Games are created to help us wind off after a long week of stressful work and all; here, then, are the games to play when bored at home during the weekend or during our annual leave, or a time-out for relaxation. To many of us, games are child’s play, that is, they are only meant for kids and never for the adults. They believe games can simply create succor for the fools who have nothing else or important to do.
On the contrary, the meaning of games is far more than just that! A game is an activity or sport usually involving skill, knowledge, or chance, in which you follow fixed rules and try to win against an opponent or to solve a puzzle. It is a contest carried on following set rules for amusement, exercise, or reward. If not for games, many lives would have been sunken deep into irredeemable depression.
Online Games to Play
If you don’t have access to some games, online games are a great option. Most are free, they are easy to access on your phone or computer, and you can play them anywhere. Here are some online game worth trying:
- Solitaire – The goal is to move cards in the tableau in alternating and descending order to ultimately move cards to the foundation pile. It’s like solving a puzzle with playing cards. Try playing online solitaire here.
- Minesweeper – This is a classic game where you have to use deduction to locate all the mines on the board. Play Minesweeper here.
- Cribbage – Unlike Solitaire and Minesweeper, this is a more complicated game. You play an opponent drawing cards, and based on a scoring system, you move your peg across the Cribbage board until someone gets to the end. If you’re up for a challenge to learn a new game, this one is for. Try Cribbage out here.
Games to Play When Bored at Home
Thank God for the existence of games and their very vital roles amongst us, the world would have been reduced to nothing! In an attempt to further relieve you of your stress and worries and all, this article is concentrated on lining out some of the most popular games to play when bored at home:
Dots and Boxes
This is no doubt one of the brain-building games to play when bored at home. A pencil and paper game for two players, Dots and Boxes begins with an empty grid of dots. Players take turns adding a single horizontal or vertical line between two un-joined adjacent dots. The player who completes the fourth side of a 1×1 box earns one point and gets another turn. Players write their initials in the boxes to indicate who completed each. The drawn “board” can be of any size. If you have little time to play or are just learning how to play, try a 2×2 box. A 5×5 box works well for experts. Dots and Boxes ends when there are not more lines that can be placed. The winner is the player with the most boxes completed.
Wool Webs
Divide your group into teams of equal numbers. Give each team a ball of yarn. Instruct the teams to create a web using only the yarn. Once the teams have finished (you may have to set an amount of time for completion), switch the teams around so that every team has a web other than their own. Each team then blindfolds one team member. The goal is for the blindfolded individual to unwind the web following the verbal instruction of their teammates. In order to be successful, team members must concentrate, and give/follow directions. The first team that has dismantled the web wins this game.
Picture Pieces Puzzle Game
Prepare for this problem solving activity by choosing a well-known picture or cartoon full of detail. Cut the picture into equal sized squares and give one to each member of the group. You will need as many pieces as you have participants. Additionally, give each person a pencil, ruler for help enlarging the picture, colored markers, and a clean sheet of paper. Instruct them to make the puzzle piece five times larger.
Read Also: The Association of Stingy Men/Women Not a Puzzle
Cootie
Although it appears more of a child’s games to play when bored at home, adults too can have a taste of its piquancy! The object of this game is to draw a completed cootie bug before the other players. Provide each player with a piece of paper and a pencil. Players roll a die to complete their bug. Every time, the number of dots on the die represents a different body part:
- 1 = body
- 2 = head
- 3 = antennae, hat, or bow
- 4 = eye,
- 5 = tongue, teeth, or lips
- 6 = a leg
Have each player roll the die and the player with the highest roll goes first. A player must start by throwing a one for the body and then a two for the head. If a player cannot roll the required numbers, they lose their turn and must try again on their next turn. After a player gets the body and head, cootie parts can be added in any order a player desires. However, if a player rolls a number of a cootie body part they already have, their turn is over. When a player successfully rolls a needed number, they get a free roll to attempt to get another body part. The winner of the game is the first to finish their cootie.
Hangman
A challenging two-player word game, Hangman challenges players to complete the spelling of a word before a drawing of a hangman is finished. The first player thinks of a word or phrase and writes a blank for every letter below a drawing of a gallows with an empty rope. The second player attempts to spell the word by guessing letters. Each wrong guess gives the guessing player a body part added to the swinging rope – a head, torso, two arms, and two legs. If the hangman is completed before guesses provide the correct word or phrase, the player who chose the word wins. To stump an opponent, use short words or words with repeated letters.
Tic-Tac-Toe
Certainly, one of the games to play when bored at home! Tic-Tac-Toe is one of the first pencil and paper games a child learns. To begin playing, draw a grid of two horizontal lines dissecting two vertical lines. Players take turns choosing a box and placing either the letter 0 or the letter X to mark their box. The goal of the game is to fill in three marks in a row or block your opponent from doing so.
To Do Scavenger Hunt
This scavenger hunt game involves solving a list of problem activities. Begin by dividing your group into teams. Give each group a list of to do activities. The list should begin with some simple tasks, with increasingly more difficult activities. Some suggested activities are:
- Write a one hundred word poem on a given theme.
- Find an object readily available in the area in which you are playing
- Drink a whole can or glass of a liquid
- Solve a Sudoku or cross word puzzle
- Write out all the lyrics of a song (a Christmas carol works well at holiday time)
The team that completes all the activities first, wins.
Impromptu Skits
Prior to playing this game, write down a few appropriate situations that deal events in the venue in which you are playing. For example, for a group involved in customer service, use dealing with an angry customer on the phone. If you have a large group, divide them into teams of six to eight members. Have each group choose a folded piece of paper on which you have written the subject of a skit they must create. Give a set amount of time to prepare the skit and then have each team present their skit to the group. If you have a small group, have each person create one side of a conversation dealing with the problem for presentation to everyone.
Block Duplicating
Build a model out of building blocks. Provide each group member (or divide into teams for a large group) enough blocks to duplicate the model. Set a specific amount of time for completing the duplicated model. The team that is the first to finish – or gets the furthest on completing their model – wins. The more difficult the original model, the longer this task will take.
Tower Building
Although there are many variations to this game, this one using spaghetti and marsh mellows is our favorite. Divide you group into teams with an equal number of players. Provide each team with an equal amount of spaghetti and marsh mellows. The goal is to see which team can build the highest tower within a set amount of time.
Personalized Crossword
For this game to be effective, you need one or more teams of 8 to 10 people. Have each team list the first and last names of their group members. The goal is to create a crossword puzzle with clues composed of hints about the person, for example, if only one team member has red hair, the two clues for her first and last name could be, “Red hair,” and “Ginger.”
It should take each team 20 to 30 minutes to complete their puzzle. When all the teams are finished, trade puzzles so that every team has a different one. Make sure you provide a list of names for the puzzle solvers. This is also reliable among the games to play when bored at home.
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