Oh wow, crazy times we’re living in at the moment. But I guess we just have to do what we can to keep well and accept that what is, is! But if you find yourself at home with the kids with or without any outside space for them to play, it’s important not to let them spend 12 hours a day on their devices.

We all know that, of course we do, but often these devices are handy ‘baby sitting’ tools when we are rushing around trying to get a meal on the table or cope with other household chores after a day at work.

But what if you aren’t going out to work every day. Some will be working from home (which might mean you can juggle your time a little) but others will be at a bit of a loss as to how on earth they can keep the kids entertained in a confined space without resorting to video games etc;

Aside from craft activities, board games and jigsaw puzzles, there are plenty of other games to play. The secret?

Time Travel!

Step back in time to when you, your parents or grandparents (depending on your age!) made their own entertainment. Before the days of TV.

What did they do? They played Family Games!

There was a lot more ‘playing out’ going on back then, but the communities were tighter and there were fewer, if any, cars on the road so it was probably a lot safer for kids to play out on the streets with often no more than a ball and/or a skipping rope. But there were always those days when it was raining too hard or far too cold to go out to play.

Time to flex the imagination muscle. The games we made up as kids were often bizarre and had no meaning to them other than they passed the time and often made us giggle uncontrollably. 🙂

We also played family games, sometimes simple games like noughts and crosses or joining dots to make boxes. But often we played games that stretched our thinking but were still fun and still often hilarious.

One such game was:

TABOO

Players decide what word is ‘taboo’. For example, you may decide ‘and’ is taboo so therefore every time a player has to say ‘and’ he must say ‘taboo’ instead.

One person is chosen to be the questioner and can ask each player as many questions as he wants to try and catch them out – if they say the taboo word, in this case ‘and’ then they drop out of the round. The last player left wins and becomes the questioner in the next round.

The secret to this game is speed. The questioner can ask questions at random and may interrupt a player in mid-answer to try and catch them out.

For example, if the questioner asks a player, “What did you have for breakfast this morning?” the player may answer “Toast.”

The questioner should then quickly ask “Did you have anything with the toast?” The player may answer “Yes I had toast taboo cereal”. If player replies “Yes I had toast and cereal”, he has said the taboo word ‘and’ and therefore must drop out of the round.

Can get kind of confusing at times this game!

…………

Google traditional games or family games and enjoy some quality fun time together as a family while you can. They grow up so quick!

Have Fun!
Linda x

P.S. This Family Games book will give you a head start!

Family Games

Indoor Family Games to play at home or away, and mostly for FREE!

This is the fun stuff that children got up to before the days of computers. Bring the whole family together with a fun idea and the little darlings may even switch off the computer game voluntarily!

Using everyday items, and sometimes none at all, all 31 games are played without plugs, batteries or chargers. Pure and natural resources – imagination, creativity and a little energy – help develop life skills while having fun.

Finding the kid in you keeps you young, and, of course, you get to spend quality time with the children without having to dig out the credit card. Just about every game can be adjusted to suit the age and number of players.

Enjoy a whole month of rainy day games you can also play in the sunshine!

Choose from your favourite online bookstore

Amazon (US) , Amazon (UK) , Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Scrib’d , Apple Books , Etsy