Game of homes…

Are you staying home this New Year? 🏠A very responsible choice! 🙌

With many of us at home and looking for ways to celebrate 🥳, we wanted to offer you some ideas about how to still have fun and enjoy a positive start to the new year.

After all, being at home doesn’t have to be boring – you can have a great time with a little invention and creativity!

Here’s some general advice to start with:

1.     Choose games that keep you moving 🏃‍♂️

While it’s the season for sitting on the couch and watching plenty of movies and TV, integrating a few games that get you and the family up off the couch 🛋 is a great way to keep your body healthy and active this time of year. Don’t let stiffness or inactivity set the scene for the new year – find a few ways to get up and get active, while also having fun!

2.     It’s the taking part that counts 💪

Remember: it’s just a game! Getting too competitive can definitely disrupt the atmosphere. Try to keep the mood light by not getting too precious about the results. You win some, you lose some, after all!

3.     Keep your brain active 🧠

Games are a good chance to get your brain going too – after all, they require much more active participation than just sitting back and watching TV! Use the opportunity to get your brain going, maybe learn some new skills and resist the urge to snooze your way into 2021.

4.     Make the most of your family time 👪

While you might be missing New Year parties or heading out on the town, this is a real opportunity to make the most of precious family time. Whether you’re together or apart, use this chance to connect, and don’t let the holiday season pass without spending it with those who matter most.

5.     You can still play online! 👩‍💻

Even if you’re physically far from family or friends in this time, you can definitely still connect with them online. Zoom is eliminating their 40-minute limit for the holiday season, or you can always use Google Meets, Skype or even Whatsapp to connect via video. So much of our world is online, and there are plenty of games you can play over the net as well. Don’t let distance be an obstacle!

Games you can play from home – Here’s some ideas

Here are some suggestions for great games that will be suitable for the whole family, whether you’re together in person or connecting online:

Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger Hunts are a great way to get moving 🏃‍♂️around the house. They take a bit of setup and planning, of course, but they’re easy to do and very adaptable to whatever your surroundings offer! Scavenger hunts are also great for all ages. Go for picture-based hunts for toddlers or use familiar household objects. For teens, consider some riddle clues. Coming up with the whole thing gets your brain going too!

Pub Quiz

Quizzes have had a real renaissance online, with “pub quizzes” happening on Zoom worldwide throughout lockdown. Someone will have to write the questions 📝 and set the categories, but you can get the whole family involved – both in person and digitally. Get inventive with both your questions and prizes! If you’re stuck for ideas, Wired came out with this great guide to writing the best virtual pub quiz.

Charades

Another one to get you on your feet and testing out your acting skills 🎭! You don’t need any props, and you can easily get basic charade card sets to help get ideas flowing, or use this digital idea generator. Take turns coming up with the topic and acting them out for your family. You can make the clues as simple or as complex as you like, to make them suitable for all ages.

Pictionary

One to start getting your visual-spatial thinking and creativity going 🎨. Split the family up into teams and set the clock. All you need is paper and pen, though of course a whiteboard or chalkboard can make things more exciting. Again, you can buy the traditional card set or you can use a random word generator for free. Happy drawing! 👩‍🎨

Obstacle Courses

This one is easiest if you’re lucky enough to have access to a garden 🌿 but can still be completed around the house with a little creativity! Invent an obstacle course to get the whole family running, jumping, skipping and crawling. Time ⏳ who can complete the course the quickest and challenge yourselves to beat your own times. This will get everyone up off the couch for a while!

LEGO Challenges

Another one to promote different kinds of problem solving. Get your family LEGO together and invent some building challenges like “build a house” or “build an airport” 🛩. Write them all down on paper and use your imagination. Rotate family members to act as the judge.

Classic board games

There are so many great board games out there that can really get the brain going and keep everyone entertained 🤹‍♀️. Stock up on the classics, like Monopoly, Scrabble, or Settlers of Catan (for the strategists in the family!) or even some jigsaw puzzles 🧩. New games like Exploding Kittens 😸 are also really simple and fun for the whole family. And don’t forget – a lot of these games exist online now, too, so you can share a game long distance with a quick Google.

Make this New Year a fun day with friends and family and let the games begin🃏! Stay safe and healthy, and we’ll be here to help you and the family in the new year. Wishing you all a great start to 2021 🎉 from all of us here at Inspired Health.