Rainy Day Games for the Whole Family: Bond over Play Time

It’s a dark and stormy day and you want to spend some time with the kids, but you’re tired of watching the same old cartoons. So why not break out a game for the whole family to play?

If you’re looking for a fun way to bond on a rainy day, games just might be your thing. After all, the best way to connect as a family is to laugh and play together. Plus, family game day has a host of developmental benefits. 

The games featured here are focused on helping your family bond. They’re hilarious and easy to play. And the best part is, all you need is a piece of paper, a pen, and your imagination!

Scavenger Hunt

Materials Needed – Pen, Paper, scotch-tape (optional)
Players – 2 and up

Turn your house into a mystery adventure, with a scavenger hunt for the kids.  Where is the treasure located? It’s up to the kids to find out!

To play, start by identifying your hiding spots and your end point.  Next, come up with a handful of riddles that will take your children from one location to the next.

Do your children need to beef up their addition skills?  Include some math problems to solve a code.  Include plays on words to get them thinking about multiple meanings.  Whatever you come up with, kids will love playing detective.

Now tape up or hide all your clues and set the kiddos to work.

Make sure you do the whole scavenger hunt right alongside them. Give them hints so they don’t get stuck or bored. Share the excitement and make it a game for the whole family.

Or, have your kids create a scavenger hunt for you, and follow them through their maze of clues. Creating a scavenger hunt can make kids think outside the box, and have hours of fun.

As for the treasure?  Keep it simple – no need to splurge.  The game will be a nice surprise and a simple treat of cookies will be reward enough. 

Pictionary

Materials Needed - Paper, Pens, bowl, timer (optional)
Players – 3 and up

Pictionary is a creative game, perfect for bringing out the artist in any one who plays.

To play, start by having everyone write ten nouns on little pieces of paper, then shuffle those pieces of paper in a bowl (you can also add verbs or adjectives if you’re feeling up to it).

Divide into two teams (you can rotate players if you have an odd number) and have one team member pick a piece of paper from the bowl. Don’t show it to anyone else!

Then, the player who picked the clue does his best to draw the word he picked from the bowl. While the other members of his team have to guess what’s being drawn.

If the team is able to guess the correct answer in under a minute, they win a point. If they can’t get it right, they pass the bowl to the other team. Whoever gets to ten points first, wins.

Pictionary can have hilarious results! Family members who are connected at the hip will guess words immediately. So get bonding.

Newlywed Game

Materials needed – paper, pens
Players – 3 and up

The Newlywed Game was a TV game show where couples would answer questions about each other. The couples who knew the most about each other could win big money.  You can apply the same principle to a family game to see which pair knows each other best.

To play, split into two teams (you can rotate players if you have an odd number) and write ten questions for the other team.

Ask one of the questions you wrote down to each member of the other team, and have them both write down their answers.

For example, if mom and dad were a team, you would ask mom, “What’s dad’s dream car?” Mom would write down what she thinks is dad’s dream car, and dad would write down his answer (the real answer).

Then, have them both show their answers at once.

The results will shock you. Kids can say the darndest things, and this game will have some very surprising results. Ask your son what he thinks dad would do with a million dollars. Or, better yet, ask dad what your son would do with a million dollars.

Try dividing up into interesting teams – mom and dad versus the kids, or the boys in the family versus the girls. Who will win? Do mom and dad know each other better than the kids know each other? Do the women in the family relate more than the men? This game can teach you about each other and help you grow closer as a family.

More game fun

Finally, try making up your own board games! Making a board game with your family isn’t only fun, it is educational. When kids create a game, they learn how to think backwards, and set up rules to make the game interesting.

Just draw a board on a piece of paper, and ask your kids what the rules are. Are there commands written on every square – do you draw a card when you get to certain spaces? What do the cards say?

Then get playing all over again.

What’s your favorite game to play on a rainy day?

Tags : games   activities   bonding   



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