Organising family games – the 9 most original game ideas for your family

Every year it's someone else's turn to organise family activities. Going out for a day with the whole family or "getting cosy" together. Or going away for a family weekend. The fact is: some look forward to it for weeks, for others it is more of an obligation.

Unfortunately, hardly a family day goes by without something happening or something fun being organised that both young and old will enjoy. The difficult thing is often that both older and younger people have different interests.

With these top 9, we want to give you inspiration for original family games to make the upcoming family day the best ever. With these 9 inspiring fun family games, every family will have a great day this year. If it's your turn to organise such a day, these 9 games will undoubtedly give you enough choices to succeed.

Which family party games will you choose for your next family reunion?

Murder family games "Kill or being killed"

If you want to drive everyone crazy, then the game "Kill or being killed" (Gotcha!) is just the thing for you.
Whether young or old, this game will make your family day or weekend hilarious, exciting and a real family party.
Ok, this all sounds pretty gory, but it's not. How does the game work and what do you need for this game?

Accessories:
Pen and paper and 2 glasses

Where to play:
Indoors

Duration:
1 - 5 hours

Preparation for this family game

Course of the game

Of course, people are not really getting killed, but in this group game we pretend they are.

The name on the piece of paper is the one you have to "kill". How can you "kill" someone, you think. You have to make sure that you are in the same room with that person. Then you say, "You have been killed". The other person has to give you their note and that is then the person you have to kill next, your new victim.

You fold the note of the person you killed and put it in the glass jar marked "Murdered" (without anyone noticing). This way everyone can see how many players have already been eliminated from the game, but not exactly who. The players who have been eliminated from the game are also not allowed to tell.

In this way, 2 people are eventually left over in this family activity. Those who are left over, are the winners of this fun family game.

Additional information

But sometimes it happens that someone suddenly gets hold of his own piece of paper after killing his victim.
In this case, this person must fold the piece of paper and place it unnoticed in the jar marked "Draw again".

The person who was killed first in the game (so this is visible and obvious to everyone) must keep this jar with them.
If there are 2 people who have both put a slip of paper in it, this person takes out the two slips of paper and passes them on to these two people without anyone noticing. Of course, not in front of these 2 people, but in turns. These 2 then have drawn each other.

Note: Some family members become very restless during this family day. Suddenly they no longer go to the toilet alone, but ask someone they trust to accompany them.

Or they suddenly go to the kitchen with 3 people so they can't be killed.
An insanely fun and exciting group game that should not be missing from this top 9 family activity list.

Want to make it easy for yourself? Then take a look at our top three family day games.

The family day game par excellence is the Music Bingo. Fun to play with both young and old ones. But of course, games like an Escape Room or the Envelope Game (40 questions/assignments, a game for adults) are also great fun to play with the family.

Family party game: The secret mission

The group game "The Secret Mission" is also one of the fun family games.

You might already think that your family are a bunch of weird guys, but in this game you will just see what "weird" people are running around in your family.

In this family party game, everyone is given a task at the beginning of the family day. They have to try to complete this task successfully during the family day. If they succeed, they get to choose a new task.

The person who successfully completes the most tasks in the allotted time wins the game.

But yes... all tasks rely on other family members to complete the task. How do you get them to sing with you? Or list 5 car brands for you? Or share their last five holiday destinations with you?

Accessories
Pen and paper and 1 glass

Where to play:
Can be played anywhere

Duration:
1 to 3 hours ( This family game can also be played all day or the whole weekend)

Preparation for this family game

Course of the game

At the beginning of the day, everyone draws a piece of paper with a task from the glass jar. The goal is to complete the task on the slip of paper. If they succeed, they may take another slip of paper. The player who has successfully completed the most tasks at the end of the day or weekend wins the game.

Each player keeps the completed tasks with them to show how many tasks they have completed.

It is not always possible to check 100% whether a task has been completed, but fortunately your family is of course the most honest family in the country :-).

Examples for tasks

Having a hard time thinking of what tasks to do? We've thought ahead and put together 20 sample tasks for this family activity:

Make sure you have 5x as many tasks as the number of family members.

Family games and hiking at the same time? - Geocaching

There are a few million of them on our beautiful earth, and if you've never heard of geocaching, you'll walk past several treasures every day without even realising it.

And these treasures aren't even buried. They are simply visible to the naked eye, but yes... you have to find them first.

In the picture above you can see an example of the overview of Europe and all the treasures that can be found in this country. Unbelievable, isn't it?

Geocaching is still one of our favourite family games when we go hiking. We have now found 59 caches (treasures). Sometimes we go out with the dog, but also during the weekend at our friends' house.
we hike a nice cache route every year with a treasure at the end.

With your phone you can use the geocaching app to find different caches (treasures).

Duration: 1 - 2 hours
Accessories: internet-ready smartphone

Preparation and play

Before you can start treasure hunting, you have to go to the website:
geocaching.com to create a free username.
This is very easy to do, for example via a computer. As soon as you have logged in on your mobile phone, you will receive a map where you are (blue dot) and where you can also see some green treasures. There is a treasure at this spot. If you tap on the green treasure, you can navigate/run there and find the treasure. There is always - no matter how small the treasure is sometimes - a small logbook with the treasure.

