Four fun games for the whole family

Here are four fun games to play indoors with the whole family – laughs included. We’ve got something for everyone, young and old.

30 second charades

This is like the board game 30 Seconds, but even more fast-paced and fun! It’s a great game for all generations to play together.

How to play:

• Each person gets 3-4 squares of paper to write down the name of someone or something famous, i.e. Nelson Mandela or Table Mountain.
• Divide into teams of 2-4 players (girls against boys is always a good idea!).
• One player per round has to get the rest of the team to guess exactly what the paper says. Each team can choose as many folded squares as they can get through in 30 seconds.
• The first time around, you can use as many words as you like.
• The second time around, because you’ve heard all the answers once already, you can only use two words.
• The third time around, you can’t use any words and have to mime the clue – just like charades.
• Don’t forget to keep score of how many squares of paper you have at the end of each round… Add them up and you have your winner!

Why we love it: You can get everyone from Granny to your six-year-old cousin involved, because they get to write some of the game.

Twister

You might remember Twister from when you were a kid – but it’s just as much fun as an adult! The only difference is that the Twister mat is a little smaller these days…

How to play:

• Choose two people to play against each other.
• Spin the Twister spinner to decide where they have to put their hands or feet (the spinner is divided into right hand / left hand / right foot / left foot and the four colours).
• Keep spinning until someone either falls over or lets their knee or elbow touch the mat.
• It’s a good idea to have a dedicated “spinner” for each round, because it’s most fun when the changes happen quickly.
• Once you have a winner from the first round, let another two people play, and then the winners can play against each other.

Why we love it: It promises to be “the game that ties you up in knots” and it is – whether from playing or from laughing as you watch other people play! 

2s and 8s

If you love the card game UNO but don’t have a pack of UNO cards handy, don’t worry! Here’s how to play it with a normal set of playing cards.

How to play:

• The rules are simple: combine two sets of playing cards, shuffle them well and deal seven cards to each player. The top card of the deck is flipped over and becomes the first of the throw-away pile.
• Each player takes a turn by throwing away one card that matches the suit or number of the card on top of the pile. If they don’t have any that match, they have to draw the top card from the deck, and play that card if possible, or skip a turn.
• There are special rules about certain cards: instead of matching colours like in UNO, you match suits (diamonds, hearts etc.) Either the suit or the number / picture has to match.
• A Jack card is either a reverse or a skip for the next player.
• A Queen means the next player has to pick up 2 cards.
• A King lets you change the suit and can be played at any time.
• An Ace lets you change the suit and the next player has to pick up 4 cards. It can also be played at any time.

Why we love it: It can be a very simple card game or a very complicated one – depending who is playing and how good their strategy is.

Famous faces

Part of what makes this game so funny is that it involves sticking Post-It notes on your face… But it’s also a great general knowledge game.

How to play:

• Each person gets five sticky Post-It notes and has to write down five famous people’s names – anyone from Mickey Mouse to Baby Jake Matlala, Britney Spears to Brenda Fassie.
• These are put in a pile, upside-down so that nobody can read them.
• When it’s your turn, you close your eyes and pick a Post-It from the pile, and stick it to your forehead.
• You then get to ask 10 questions – with a Yes or No answer only – to try and figure out who you are.
• It’s harder than it sounds!

Why we love it: It’s a fantastic group game because there are no limits to how many people can play.