#390: Unfortunately - Fortunately

The game Unfortunately-Fortunately is a pile of fun and will get you thinking.



Take turns with a friend or bunch of friends and switch between ‘unfortunately’ and ‘fortunately’.

Start with unfortunately.
For example:
First person: “Unfortunately our essay that was due next week is really due tomorrow morning.”
Next person: “Fortunately, I have mine done.”
Next person: “Unfortunately the teacher added an extra page.”
Next Person: “Fortunately, mine was two pages over.”


Make this a family activity: Play together in the car, around the supper table, or anytime you feel up to a little playing.

This activity promotes positive problem solving and thinking in opposites.

#363: Categories

Categories can be a tricky game. If players are to keep the rhythm, this is a game best suited for ages 9 and up. If players don't need to keep the rhythm, this game can be for younger players--ages 6 and up.

Everyone sits in a circle and claps or slaps their legs to a rhythm (like: clap-clap, clap, clap-clap, clap or if you are slapping: slap-slap, slap, slap-slap, slap). Once everyone has the rhythm, one player starts the categories by saying “I am thinking of kinds of…. (and says what the category is and then adds in their item).”


They say this in rhythm to the clapping or slapping. The next player in the circle joins in after one clap or slap by saying something that fits in the category.

Go around the circle until all players are out of ideas or someone misses a beat. Players are normally sent out of the game for missing a beat, but you can also play where they keep playing.

Example:
Person one: (clap-clap, clap) “I am thinking of kinds of clothes” (clap-clap, clap) “hat”
Person two: (clap-clap, clap) “socks”
Person three: (clap-clap, clap) “pants”
Persons four: (clap-clap, clap) “t-shirt”

Category ideas: clothes, candy, places, things that grow, TV shows, books, people, relatives, food that is red, animals, electronics, teachers in your school, sports, dog breeds, song titles, names, school subjects, ice cream flavours.


Make this a family activity: Instead of playing a board game on family game night, try this one. This game can also be played in the car. (The driver doesn't have to clap or slap though!)

This activity promotes timing, word association and grouping skills.

#361: Telephone

Telephone is a game that is best when you have 5 players or more players.


How to play the telephone game:

Have everyone sit in a circle. One player makes up a sentence—silly sentences are good—like, “On Sundays giraffes walk sideways in peanut butter.” They whisper their sentence in the ear of the next player. That player repeats what they heard to the next player, and on and on until it reaches the last player.

The sentence can only be whispered to a player once. If someone forgets or doesn’t hear it all, they have to repeat the sentence to the next player as best as they can. The last player in the circle says the sentence out loud and the player who made up the sentence tells everyone what the sentence really was. Sometimes it is very different!


Make this a family activity: Sit in a circle with your family and see if the telephone gets broken.

This activity promotes listening and memory skills.

#340: Question - Question

To play Question-Question, two people have a conversation with each other. Sound easy?

Here's the catch: both players can ONLY ask questions. If playing with more than two players, switch players out as they mess up (they don’t ask a question).



Here is an example:
Person one: How are you?
Person two: What do you mean?
Person one: What are you crazy?
Person two: No, are you?
Person one: Sometimes, but how are you?
Person two: I’m fine (and they are out because this isn’t a question!).

Hint: The conversation doesn’t always have to make sense.

Variations: Make it harder—players have to reply right away (no pause to think about what they are going to ask) or they are out.


Make this a family activity: See who can ask the most questions without messing up.

This activity promotes quick thinking.

#278: Add a Line Poems

Someone starts a poem by writing down a line. The next person adds a line, and the poem goes from person to person until you have a whole poem.




Variations: Cover all the lines except the last written line. This way the players can only see the last line and not the whole poem.

Hint: Not all poems have to rhyme.


Make this a family activity: Each family member adds a line when it is their turn.

This activity promotes creativity and language skills.

#107: Swtich a Line

Read a sentence from one story and then have a friend read a sentence from a different story. Take turns.




Sometimes it gets pretty silly!


Make it a family activity: Each member reads from their favourite book or magazine.

This activity promotes literacy, listening skills as well as reading and listening comprehension skills.

#67: Going on a Picnic

The more people playing, the more challenging this game becomes.



One person starts by saying, “I’m going on a picnic and I am taking a…” (say something they are going to bring). The next person then repeats the sentence and adds something they are bringing.

For example: Person one: “I am going on a picnic and I am taking jelly beans.” Person two: “I am going on a picnic and I am taking jelly beans and pizza.” The first player that forgets one the items from the growing list is out.

VARIATIONS: People can only bring something that starts with the same letter as their first name. For example, Jean can only bring things like, jelly beans, jam, juice but not oysters.

You can also start the game with the sentence, “I am going on a trip and in my suitcase I am packing…”


This activity promotes memory development.

#48: Play 'What If?'

What would happen if…an elephant ran the town instead of the mayor?

What if aliens abducted your teacher? (What would school be like then?)

What if you were famous or your parents were famous?

What if your dog could talk?




There is no limit to the ‘what if’ questions you can ask yourself or a friend. If you are playing with a friend, build on each other’s ideas and get completely silly!

Hint: Answering 'what if' questions are a good way to start writing short stories and poems.


This activity promotes imaginative play which assists in problem resolution skills.

#40: Apple Bear

You can have as many players as you want, but 2-5 is a good number.

Start with ‘A’. The first player says a word that starts with A, then next player repeats it plus adds something that starts with the letter B, and on and on until the players are through the alphabet.

The trick is for each player to get through the alphabet without forgetting the growing list.


This activity promotes the development of memory skills as well as letter and word association.