3 Great Games
for Holiday
Get-Togethers
Written By Michelle L. Dozois
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Does your grandma have an outie belly button? Which sister-in-law has a tattoo (and where)? Chances are, you don't know — they're not topics that usually come up in polite conversation. But wouldn't your next family get-together be much more fun if you did know where all your relatives fell on the innie-versus-outie spectrum?
1. Meet Your Match is a good warm-up, mingle game.
prep: You'll need pictures of things that belong in pairs, one picture for each family member. Think: peanut butter and jelly, bird and birdhouse, cake and candles... (Click here for images to print. )
setup: In a room away from most of the guests, lay the pictures out and stick a piece of tape at the top of each. (Packing tape works best.) Invite the kids to take one picture at a time and stick it on someone's back, then take turns taping them on each other's. (They have to be sneaky — not so sneaky that they startle Grandpa, but sneaky enough so he doesn't see which picture is on his back.) Warn everyone (not just the kids) not to talk about other people's pictures.
play: Everyone asks each other questions to figure out what's on their own back. (Examples: Is it something you can eat? Is it an animal, vege- table, or mineral? Is it bigger than a toaster?) Make sure the youngest kids understand that they're not supposed to tell people what picture is on their back until that person figures it out for themselves. Once you discover what you are, you have to find your match: If you're a basketball, look for a net; if you're a mouse, look for cheese, and so on.
our results: Little kids enjoyed the setup (sticking pictures on people's backs) and the finale (finding their partner), even if they didn't really get the guessing part. Three-year-old Hope went home and reported to her dad: "There was a game. I was a fork. I had to find a spoon." The adults so enjoyed the guessing part of the game that they were still playing by the time others had moved on to the next game. (Or maybe the adults were just bad at it...) 2. The Object of My Affection is a dinner game that will keep the kids engaged and everyone's stories flowing.
prep: A few days before your family gathering, ask everyone to pick out a small object to bring with them, something that has a story behind it. Explain that other people will have to guess who it belongs to, so you don't want something with a name or picture on it (or anything breakable, since it'll be passed around — perhaps not so gently). Ask them to conceal it in gift wrap or newspaper.
setup: Leave a basket or canvas bag near the door where people can drop off their wrapped objects.
play: Starting with an adult, pass the basket and have each person unwrap one object and guess whose it is. They also have to guess the story behind it. (Outlandish stories hold the kids' attention better than serious guesses, as in, "I bet Grandma found this seashell when she was washing behind her ears.") Then pass the object to the person you just named. If the guess is not correct, that person has to take a turn guessing who the owner is. (Grandpa says, "It's not mine. I bet my sister bought it at a gift shop in the desert," and passes it to her.) Set a limit of two passes before the owner must 'fess up with the real story.
our results: Kid testers kept forgetting to make up a story to go with the object before they passed it, but they loved listening to the wacky stories the adults came up with, like Jeff's guess that a small garden gnome was Nora's..."and it's a statue of her grandpa." The real stories can be amusing too: When 7-year-old Michaela found out that an object belonged to her mom, she exclaimed, "You're my own mother, and I didn't even know that!" 3. Can I Have Your Autograph? is a good after-dinner game — goofy and active.
prep: You'll need questionnaires with about 15 questions on them, such as "Who didn't eat breakfast today?" or "Who can stand on their head?" (Come up with your own, or download and print this questionnaire.)
set-up: Split into pairs: a younger person with an elder. Give each team a questionnaire and a crayon, marker, or pen.
play: With your partner, walk around and get the autographs of people who match the descriptions. For example, if Uncle Ted didn't eat breakfast, he may sign his name on your team's questionnaire. Have each team get as many autographs as they can. (Little kids can sign with just an initial or a scribble.) To make the game less challenging, allow each person to sign each sheet as many times as they qualify. To make it more challenging, allow each person to sign each sheet only once or twice.
After everyone is done, choose an emcee to collect the sheets and read off each question, along with the names signed next to them. "Okay, who can juggle? We've got . . . Grandma Alice, Dylan, and Emma." Those people then have to prove they actually can. Exaggeration and silliness encouraged.
our results: Easy enough for all ages, and the questions (and answers) kept the conversations going long after the game was over. 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.
