Games for Fun Family Time

Here is the first sampling of games for Fun Family Time on your schedule. Games are fun and also practice listening, following directions and social skills while you all get exercise, relieve stress and connect as a family!

Active Games

Limbo

Hold a long stick in the air. Children line up for a turn. See who can get under the stick without touching it. Progressively lower the stick after each child tried that height. If a child touches the stick, instead of being out you could have the child do 3 jumping jacks.

Bunny Hop or Train (add music or sing a song)

Hold onto the person in front of you as you form a train and weave through the house. You can hop, choo, choo or dance.

Family Musical Chairs

Line up one chair or cushion for each player. Play a song. Children walk around the line. When the music stops all players must sit on a chair or cushion. Then take away a chair for the next round. This reduces the number of seats. In this game the player left without a chair shares with someone else. Bring on the cuddles!

Follow the Leader

Leader dictates the movements (skip, jump, tap nose, etc.) others must imitate as you all weave through the house. Change leader roles as needed.

Simon Says

One player is Simon. Simon says, “Simon Says, do X” while making a motion, tap head, twirl, etc. If Simon does not say Simon says do X, but instead says “do X” without the Simon Says part and a player imitates, that player is out.

Balloon in the Air

Tap a balloon into the air towards a child for the child to tap back. Object of the game is to keep the balloon from touching the ground.

Paper and Pencil

Draw a Face Relay (younger children 4-6)

Tape a large piece of paper with a large oval drawn on it to a wall. Family members form a line about 3 feet away. Start the timer for X minutes. First child races to paper to draw eyes and goes to end of line. Next child races to draw a nose. Object is to beat the timer and have a completed portrait eyes, nose, ears, mouth, hair, etc.

List Games

Compete to see who can name the most fruits, sea animals, farm animals, zoo animals, states, cities, flowers, team sports, sport players, museums, painters, snack foods, etc.

For older children, and to exercise flexible thinking, cancel points for answers given by two or more players. This forces children to think more creatively and to think like others so as to not duplicate their answers.