Looking for some fun family games….to keep them off of their phones?

How do you keep the little ones entertained when they come to visit? I guess you could plop them in front of the tv and watch a movie together but, in my humble opinion…that's no fun. Where is the interaction?

My family loves games. Card games are the go-to. We like playing Contract Rummy and our new love, Golf.

When we have time out comes Clue, Monopoly (rarely because my husband thinks he is a land baron and won't trade to keep the game moving along), Risk (whew that is a hard one), Exploding Kittens (love this and so fun), Life (even had to buy a new one because my spinner got too old) and Yahtzee (I was raised on Yahtzee.)

When the weather is nice we play pool volleyball, badminton, boules, and corn hole.

There are tons of board games available. I will list a few below.

But, if you would rather ‘use what you have' or even play outside – I have some great ideas for you.

Let's look at fun family games for the outside first:

1). Egg Toss – This is great for the whole family.

Everyone picks a partner. Line up the teams in rows. You should have 2 rows. Have everyone face their partner about 6 feet apart. One side throws their RAW egg to their partner. If caught, each side takes a step back. Missed and broken egg…out of the game. The other side throws the egg to their partner. Caught? Each take a step back. Missed? Out of the game. Keep on doing this until 1 team is standing. Hint: throw underhand and take off your rings 🙂

2). Egg Toss With Spoons – Everyone picks a partner. Then face each other, and then stand about 30 feet apart. All players have to put spoons in their mouths. The first player places an egg on their spoon and runs it to their teammate across the way. They must transfer the egg from their spoon to their teammate's spoon, without letting it fall. The teammate then has to run the egg back to the other side to win (this can be with a raw or hard boiled egg). Drop the egg? Your team is out.

3). Water Balloon Toss – This game is just like the Egg Toss only with water balloons. Hint: Don't make your balloons too big. That makes them harder to catch and it hurts if you get hit with it.

You can add another segment to this game…prizes to those who pick up the most pieces of broken balloon (give everyone a prize if they get something – 1 less piece you have to pick up, right?)

4). Scavenger Hunt – This can be easy or hard…depending on the age of your group.

If you have littles…look around your own house/yard and find things that you have. Maybe a certain color flower. Or a tissue, fork, pillow, blue book, clover, etc. Make a list for them and make sure that each one has a older partner…just to make sure they don't wander, and to read the list. Set a time limit. And GO.

An older group…your list can be more difficult. When we have an older scavenger hunt I keep them hunting in our home…I like to see them look. Make a list of harder things.

5). Easter Egg Hunt (without the eggs) – Separate into age groups.

Find something uniform and hide it. It can be eggs if you want. You can have teams or just individual hunters. Really depends on your group.

Family Game Night Ideas:

1). Charades – Family Style.

Pick your categories: movies, presidents, famous people, cartoon characters, etc. The categories will depend on the age of your group. Have each person contribute 3 – 5 answers per category. Divide into teams. And see what happens.

2). Story Time – This is my fave.

Find a comfy place to sit (maybe outside by the fire) and every person tells a story about someone in the group. An “I remember when story.' Make sure that the stories are wholesome and do not make the person feel bad or embaressed. Try to ensure that a story is told about everyone so they don't feel left out. Adults too!

3). Family Trivia – Great for testing knowledge and learning about family members.

Ask each person for 3-5 questions about themselves that they would like the group to know…and the answers. Prepare all of the questions ahead of time so that something is asked about each person. How many you ask will depend on the age of the group. Here are a few examples:

• Grandma moved to the US from what country?
• Your parents have been married for how many years?
• What is Nicole's middle name?
• Who is Zachery named after?
• What does the name Matthew mean?
• Grandma's favorite thing to do is….?

4). Fishbowl Game – So much fun. Everyone (except my oldest) loves it…including my 88 year old mom. Rather than me trying to explain it…I found this great explanation for you: How to play Fishbowl.

Fun family games for the littles:

I know that these might not come under the category of ‘Family Games' but sometimes the littles really can't play. So how about:

• Coloring – Coloring books or print out pages online (Crayola has some great FREE ones). Grab your pack of 24 fat crayons (little fingers) or 100 (for the bigger fingers). Everyone sit and color. It can even be the same picture. And, display every picture when they are finished.
• Legos – Dump them on the floor and build. Fun for everyone. And, if you aren't sure which is age appropriate, Amazon has them separated for you.
• Lincoln Logs- My kids used to LOVE building dwellings and then add their army men and fight wars.
• Erector Sets – These are great for the engineer-to-be in your family.

Don't forget about these fun family games:

• Checkers
• Chess
• War (card game)
• Go Fish – You can buy a special card deck or use your own…just make it a bit smaller with less cards
• 52 Pick-Up – (Just Kidding – my kids still remember me doing that…and NOT in a good way)
• Pick-up Sticks
• Blocks
• Jenga
• Scrabble
• Dominos

Fun Family board Games –

There are so many board games to choose from. You can find most of them right HERE.

• Candy Land – Ages 3+
• Chutes and Ladders – Ages 3+
• Clue
• Monopoly
• Risk
• Life
• Exploding Kittens (I love this one and it's super easy)
• Scrabble
• Ticket to Ride (I love this one)
• Clank
• Catan
• And so many MORE.

Playing fun family games keeps everyone occupied…

…AND keeps them OFF of their phones and gives YOU a chance to interact with your family and friends in fun conversation and excitement. Which can definitely make your heart full.

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Sometimes, when the family comes to visit, you are overwhelmed, right?

And the the stress sets in.

And when stress sets in it is sometimes difficult to be happy or joyful. So, don’t let stress have the last word! 

Go on and take a look at the ‘Top 5 Stress Reducers’ (Action Plan included). So that you can eliminate what causes you stress and get on the path of living a joyful life.

What is Joyful Living all about?

Joyful Living is ALL about not letting let the circumstances of YOUR life determine who you really are. You learn to choose YOU instead! Not sure how to do that? Let me help! 

To begin, go ahead and read:

• What is Joyful Living?
• 5 Simple Steps to Choosing Joy
• Finding Joy in All Things
• What Does God Say About Joy?
• Difference Between Happiness and Joy

PIN FOR LATER: FUN FAMILY GAMES