Christmas is swiftly upon us and if you have left your Christmas shopping to the last minute, here are a few ideas that would be great as a Christmas present or a stocking filler. Who doesn't like a board game? Board games have been around for a very long time, the first board game was created by the Chinese in 200 BC. There are many types of board games that are strategic, being able to think independently, like Chess and Battleships. But over the last few years, there have been board games that involve communication. Board games are a great way to break the ice and to learn more about each other, families bonding over a shared experience.
This board game has been around quite a while since 1992. It is a game where you have to describe quickly the word that is being shown. Hence the strapline the fast talking description game. You are split into teams whereby each team has 30 seconds to guess as many cards being shown to the nominated player. You can't say a word that rhymes like to word so you can't say the word is sounds like. You can't say what letter the word begins with or how many letters the word has. But the players on your team can act out the word, a bit like charades. The number of cards scored in the allocated time means the number of places the team moves around the board. Can your team cope under pressure? Aged 12+.
This is the most hilarious game. If you are up for a laugh and a bit of spit to go flying, this is the game for you. Hasbro brought this game out in 2016 and it has been flying off the shelves since. Precise Pronounciation is key, although with a mouthpiece in your mouth that stretches you mouth and you can't really talk properly. You can't use your lips so you can't say your p's, b's, f's, v's which can prove challenging at times when you are trying to say what's on the card. The team who guesses the most phrases right wins and the most points at the end of the game wins. This game has 5 mouthguard pieces and is rated 16+, however there is a kids vs parents version too! Hasbro.
A great family game which requires a bit of thinking and guessing. Each player has to write down 2 answers matching the theme of the card that's on the deck in the allocated time. The idea is that the player has to write down two most common answers as the aim is to get 2 answers correct. You get an answer correct when the other player has the same answer as you. Even though this is not a speakng out loud game, it requires you to think out loud to yourself, thinking of many answers as you can and asking yourself which one is the most popular. At the end of 12 rounds, the player with the most points wins the game. Aged 8+.
A simple and quick game if you ask the right questions. I remember playing this when I was a kid and it's quite addictive too. You only need one other player to be able to play this game. Each player chooses a person and they place the person at the front of the board. They take it in turns to ask what features the person has and if the people on your side of the board has those features you flip them down. Keep asking questions until you have 1 person remaining, and that person should be the person that your opponent has. If not you didn't ask the right questions or you interpreted the answers wrong. This game is for 6+. Hasbro.
There are 540 cards and the aim of the game is to guess as many rhymes as they can. The rhymes are all facing downwards on the table. There is a special dice, that has the colours green, pink and yellow. Each colour has its own deck. Pink is to solve the rhyme, green is to describe the rhyme on the card and yellow is to act out the rhyme. Each team has 30 seconds to solve, describe or act out what is on the card. Once a rhyme is found they get one point and every time a team gets 3 rhymes, they get to find the matching pair. This game is for aged 14+ but for me is quite difficult especially the solve it ones, you need to know the famous people or celebrity to guess the rhyme. Big Potato game.
The design of this comes in an acrylic cube which is different than your usual pack of cards. I wouldn't say this is a game but more of a philosophical conversation starter. These questions can't be simply answered with a yes or no. It requires some thinking time and personal opinion. There are 135 cards in the cube which is a great icebreaker to learn more about someone. Table Topics have launched various editions, including Dinner Party, Past Present Future, Couples, and Family. They even have travel sized packs which includes Family Conversation Pack, Kids and Road Trip. This is definitely something that gets the communication skills going. The original pack is for ages 12+. Table Topics.
True or False? Keep a calm pokerface even if you are lying so the other team don't know that you're not telling the truth. This is a board game where there are two teams. Each team is either blue or red. Roll the dice to move around the board. There are three types of cards, quickfire lie, ring of truth and this is... . The other team has to guess if its the truth or a lie. If the team guesses the correct answer they get a point and if they don't the other team gets the point. They then move up the ladder in the middle of the circular board. This is quite a fun game when you get used to the three different types of cards, bluffing your way through like an actor. Aged 12+.
A game where there are 3 - 8 players and one fakes it till they make it. Hand out a blue card to each player and roll the two dice. One is a blue and the other is yellow. The colour of the two dice is a code that will match a code on the blue card. The players look for the code on the topic card. However, one player will not have the words on the blue card, it will say "You are the Chameleon". Each player takes it in turns to say a word associated with the code word. If the player who is the chameleon they have to make up based on what the other players have said, so they are not caught out as the chameleon. After everyone has said an associated word, the players try to identify the chameleon. Aged 14+. Big Potato game.
Guess the word thats on your forehead. This is a great app to have on your phone to entertain people at Christmas. As long as you have more than one person to play with, this game is simple but very fun. Choose from a range of 18 themes. Each player places the device on their forehead when they are ready to start. The player with the device on their forehead has to guess what the other players are acting out or saying that is associated with the word on the device. If the player gets the correct answer, they nod their head down and if they don't get it right or if they pass the question they flick their head up. Each round is timed and once the time is up, you see which questions you got right and which ones you missed. Aged 8+. Download for IOS and Android.
That's it for this blog. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Be sure to check out my courses and sign up to my emails for top tips and promotional discounts!