LIFE CAN BE A
GAME
Make Life A Little More Fun! Games Created By: John P. Harjung
“The most wasted of all days, is one without laughter.� - c.c. cummings
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CARS……………………
p4
OUT TO EAT….…………
p 12
SPORTS………………….. p 18
HOME…………………… p 24
MISC...…………………… p 30
IN THE CAR
games to play IN THE CAR
SEATBELT RACER
HOW TO PLAY: The game starts as soon as the last door of the vehicle has been closed. The race begins to be the first to secure your seatbelt and touch the ceiling – declaring you the winner. If you are the first to finish securing your belt, yell out “First!” as you touch the ceiling. If you are the second, yell out “Second” and so on until the last person is belted. 1st place winner gets to choose the radio station. THIS GAME IS GREAT because it gets kids into the habit of fastening their seatbelts as soon as they get in the car, and the driver knows all passengers have their seatbelts on before driving.
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2+
games to play IN THE CAR
COLOR CARS
HOW TO PLAY: Best played on a 2 way street. Choose a designated spot on the street – a street sign, a large crack in the road, etc. The cars will have to pass this spot in order to count. Each player chooses a color of a car for that round. First player to get 10 (must win by 2) wins! CHANGE IT UP by trying Vehicle Types instead of colors! (motorcycles, vans, cars, SUVs, pick up trucks, semi-trucks)
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2+
games to play IN THE CAR
WITHOUT GOING OVER
HOW TO PLAY: Before leaving, passengers decide on an item to guess on - A type of decoration - A color of house - A type of street sign - The more specific you are, the more fun it can be! Each member decides on a number before leaving for the trip. “I think there will be 27 houses with white Christmas lights on!� The game ends when the car parks at the destination. NOTE: The car must pass by each object for it to count. Do not add any item to the count until the car has driven past!
WINNING: Win by having the closest guess to the actual total without going over.
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2+
games to play IN THE CAR
…AND I’M BRINGING D
....
C
....
B
....
A
HOW TO PLAY: Great for long car trips. Choose one player to start. Always begin with “I’m on a trip to _____, and I’m bringing…” The game goes in order of the alphabet – so the first player decides on something to bring that begins with A. It can be ANYTHING, real or imagined. When the next player goes, he/she has to successfully repeat all the previous items before adding on the next item they would bring. [If player is on letter D: “I’m on a trip to Florida, and I’m bringing an Astronaut, a Balloon, a Cactus and … a Dinosaur!] Play continues until getting all the way to letter Z. IT’S ALL RELATIVE - make it more challenging by trying to create a specific category for each round. All the items have to fit into the category [i.e. food, animals, famous people, etc]
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2+
games to play IN THE CAR
EASTER ROAD RALLY
HOW TO PLAY: The road rally must be planned in detail ahead of time. Drive along the route you would like the teams to go and write down a list of tasks or items you want them to find. Make sure to note down the route so you can include the driving directions. After finishing the route, put together a story/riddles for your guests to solve to find each item. For Example, if the item they should find is the grocery store “JEWEL” – the clue for the road rally could be: “Peter Cottontail hopped along the bunny trail, but stopped to take a photo of a shiny, precious _ _ _ _ _.” Make sure to bold or underline any words that describe what the team should do, in this case – take a photo of the Jewel.
SCORING: The team with the most correct answers wins a prize. ALONG THE WAY – Have volunteers who wait at each “check point” with a riddle to solve to get bonus points! [Example: Go inside to aisle three, what you seek is buy 1 get 1 free!] If the team finds the correct item, they get added bonus points to their final score.
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: Best in large groups
OUT TO EAT
games
to play when O U T T O E AT
“WHO SAID IT”
HOW TO PLAY: Play begins with a volunteer. The player says a quote from a movie (one the family has all seen). Other players then “buzz” in or raise their hand to guess. Each get 2 guesses to try and name the movie and name the character who said it. If no one guesses correctly – the player gets a point and goes again. If someone DOES guess correctly, they are awarded a point and it is their turn to say a quote. ( Example: “I killed Mufasa” - Lion King, Scar ) ADD A CHALLENGE by requiring not only the movie & character name, but the name of the actor/actress who played the character as well!
