3 Great Games
for Holiday
Get-Togethers
Written By Michelle L. Dozois
print
single page
More Game Ideas
extra credit: Barnyard Mayhem
Forget about touch football. This is a great game to play outside after a big meal.
set-up: Hide small pieces of wrapped candy or loose change outside (or in a room or two where kids can run around without much danger of breaking things). Divide your group into four teams, and assign each team an animal noise: bark, meow, moo, or oink. Give one person on each team — the animal trainer — a plastic cup or bowl.
play: Tell all the animals to sniff out the candy. Everyone is allowed to look for the candy, but only the designated animal trainer for each team can scoop it up and put it in the team cup. When someone finds a piece of candy, they have to stand next to it and make their animal noise until their team's trainer comes over to grab it.
our results: You'll probably want to make everyone pool their candy at the end and distribute it evenly, in case there happens to be one father/son team (ahem, Jeff and Aaron) that figures out a strategy, dominates the game, and scoops up nearly all the candy.
extra credit: Talent Show
For families who love to ham it up. Dress-ups optional, but remember — absolutely everyone looks good in a feather boa or a set of bobble beads!
set-up: Split the family up into pairs or small groups (preferably young with old), and have each team work on a short "act." Perhaps Grandma teaches her granddaughter a verse of a song from the 1950s, or the granddaughter teaches Grandma a cheer she learned at camp.
play: Set up a panel of rotating judges to rate the acts. Encourage them to get into character: Ed McMahon for those who can remember Star Search; Paula, Randy, or Simon for American Idol fans.
our results: Alcy, 6, and her grandfather stole the show with their rendition of "I'm an Old Salt," "Roll Your Socks Up," and other old army ditties.
< previous | 4
