Games for Family Picnics

CEBU, Philippines — When you are out at a family picnic, playing games together can be a great way to foster bonding, encourage positive family interaction, and have some fun together. If your picnic area has large, open, flat areas of land, plan some games of skill that are fun for all ages.

“Human Ringtoss Truth or Dare”

In this game, family members are split into two teams. All that’s needed are hula hoops for all participants. The challenge is to successfully throw one’s hula hoop around one of histeammates, who has volunteered to be the human ring-toss. Whichever team gets all of their hula hoops on their designated teammate first gets to ask the other team to answer either truth or dare. Each team member will need to answer the question or participate in the dare activity.

“Red Light, Green Light Family Trivia”

This game is a twist on the classic “Red Light, Green Light.” Three to five family trivia cards shall be prepared per participant prior to heading out for the picnic. One person plays the role of the traffic light, noting “red light” for stop and “green light” for go. The other participants stand facing the traffic light and move according to the traffic light’s commands. The person playing the traffic light turns around when giving the “green light” command, and the other players attempt to tag the traffic light. Whoever tags the traffic light first must correctly answer a family trivia card selected by the traffic light in order to take over the position. If not, they must move back three steps and the game continues.

“Would You Rather Hot Potato”

This game takes just a little bit of preparation. A beach ball shall be brought and blown up. A set of 25 to 50 “would you rather” questions shall be written all over the ball. The game can be played similar to “catch,” where everyone gets a fair amount of turns, or it can be made more challenging by incorporating hot potato rules. Using a timer or an hourglass, the ball is tossed around as quickly as possible. Whoever drops the ball or catches it when the timer runs out must answer one of the questions.

“Chubby Bunny Dice”

For this game, two dices and a few bags of large marshmallows are needed. The object of the game is to roll a matching set of dice. If one does not roll a matching set, he or she places one marshmallow in his or her mouth. The person who ends up with the most marshmallows in his mouth loses. The best part of this game is that losing tastes really good!

“Glass Half Empty or Full”

To play this game, one plastic cup is needed per person, a few jugs of water or access to a hose, one large bucket per team, and one blindfold per person. You can play this game in groups as small as eight, but it’s extra fun in larger groups. Split the teams up evenly and assign two team captains who will be stationed at the large water buckets. Give everyone else a cup of water filled about halfway and a blindfold. The object of the game is for the blindfolded teammates to successfully make their way towards their team captain without spilling any of their water along the way and emptying their glass into the team’s large bucket. Team captains are encouraged to shout helpful instructions to their teammates. Whichever team ends up with the most water wins.

“Scavenger Hunt Candy Crush”

This is a great game for those who have a sweet tooth. A few bags of large marshmallows are needed, five large cups per team and a prepared scavenger hunt list. The scavenger hunt can be made easy or difficult depending on the ages of the kids playing. The teams are to be split evenly and the cups set up in a line near each team. The object of the game is to complete the scavenger hunt before the other team does and successfully launch one marshmallow into each cup using only mouth.

“Brainy Balloon Toss”

To play this game, one blown up balloon is needed per person, as well a timer and trivia cards appropriate for the age group. The teams are to be split up evenly, and one person per team appointed as the trivia card reader. Each team will get one minute to answer their trivia questions, and the members must keep all of their balloons up in the air while doing so. Whoever answers the most questions correctly wins. If any balloons drop, the team loses the rest of their time to answer questions.

“Don’t Drop the Ball”

This game requires one ball per team and a timer. This can be played in groups as small as six. Teams are slit up evenly. Starting off, teams are positioned closely together and toss the ball to each other for one full minute without stopping. The other team gets one opportunity, after the 30-second mark, to give their opponents a chance. This might include jumping up and down, closing eyes, running in place, or spinning in a circle while still trying to catch the ball.

Teams can get creative about the challenges they want the other team to do while throwing the ball to each other. If the team drops the ball at any time, they are not awarded any points. After each round, the other team will get the opportunity to come up with challenges for their opponents while they toss the ball to each other.

“Classic Games”

These games have been around for a while because they are so much fun! These are great to play in small or large groups, and can be enjoyed by folks of all ages:

Horseshoes. Requirements for this game are two stakes about 20 inches high and four metal horseshoes. Two teams of two players take turns tossing the horseshoes toward the stakes. Points are awarded for the horseshoes that are closest to the stake.

Croquet. This game requires a croquet set and is great for two or more players. It takes a fair amount of coordination, focus and patience, so it would be best to play this with children who are 10 years old and older.

Hide and Seek. This favorite game can be played by groups large and small and with children of all ages.

It’s better to keep family customs and preferences in mind when planning outdoor games. Better still to bring music along or enjoy the sounds of nature. Playing games at a picnic is a great way for family members to connect with one another and have an awesome time together!