Posts Tagged ‘Games’
Board games aren’t always about what is happening in front of you, on the game board. Paying attention to the other players can often help a lot, for many games do require a bit of hidden information on the part of any given player. Keeping a poker face can be a very important part of playing a smart game and knowing how to read another player can help your chances of winning. However, this isn’t the only case in which, during a board game, you will need skill at reading another player. Some board games are actually built around this activity. Physically getting your point across can become the skill in question.
Guesstures is a game based on acting different words or phrases out for teammates. In this game, players form into two teams and one player at a time is designated as the actor. During a turn, that player selects four cards from the deck. Each card has one easy and one difficult word on it, with the difficult words being worth more points. That player then has one minute to act out as many of those four words as is possible, scoring points for the team. After the minute is over, the points are calculated, and then the other team is given a chance to perform. Play continues back and forth between the teams until one team reaches a pre-determined amount of points, and all members of that team are considered the winners of the game. This game is a rather popular party game as it gives everyone the chance to participate and to laugh, allowing creative energy to flow freely through the room.
Another game that often requires its players to act in some fashion or another is the popular game Cranium. This game, first marketed in 1998, is billed as “The Game for Your Entire Brain.” When you play Cranium, you are competing against another team to best them in four different areas. The Creative Cat area tests your artistic skills, while the Data Head category will quiz your knowledge of trivia.
If a Word Worm area is landed on, vocabulary skills will be tested. However, if you land on the Star Performer, you will be forced to act out in some manner or another for your teammate to guess the answer to. There are a few different manners of performance required with this option, however, making it a very diverse option. If you choose a Cameo option, you must act out a word or a phrase with no speaking allowed, much like a traditional charades game. If you happen to select a Copycat card, the game becomes a little more tricky. The performer must then act like a certain celebrity or character without being allowed to say any proper names, nor can any questions be asked of the performer. If the teammate can guess who it is that the performer is imitating, the team scores the point. Humdinger, however, tests the team by forcing the performer to hum a popular tune for the teammate to guess. Cranium is an interesting approach to the classic formats of acting games, for it tests players in a different manner than most. Because of this, it is a fresh approach for any player looking to stretch their minds and imaginations while performing with a game.
Victor Epand is an expert consultant for board games, chess boards, and dungeons and dragons miniatures. You will find all these things and more if you visit board games with acting, chess boards, and dungeons and dragons miniatures.
Cards have always been an important part of gaming. Some games need nothing more than cards to function as a whole, while other games use cards as a feature to help the game progress. Many board games all use cards to enhance the game, but usually in many different capacities. Sometimes cards are used for the sake of movement, while in other cases, players try to collect different sorts of cards to earn points. In even other examples, cards are used to either gain information which will help the player further themselves, or to hinder other players towards reaching the climax. Decks of cards allow games to use many different tactics for the execution of play and can be incredibly diverse in their usage.
Drawing from a deck of cards to determine movement is one of the most common examples of why cards can be important. Sorry is a classic example of a game that requires a deck of cards. Within the Sorry deck, there are various cards with numbers ranging from 1 to 12, all of which enable players to move their pawns around the board. Some of these cards do have catches, however, making the game more than a simple race around the board. When a player is in a Start location, they are only allowed to move their pawn outside the area if they draw a card with either a 1 or a 2. If a card with a value of 4 is drawn, the player can only move one token backwards 4 spaces. An 11 allows players to either move forward 11 spaces or to switch locations with one other player, and a 7 card allows players to split the total number of moves between two pawns. If one of the special Sorry cards is drawn, however, players are granted the special ability to take one of their pawns from the Start space and move it directly onto another player’s location, gaining both entrance to the game board and starting the other player’s pawn back at the beginning of the game.
Decks of cards do not have to be used solely for movement, however. With Clue, players roll dice to determine their movement, but use cards to help solve the mystery of the game. The deck of cards with Clue is divided into three categories, one for the Suspects, one for the Murder Weapons, and one for the Location of the Murder. At the beginning of the game, one card is removed from each category and is placed in a seperate envelope. The remains cards are then all mixed together and distributed evenly between the players of the game. By rolling dice and moving about the game board, players try to determine the cards in the hands of the other players, using process of elimination to discover which 3 cards were removed from the deck at the beginning of the game. By figuring out these 3 cards, players solve the mystery and win the game.
Decks of cards can be used to one extreme or another. Movement is a very common purpose for cards, but as shown, the purpose of cards is not limited to this. Card decks can enhance a game to a great degree, providing players with opportunities that simple dice do not always provide.
