Family-Friendly Games to Play This Festive Season
Keeping your family entertained over the festive season can sometimes be an even bigger feat than cooking a good turkey dinner. Especially when you've been tasked with the impossible job of finding an activity that interests grandma and grandpa, too!
So, whether you're looking for a family-friendly game to suit all ages of your family, or something that can be played virtually with any family members who are living outside of Edmonton, these great family-friendly games will keep both you and your loved ones entertained this festive season.
Online Christmas Games
For families with members a little further afield, virtual Christmas games can help bring everyone together on one big video call. While the adults of the family might prefer trying their festive luck by looking for the best online gambling sites on bonus.ca, younger members of the family can enjoy some brilliant festive online games, for example, Jingle Bingo.
To play Jingle Bingo, you'll need to split the family into teams by creating separate breakout rooms on Zoom. You then need to send each team a link to a Bingo card which includes player descriptions like:
Knows all the verses to "Silent Night"
Is great at ice skating
Owns a Santa costume
Hates Christmas carols
Has an ugly Christmas sweater
To mark off a square, players need to find another family member who fits one of these descriptions. The first group to get five boxes in a row and return to the breakout room wins the round!
As well as Jingle Bingo, another popular family-friendly online game is Holiday This or That. This is an especially simple game if you're trying to entertain a large family online. To play Holiday This or That, the leader of the group reads out a series of This or That questions, and participants should respond with their answers.
Here are a few fun example prompts:
Caroling or visiting Candy Cane Lane?
Reindeer or elves?
Christmas Day or Christmas Eve?
This great game will help you discover more about your family, including who is really telling the truth when they say they like brussel sprouts!
Holiday Scavenger Hunt
If you think everyone is going a little stir-crazy being cooped up inside, an easy way to get everyone out of the house is with a holiday scavenger hunt. Not only will this appeal to all members of the family, but it'll also incite a little bit of healthy family-friendly competition. Just follow the steps below to create your very own holiday scavenger hunt for the family.
1. Choose a Location
Establish your location parameters, so you don't lose anyone during the game. Picking a location will also help you narrow down what to include on your checklist.
2. Write a Checklist
Arguably the hardest step of the hunt! You might have to think hard about creating a list of items that are challenging enough to find, but still possible this side of Christmas! A good source of inspiration is thinking about particularly memorable items or places that have family memories associated with them.
3. Make a Christmas Playlist
The only thing more motivating than Christmas treats to fuel you through the hunt, is a great Christmas playlist. Bring a small speaker to play these festive tunes out loud as your kids get lost in the hunt. Being on music duty also gives you a great excuse to kick off your shoes and take a step back for a bit...
White Elephant Gift Exchange
Exchanging gifts with the family doesn't have to be stressful with a White Elephant Gift Exchange. Also known by Yankee Swap, Dirty Santa and several other names, this great family-friendly festive game is the ultimate battle in getting the best present. Most families have their own rules for White Elephant, however, the basic rules go as follows:
Every family member brings one wrapped gift that goes into the middle - the leader should advise on what type of gift you should bring.
Participants draw numbers from a hat to decide what order they go in.
Family members sit in a circle in direct view of the stacked pile of presents.
Player 1 picks and opens a gift, showing it to everyone in turn.
The following participants decide to either pick an unwrapped gift from the gift stack, or steal another family member's gift. If you get your gift stolen, you can also choose between a new gift - or robbing someone else of theirs!
A White Elephant Gift Exchange is a great way to keep the family occupied for a few hours, not to mention get everything thinking about what great gifts they can contribute to the game, to potentially take back for themselves...
Whether you're a board game family, someone who prefers playing games online, or even a family unit who prefers getting out of the house to unleash their competitive side, these family-friendly games are perfect for keeping you and your loved ones entertained this holiday season.
