Are there gamers in your family?

Actually this isn’t the kind of gaming you’re probably thinking of. And it has very little (if anything) to do with phones, computers or keyboards (unless you come up with one that involves a piano).

This is about playing games with your family members during the holidays—maybe even making it a tradition.

Getting together for the holidays should be fun!

… not something most people dread. And this is true whether you’re with your family of five, you’re at a gathering of twenty-five relatives, or it’s just you and your two kids enjoying the holidays. Don’t settle for sitting around looking at each other awkwardly, watching TV, or letting everyone be on their phones. Organize some activities that everyone can participate in and enjoy, from toddlers to great grandparents.

What are some examples? There are families that really go all-out, with much craziness and laughter. (See some of the links below.) Maybe something like that is for you, or maybe you can try a few board games or skill competitions and see how they go.

We received some great ideas from veteran game-playing families that we’ll share, but there’s a bigger idea here:

Dad, be part of making it fun for your kids and everyone else.

After all, it’s really about much more than having fun. Laughter, teamwork and friendly competition help to break down walls and open people up to sharing and making memories. That isn’t likely to happen if you’re just sitting on a couch after a big meal, or if everyone leaves for different rooms. So we have to make these games inviting and enjoyable.

Wear Santa hats to promote a festive mood as you try one or more of these:

• Board games can be great, especially if there’s no limit to the number of participants. Pictionary works with kids of almost any age, and Family Feud is highly recommended for group gatherings—and apparently provides additional categories and answers online.
• Use cotton balls, plastic cups or bottles, candy canes, and ping-pong balls to play a wide range of simple but fun contests. Here’s a video with six fun games using ping-pong balls, and another one with ping-pong balls and a muffin tin. And here are some that all use candy canes. It can be as simple as having relay races carrying and handing off snowballs (cotton balls glued together) with spoons.
• Line up lit candles in a row and see who can blow out the most with one puff.
• Our friend Jay Payleitner suggests having everyone some prepared with something to share, for one to ten minutes—like a song, skit, game, dance, reading, magic trick, craft project, and so on. Read more about this from Jay here.
• And for some ideas that are a little more “epic,” try a bathmat relay, the emptying Tic-Tac race, or the “food flip cup” contest. Those and more are demonstrated here.

Does your family do anything similar? What’s their favorite crazy game or activity? Share your thoughts at our Facebook page.