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3+
games
to play when O U T T O E AT
COLOR CODED
WHAT YOU NEED: Crayons & Coloring Pages (Same design for all players) *Many restaurants will have these available or you can print & bring copies from online sites for free!
HOW TO PLAY: (For 3+ People) Choose 1 person as the announcer. Lay out 4-5 different colored crayons in front of each player. Players must sit with their hands flat on the table, not touching any crayons. The announcer calls out a part of the page & what color to fill it in. Example: “Color the turkey’s right feathers….. BLUE!” As soon as the announcer says the color – players may grab their crayon and begin. GO FOR THE WIN: The first player to completely fill the instruction section with the correct color without going outside the lines and place your crayon back on the table!
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3+
games
to play when O U T T O E AT
TABLE JENGA
WHAT YOU NEED: Anything on the table or from any member of the game can be used in play. HOW TO PLAY: Pick one member of the table to start. This player chooses a “BASE ITEM”. They then slowly slide this item to the person to their left. The item must end up directly in front of the next player for the turn to end. No other players may touch the item or table during “THE SLIDE”. Once the entire item has safely landed to the next player – a single item is added and they must then slide it to the next player on their left. Play continues until all or any part of the structure falls. It is not all about height. Items can be added in ANY way, so long as it is a part of the structure. WARNING: Do not use any breakable items owned/supplied by a restaurant if you are out to eat! PLAYERS: 2+
SPORTS
games
to play when O U T T O E AT
PLACE YOUR BETS
WHAT YOU NEED: A Timer – Paper/Pen – A sporting event
HOW TO PLAY: Depending on the sporting event, there is usually a National Anthem performed to start the game. Players wager a bet & write down their guess as to how long the singer will go! The timer starts at the first sound and ends at the very last! Whoever had the closest guess without going over wins the pot! KEEP IT GOING by applying these rules to other factors of the game throughout the rest of play! (How many fights on the ice in the first period? How many flags in the 3rd quarter? How many walks in the 7th inning? Etc)
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2+ More fun with large groups!
games
to play when O U T T O E AT
BOWLING POKER
WHAT YOU NEED: Bowling Alley or Bowling Nintendo Game – Deck of Cards
HOW TO PLAY: Continue to bowl as usual. Any time a player gets a strike or spare – they draw a card from the top of the deck. For a double strike, take 2 cards that turn. For a turkey, take 3 cards that turn. If a player bowls a gutter ball, another player chooses a card from their hand at random and places it at the bottom of the deck. NOT UP FOR BOWLING? This can also be played with Pool! Take 1 card for each ball that is hit in per turn. If a player scratches – another player chooses a card at random and places it at the bottom of the deck.
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2+
games
to play when O U T T O E AT
PENNY SOCCER
WHAT YOU NEED: 3 coins (can be pennies, dimes, etc)
HOW TO PLAY: Begin with all 3 coins touching in a triangle. Player A is the kicker, Player B is the goal Player A: The first flick should hit at the point of the triangle to split the other two coins apart. The next flick can be on ANY of the 3 coins, but the coin must pass through the other 2 coins on the table for it to count. Each player only gets 3 flicks, including the starting flick to try and score a goal. Player B Places hands on the opposite end of the table, forming a U shape, and this player can NOT move or block the shot from player A at any time. TOO EASY? Try adding obstacles on the table that the kicker will have to maneuver around!
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2
AT HOME
games to play AT H O M E
FLASHLIGHT SIMON-SAYS
WHAT YOU NEED: 1 Flashlight per player.
HOW TO PLAY: 1 Player is “Simon” Follow the basic rules of Simon-Says but with flashlight actions: - “Simon says point your flashlight at the door!” - “Simon says turn your flashlight off!” - “Simon says find the teddy bear with your flashlight” LIGHT UP THE NIGHT: This game is great for after dark on camping trips or for slumber parties!
