that is an easy one, only things beginning with the letter ‘O’ are allowed on the deserted island!

Let’s have a look at a harder example:

Player 1: “On the deserted island, there is Coffee, but no Tea”

Player 2: “On the deserted island, there are Crisps, but no Sweets?”

South Africa

Town shared!

Malaysia Kuala Lumpur

Thailand Bangkok

Belgium Brussels

Denmark

Copenhagen

Pakistan Islamabad

Vietnam Hanoi

South Korea Seoul

Slovakia Bratislava

Senegal Dakar

Barbados Bridgetown

Argentina Buenos Aires

Player 1: “Sorry, on the deserted island there are Sweets, but no Crisps”

Player 1: “On the deserted island there is Pudding, but no Ice Cream”

Player 2: “Can you give me another example?

Player 1: “Yes, on the deserted island there is Pizza and Cheese but no Tomato!”

Can you guess the rule? A little trickier this time but only things which include a double letter are on the deserted island!

Your rule could be anything. It could be focused on the way the word is spelt like my examples, or it could be focused on the meaning of the word or even how you say it. Be creative and this is sure to pass an hour or two!

Human Shazam

This is an easy game which will be popular with kids and adults of all ages. Simply play a song, and everyone needs to write down the song name, and artist. Award 1 point for each correct answer. A good way to do this is to put your favourite streaming service onto shuffle so everyone can participate. Another variation of this is to split your group into teams of two. One person from each team needs to hum or whistle a song, and their teammate has to guess what the song is!

I am going to a deserted island, and I’m bringing a…

This is a great memory game which can be adapted in many ways. The first player names an object he or she is bringing to the deserted island (or whatever destination strikes your kids’ fancy), and the next person repeats that object and adds another one to the list. For example:

Player 1: “I’m going to the deserted island, and I’m bringing a football.

Player 2: “I’m going to the deserted island, and I’m bringing a football and a television.”

Player 3: “I’m going to the deserted island, and I’m bringing a football, a television, and a jet ski.” You can play this as a team (how many items can you remember together?) or competitively. Each person has a go and needs to remember all the items going to the deserted island before adding their own. If they make a mistake, they are out until the next round. Last one standing wins!

Useful Links https://intheplayroom.co.uk/55-fun-car-games-forfamilies-on-long-road-trips/ https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/quizzes