We’ve all been cooped up inside for some time now. We know we aren’t the only ones who are feeling like our days are running together and the highlight of our evening is dinner time. If you’re someone who’s going through recovery while being quarantined at home that’s even harder. We are proud of you for staying focused and on track!
One great way to distract your mind, have a few laughs, and socialize at a safe distance is to have a game night at home. This can be with your family, your neighbors, friends, or even a perfect stranger. If you’re worried about inviting people to come inside your house, have a game night outside somewhere! In your front yard, at a nearby park, in your backyard. The idea is to have fun and get creative. We could use a little more spontaneity in our lives, and you might even make a new friend!
We’ve come up with five creative game night ideas that won’t have all your friends arguing and getting anxiety over the stresses of Monopoly. (Disclosure: We call it “game night” but there’s really no reason these games also can’t be played during the day!)
- Make a DIY Scavenger Hunt
If you’re the host, scavenger hunts can seem intimidating to create at first. But, once you choose a theme, it’s all smooth sailing from there. Scavenger hunts are a fun way to get your friends or family working together. One of the best parts about a scavenger hunt is the prizes, so we advise getting creative. If you want to plan ahead of time, you can go to the store and get some yummy treats, maybe the favorite treats of each person playing. If you’ll be playing with just your girlfriends, you can have some of the prizes be things like bath bombs, lotion, a candle, etc. There are all different types of scavenger hunts you can do in your own home, such as a library scavenger hunt, where you put clues to certain books around your house, or a kitchen scavenger hunt, where you do clues to different ingredients. Here’s a whole website dedicated to choosing the right scavenger hunt for your game night.
- Guess Who?
Have you ever played twenty questions? This is similar, but with people instead of a random thing. First things first, get a list of the people who will be playing. Write each person’s name on a small piece of paper. If you want to really go all out you can print out their picture (this will make the game funnier). Next, you’ll mix all the names/pictures up in a pile and whoever’s turn it is will have to grab a name without looking at it and hold it up to their forehead. Next, that person will have 20 questions to ask that can only be answered with “yes” or “no” to guess the person whose picture or name is on their forehead. Take a look at this blogger’s site for exactly how she played this game with her family.
- Have a Bake Off
So there’s this show called the Great British Baking Show. Have you heard of it? Well, if not, it’s wonderful, stress free, content that makes you want to be the next Betty Crocker. Oh, and did we mention they all have British accents? I mean, how fun is that? Anyways, baking can seem less fun when you don’t have a group of people who are waiting to scarf down your delicious masterpiece. So what better way to enjoy baking, than to bake alongside your loved ones and have a group of eager and hungry, tired bakers at the end who are ready to try each other’s dishes? This game does require other participants who are willing to get their hands dirty (literally).
Each baker must choose a favorite dish of their choice, within the agreed upon category. This usually makes it easier and more fun to rate one another’s dishes. For example, everyone bakes cookies of some kind, or cupcakes, or something that contains chocolate. Next thing, set a time limit. This is where the pressure is on and the competition gets intense! But, allow enough time for each person to use the oven. You might have to bake in rounds if you have a lot of participants. Lastly, taste each other’s dishes and say something nice about each of them! But, eat the most of the one whose dish was your favorite! Now get to baking.
- Get Moving
If you had any recent gym sessions scheduled or marathons planned, this pandemic really threw a wrench in it! But, that doesn’t mean you can’t still get your daily steps in. Working out alone day in and day out can get lonely, so why don’t you invite some friends or neighbors over for an ACTIVE game night?
One easy game you can play to get everyone moving are good ol’ relay races. You can do two-on-twos, where pairs race against each other, or more! Then do this in rounds, so the winner of each relay race has to race each other. You can also do a running water balloon toss. This game is fun to play outside on a hot summer day. The rule is you can’t stop running, so you’re basically playing basketball, without shooting for the hoop, with a water balloon. It’s harder (and wetter) than you might think but loads of fun!
- Play a Virtual Game via Jackbox
If you’ve ever been a witness to someone playing video games they get INTO it! This type of passion is what we want in our game players! If you want to play games while social distancing and with people that don’t live near you Jackbox is a great choice. Jackbox, is a video game site that offers a variety of digital multi-player games that range from trivia, to drawing competitions, etc. The coolest thing about it is that you can play with multiple players in various locations! This is a great option for a game night that doesn’t require you to be a host and you still get to have digital fun and social interaction with your friends!
A lot of people have that same drawer of board games you bring out at every event. Mix up your next gathering with one of these outside-the-box activities that will have everyone playing and hopefully laughing together!