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3+
games to play AT H O M E
TABLE-TOP NERF WAR
WHAT YOU NEED: Nerf Guns (or similar type) 10 Nerf Bullets Toy soldiers (or similar toys)
HOW TO PLAY: Each player sets up 5 Toy soldiers on their end of the table. Choose 1 player to start. Each player gets 10 Nerf Bullets to try and knock over all 5 of the opponent’s soldiers. At the end of both turns, whoever knocked over the most toys wins! **If any player knocks over all 5 soldiers and has remaining bullets, he/she receives 1 extra point per bullet that is left! ADD A CHALLENGE to the next rounds by adding obstacles in front of the soldiers! Start with 1, then add more per round!
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2
games to play AT H O M E
EGG-DROP OBSTACLE
WHAT YOU NEED: Furniture / Objects to use as obstacles & create a course. Spoon & Hardboiled Egg (less mess) Scoreboard
HOW TO PLAY: Set up furniture & other items to create a fun obstacle course. This can be done indoors or outside. The most fun is to create courses where players will need to go over, under, crawl, hop, etc. The course is done one at a time. One player is in charge of the timer and records each person’s run time. The player must hold a spoon with the egg balanced through the entire course, either in their hand or mouth. At the end, 5 seconds is added for every time the egg fell during their run. Once everyone has gone through, the person with the shortest time wins! CHANGE THE COURSE around or change the item to balance to keep the fun going!
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2+
games to play AT H O M E
FAN TAG
WHAT YOU NEED: Ceiling Fan Soft Item (i.e. small plush toy, hair scrunchy, sock, etc)
HOW TO PLAY: Players lay in a circle underneath the ceiling fan. Choose 1 person (adult) to place the item on top of the fan blade when fan is OFF. Next, the fan should be turned on high. As the fan picks up speed, the item will fly off. Whichever player is hit with the item is out. Play continues until the last man is standing. FOR ADDED FUN Place one item on each fan blade before starting. You can also play where instead of being OUT if the item hits you, designate each item with points. (i.e. 1 point for the hair scruchy, 2 points for the plush toy, and 5 points for the sock!) Play 3 rounds, whoever has the most points wins!
NUMBER OF PLAYERS 4+
MISC GAMES
games to play WHENEVER!
SCAVENGER HUNT + WHAT YOU NEED: List of Items 2 Dice 1 Judge
HOW TO PLAY: Each team goes out on scavenger hunt with a set time limit. If any team returns after the set time, they are given a penalty of -1 point for each minute they are late! Each team must keep their items hidden until the scoring/reveal.
SCORING: Each item on the list has it’s own ROUND. At the start of each round, the judge rolls a pair of dice to see how much that item is worth. If the roll comes up with doubles – that round is a BONUS ROUND. For a BONUS ROUND, the judge must decide on something specific regarding that item (i.e. specific color, fabric, brand, etc). If the team has not only the item on the list, but it matches the bonus requirements, that team receives double the points rolled that round. If a team reveals any item before it is asked for by the judge, they receive no points for that round! BE CREATIVE Add 3 points for creativity! For example, if the item is an 8 Track Tape and your team was unable to find one – tape together 8 toy train tracks… the Judge may decide to award “creative points” instead of ending up with 0 points for that round! ON THE HUNT : If you are playing this game at a Halloween Party – include things on the list that will make each team go into a public place! (i.e. takeout menu from Chinese restaurant, Deli ticket from grocery store, etc)
NUMBER OF PLAYERS Best played with large groups
games to play WHENEVER!
COLOR SQUARES
HOW TO PLAY: This game is ALWAYS in effect – but never talked about. Any time you and any other players walk into a store – the game is ON!
The only rules are to avoid any colored squares, prints or mats on the store floor. The first person to step on one loses the game! That‘s it!
SHHHHH! If you are lucky enough to remember, make sure not to bring it to the other players’ attention! You want them to forget until BAM! They step on a square and you win!
NUMBER OF PLAYERS 2+
YOU HAVE TO LEARN THE RULES OF THE GAME. AND THEN YOU HAVE TO PLAY BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE. -albert einstein