The idea is that you write your username, the date and the time you found the treasure in this logbook. Then you select "Found" on your mobile phone and write a short text about it, and the green treasure turns into a smiley face.

Do you prefer a real challenge?

Once you have found a few of these green treasures, you can move on to a slightly bigger challenge: the orange treasures and the blue question marks.

However, you can only do these if you buy the paid app on your mobile phone.
For a few ten pound notes a year, you have access to all the treasures in the world. And the orange treasures are especially worthwhile if you want to go on a fun hike with your family on your family day or family weekend and look for treasures along the way.

Because you can expect a hike where you have to search again and again from one point to the next. Kids love it too, because at each intermediate point you have to solve a puzzle or find something in order to move on. At the end of the hike, the treasure is waiting for you. If you tap on the cache, you can also see how big it is, how difficult it is to find and how good the path is to get there.

We've often gone geocaching with our friends on friends' weekends and it's always a lot of fun. The children have to control themselves not to run ahead, and several adults are also busy searching. And so far we have always found the treasure. We usually search a stretch of about 5 kilometres near our holiday home. So it's a nice walk combined with a fun search.

Highly recommended if you want to spend a few hours out and about with the family. Let yourself be surprised! This is maybe the best of all fun family games.

Fun family games - Kahoot

Accessories:
Each player needs a phone and additionally the game master (who by the way can also play) needs 1 laptop, computer or tablet with a beamer for a big screen, if possible.

Duration:
Each game lasts on average only about 10 to 15 minutes, but hardly anyone stops once they have played. Everyone then wants to play again. With our 16 adults and 14 children, we play this game again during every weekend away with friends. We usually make 1 new quiz, but during the weekend, the children often set about making a few new quizzes of their own. An excellent consideration when choosing ideas for fun family games.

Preparation for this family game

If you have a laptop (preferably with a large screen projector), you can select the quiz on it. Everyone logs in with their mobile phone via the kahoot.it website (and the game master logs in via Create.kahoot.it).

The game master chooses a quiz or creates one a day in advance and all family members start the quiz at the same time. Everyone logs in with the code of the quiz (which the game master has on his screen). Then everyone chooses a player name to play with.

Course of the family game

The game can begin. There are four answers to each question, each with its own colour.

On your mobile phone, you pick the colour that you think belongs to the correct answer.

And after each question, an intermediate score is displayed. Points are awarded for each correct question, and bonus points are also awarded for quick answers.

You'll find that once you've played a quiz, everyone from young to old loves it so much they can play one or more quizzes straight away.

Of course, it's fun to create a quiz about your family and play it.
But when it's done, you can also look for all sorts of other quizzes by searching for the topic of your choice. Topography, sports, Christmas, general - it doesn't matter what topic you look for. You can find several fun quizzes on any topic.

So if you really want to surprise your family, this fun family game Kahoot should be an essential part of your family day or family weekend.

20 sample questions for this fun family game

You'll have to enter the questions yourself and give the correct answer, but to give you some inspiration, here are 20 sample questions for your first kahoot for your family day:

The Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow - Fun Family games with 8 - 23 people.

This amazingly funny game “The Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow” is the best card game for the whole family.
We are happy to take a moment to promote this incredibly fun game, which is available in any game shop and can be played by 8 to 23 players.
Citizens against werewolves. But who is who? The whole family sits in a circle and you as the game master tell a story about Miller’s Hollow.

Explanation of the game

Miller’s Hollow is plagued by werewolves. Every night the werewolves kill an innocent citizen. During the day, the citizens must try to find out which of them is a werewolf and which is a civilian.

Everyone gets a role beforehand by drawing a card that shows either a werewolf or a citizen. Then night falls and everyone in the circle closes their eyes. The game master tells the werewolves to wake up. They close their eyes, take a quick look to see who else is a werewolf and then point to someone who will be killed that night.

They must name the same person or no one will die.

Then the citizens (and werewolves) wake up again and the game master has to deliver the bad news. Someone has been killed and it is the person the werewolves have just designated.

Everyone has about 30 seconds to 1 minute to discuss with the others who they think is a werewolf. Then the game master counts down to 3, 2, 1.... and everyone names another person at the same time.

The person named most often is designated by the citizens as a possible werewolf and burned at the stake. The player in question reveals their card so that everyone can see whether a werewolf has actually been caught or whether it is bad news. Namely, that they burned their own citizen at the stake.

There is not much time to mourn, because it is already night. And then the werewolves strike again. During the day, the citizens are allowed to consult again and so on. In the end, either the werewolves win (if they have killed all the civilians one by one before they are caught) or the civilians win (if they manage to catch the werewolves before they are killed themselves).

And it gets funnier and funnier...

A simple game, but once you have played the basics, it is even more fun for the game master.

All sorts of special citizen roles are added that can further influence the game. How about the Seer, who wakes up first each night before the werewolves awaken, and then gets to see a player's card (he points to a player and the game master shows the Seer whether the player is a werewolf or a citizen). Or the witch, who wakes up briefly right after the werewolves have struck, but before it is day again and everyone wakes up again, and already sees who has been killed that night. The witch can then make someone better or kill an additional player once every game.

