Make 'Em Laugh: 3 Silly Family Games
It's so easy for the responsibilities of daily life to become overwhelming. So many people are overworked, overtired, and over-extended (even kids!), which is no fun! That's why finding different ways to incoporate rest each week is so important as it allows you to rejuvenate, recenter, and refocus.
At Sparkle, we find one of the best ways to relax with kids is to play a game together. We LOVE games. You not only get to enjoy each other's company when you're not running around like crazy, but you get to do something fun that will likely bring about a lot of laughing and silliness.
Here are three of our most favorite games to play with the whole family. Sparkle Tip: Download the printables now so you have them handy when you finally make the time to play.
Scudge Pundleman
For All Ages
Scudge Pundleman is the name of a game that David came up with in a desperate-parenting-moment when our kids were 3 and 6. The children were a mess, and in a moment of brilliance (to which that good man is prone), he said, "Have you guys ever played Scudge Pundleman?"
There was a great and amazed silence.
As it turns out, Scudge Pundleman is a little like charades with a lot of kindergarten zoology thrown in.
Scudge goes into the living room and becomes an animal, while the zoologists count to 20. They then march into the forest (or grassland or jungle) chanting "Scudge Pun-dle-man, Scudge Pun-dle-man". The animal, sometimes hidden or sleeping, is discovered, and the zoologists must try to deduce what kind of animal it is based on how it behaves and what it eats (it gets offered carrots, hot dogs, peanut butter, hay, you name it).
Evolving Drawing Game
For All Ages
This is yet another silly activity that David pulled out of his hat one day at a restaurant when our kids were being, well... young kids in a crowded restaurant. And it wasn't pretty.
I believe David pulled out a napkin, drew the head of a character on the top of it, folded it in three so no one could see, and invited our older son to draw the body, and our younger to draw the legs. Everyone ended up laughing thoroughly at the final creature, once the paper was unfolded.
And of course we had to play again, and again.
One Two Three
Age 5 and up
This is, hands down, our family's very favorite game currently. If we have friends over for dinner, you can guarantee one of our kids will ask "Can we play One, Two, Three?"
This game is also commonly called "Salad Bowl," and is so easy to play. All you need is a big bowl, paper and pens.
This game has three rounds: the first is like the game "Catch Phrase," where you describe a word for teammates to guess, without using the actual word. The second round is charades with the same clues, and in the third, the player can only give a single word, from which his teammates must guess the clue.
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About the Authors
Lisabeth Sewell
Lisabeth Sewell has worn many hats at Sparkle over the years, from Sparkle Kitchen Blogger to Editorial Director to Doer of All Odd Jobs. Her primary role is as CEO.
KC Pagano
KC is a full-time radical homemaker and mama to two spunky little girls. She writes about all kinds of radical goodness, from gardening and cooking with whole foods to crafting, sewing, homeschooling, and mama musings. Read more on her blog The Nettlesome Life.
