You’ve probably heard the studies that talk about the importance of families sitting down to dinner together each night. But have you ever thought about how you can make dinnertime fun so everyone wants to sit down together? While charades and board games are great after a meal, you can keep kids engaged—and at the table longer—with verbal games you play during the meal. Here are a few of our favorites.
The Kids’ Game
A variation on the old standard “20 Questions,” you start by saying “I’m thinking of a kid who lives in our neighborhood” or “I’m thinking of a kid who goes to your elementary school.” Then it’s up to your children to ask questions that reveal clues and result in a “yes” or “no” answer (“Does she go to our bus stop?” or “Is he in my grade?”). Encourage your children to ask at least 10 questions before they start guessing their answer. Both grown-ups and children can take turns “thinking of kids.”
The “I’m Going on a Picnic” Game
The notion behind this game is to uncover the “theme” that the person who started the round has chosen. Each player says what they’re “bringing on a picnic”—usually two items. Then, they’re told either “Yes, you can come on our picnic” (if they chose two items that fit the theme) or “No, you can’t come” (if their items don’t fit the theme). Let’s say the theme is state abbreviations. If you say “I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing ducks and eggs,” you can “come” because you used the “D” and the “E” in the abbreviation for Delaware. If you guess wrong, you can try again on your next turn. The round ends when everyone is able to “go” on the picnic. The fun part about this game is listening for the really strange—and unpicnic-like—things people say they’re “bringing on a picnic,” such as “nickels and cleats” for NC (North Carolina), if we’re sticking with the state abbreviation theme.
The First and Last Game
This game can help little ones with their spelling. You start by picking a topic, such as animals. The first person says her word (zebra, for example), and then the next person has to come up with an animal that has “a” as the first letter, since it was the last letter in zebra. Try other fun topics like breakfast cereals, cartoon characters, and sports teams. If you want to up the competition, time people so that they have to say their “answer” in 30 seconds or less.
Trust us—with these games at your disposal, dinnertime will never be boring again.
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