Without explaining all the roles here, there are some other roles like the mayor, the forester, cupid and the innocent girl that make the game incredibly entertaining. Every Christmas Day, we play this game and other games with our family. Young and old alike have fun with it! This is also true for Werewolves.....

And there is even an expansion available for this game that you can buy. We bought that too, but have never played it yet. This shows how much fun the basic game is already.

Real-life Stratego

Normally, this game depends a little on the physical condition of the family, because this game is about running, tagging, hiding and playing skilfully with each other as a team.

But you can also play the game against each other in a non-physical way. Stratego is the board game that has been popular with many people for decades. You face the enemy with your army and try to capture each other's flag. From the marshal to the scout, each in their own rank, tries to find out where the enemy has hidden the flag.

Live version of Stratego

In the (physical) live version of Stratego, the family is divided into two parts on this family day.

Both teams are given a tea towel which they have to hide somewhere in the forest. The game master distributes the roles for each team.

Each team has the following roles twice in the game: Marshal, General, Colonel, Major, Lieutenant, Sergeant, Minor, Scout, Spy or Bomb. Each player receives one card (shuffle cards in advance and draw nearby). Then discuss tactics with your team and set out to find the enemy flag.

Each player you tag gets to tag you and vice versa. If you tag someone or you are tagged, both players show their roll. The highest roll wins. The other player is "dead" and must get a new role from the game master. When all the cards have been used, you have to leave the game.

The hierarchy in the game is the same as the way in which the roles have just been introduced. So the marshal is the strongest. If he meets a major, for example, the major dies. In the same way, a lieutenant wins against a scout, for example. But... there are some roles that can do something else. The bomb, for example. Anyone who tags a bomb dies. A bomb itself can't tap anyone.

And the miner is the only one who can defuse the bomb. The spy also has a special role. He is the only one who can beat the marshal. So it's a lot of tactics - who beats whom.

Fatigue-free variant

If there are some elderly people in the family, running and tagging is often no longer possible.

In this case, you can also play the board game live. You lay out a board with squares on a pavement or car park (and some water in the middle, like in the real board game) and then both teams line up on one side of the board.
One team gets to take turns making a move. Each player has a roll stuck on their back. The rules of the game are otherwise the same, but there is no running and tagging.

Instead, 1 player of the team may take a step forward, backward or sideways each time. If a player is dead, he or she may re-enter the playing field with a new roll in the designated place.

Accessories:

Stratego is one of the exciting fun family games!

Bingo, but a little different

Call numbers

In this variation, all players fill in a blank bingo card with a pen. On the column B they can write numbers from 1 to 15, on the column I from 16 to 30, on the column N from 31 to 45, on the column G from 46 to 60 and on the column O from 61 to 75.
By drawing (e.g. with a dice) it is decided who starts and who follows. The first player names a number from 1 to 75 and everyone who has this number may cross out this number. Of course, each player names a number that he himself has on the card. But since everyone takes turns naming a number, everyone benefits equally. One should also pay attention to which numbers have already been named so that the numbers are not named twice. As in real bingo, whoever has a full card first (or, for example, a full row horizontally or diagonally) wins the game.

Photos and names

Another great idea for this fun family game. You can play this game if you have a big group (about 40 people or more). Instead of numbers, you make bingo cards with pictures of players on them. Of course, you then have to make each card differently. That involves a bit of work. But it can also be done easier. Give everyone a blank bingo card and have everyone write some of their family names on it. Make sure you have printed out all the photos and put them upside down on the table. Each time, draw 1 picture and write down the name. Participants can cross out a name when you have shown the photo.

Family games with knowledge - The knowledge race

You can play this game with as many people as you like. For example, on a family day with 20 people.

You have to think of topics, questions and answers in advance and after each question one person is eliminated. Until there is only one person left who wins this family game.

Accessories:
Pen and paper.

Preparation:
You have to think of questions and answers.

Gameplay

First, you choose a theme. In this example we choose: London. Then comes the first question. Before you ask the question, the players are first shown the 4 answers. For example: Kensington, Notting Hill, Queens and Paddington. The question is: What is or what are districts of London? So more than one answer can be correct (at least 1 is always correct, maximum all 4 are correct).

Everyone writes down the answer. Then the game master asks who answered what, and everyone who gave the right answer (in this case Kensington, Notting Hill and Paddington are correct; Queens is in New York), moves on to the next round. They move on to the next topic. Those who got it wrong stay in London.
You ask another question about London and again some family members are right and move on to the next round. Until there is only one left. That one is eliminated.

Then you move on to the next topic and play the game again. With 20 people, you therefore need 19 themes to finally have a winner on this family day.

If you have many players, you could also consider letting 2 or 3 players drop out each time. Then you need fewer themes.

The fun family games of Playgroupgame

Would you like to receive these 9 tips for free? Handy to keep so you can organise your family activities without any hassle. We'll send them to you by email, free of charge.

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