Victor Epand is an expert consultant for board games, chess boards, and dungeons and dragons miniatures. You will find all these things and more if you visit board games that use cards, chess boards, and dungeons and dragons miniatures.
Playing outdoor games is part of growing up. We all have childhood memories of playing our favorite outdoor games with the kids from the neighborhood and our best friends from school. Now it is up to us to pass down the legacy to our children. Show them that playing outside is fun and teach them that physical activity is essential to their wellbeing.
Below is a list of five classic outdoor games your children are sure to love.
1) Hopscotch
Hopscotch is a simple jumping game that is easy to set-up and easy to learn. To play outdoors, all you need is a package of colored or plain white chalk, child-safe items like colored stones for the players to use as their markers, and a patch of concrete to draw the hopscotch board on.
Since there are a number of ways to draw a hopscotch board, experiment with a few different patterns and use the version your children like best.
The classic, old school way to create a hopscotch board is to use chalk on concrete to outline eight blocks in the shape of a lowercase letter “t.” Masking tape can be used as a substitute if chalk is not available or if you are playing indoors. Every player will need to find a small object that can be used as a marker. This is where you can get creative! Just make sure you don’t pick your mom’s favorite breakable figurine. Think more along the lines of a button, beanbag, or bottle cap.
Each player takes turns tossing his or her marker in block number one. The objective is to keep your balance as you hop over block one standing on one foot, then onto block two, three, four, etc. until you have reached the eighth block. To complete your turn, you must jump back through each number back to block two, bend over (still on one foot!) pick up your marker, and jump into block one and out of the hopscotch board. This completes the turn of one player. It is then time for the other players to take each of their turns.
There are a quite a few factors that determine whether a player is out and loses a turn. These things include failure to place your marker in the proper block for that particular turn, stepping into the block your marker is in, and losing your balance while attempting to pick up your marker. A player is also considered out if he or she steps on a line or uses both feet to hop into the next block. That player then loses his or her turn and must leave the marker in the block to try again after all the other players have taken their turn.
2) Red Rover
This game is fun when you have a big group of kids involved. Pick teams of equal size. Each team member holds hands tightly to create a chain. One side starts by picking someone on the opposing team to invite over to their team. Everyone shouts, “Red Rover, Red Rover, send Emily right over!” Emily then breaks free and runs toward the other team. The goal is to break the link of the other team. If Emily is successful, she gets to pick someone from that team to join her team. If Emily is unsuccessful, she has to join the opposing team. This continues until one side has all of the team members. The best thing about this game is that everyone is a winner in the end!
3) Four Square
Much like hopscotch you can create your own four square arena by drawing one with chalk or using masking tape. You will also need a rubber ball, or any ball that is good for bouncing. Draw or lay out a large square that is divided into four inner squares. There is one person per square. The first player in the top square bounces the ball to the player in the square to the left of his or herself. This sets off the play. Everyone has to use hands to bounce the ball, in one bounce, around the square until someone fumbles and is out. The players rotate bringing a new player into the square to replace the person who fumbled. A person is out if they catch the ball, if it takes more than one tap to bounce the ball to the next person, or if a person steps out of his or her designated square. The goal is to move up into the top square. Like Red Rover, in this game, everyone is a winner.
4) Tag
Tag is one of the oldest and most exciting outdoor games for children. An added benefit of playing tag is the level of physical activity – it is a great source of exercise! While there are many variations of this classic chasing game, two remain the most common with kids today: traditional tag and freeze tag.
In traditional tag, one person is chosen to be “it,” the person who must try to catch the others. When the person who is “it” touches another person, that person must chase after another and the game continues.
Another variation of tag is freeze tag. The player who starts out as “it” can tag as many people as he or she likes. When the person who is “it” tags a player, that player must stands still or “freeze.” The frozen players can only be unfrozen once a free player crawls in between their legs. The object of the game? For the “it” player to freeze all other players. As you can imagine, freeze tag can go on for quite some time if players are fast!
5) Duck Duck Goose
This is an all time favorite. All the players sit in a circle. The “it” player walks around the outside of the circle tapping the other players on the head saying, “duck, duck, duck, etc.” When he or she gets to the person they choose to be the new “it” person, they say “Goose!” The “goose” then has to chase the other player and tag them before he is able to sit down in the goose’s spot. If the “it” player gets to the seat before being tagged the “goose” is the new “it” and the game continues.
These are five classic old-school games that every child should know. While a playground with swings and slides and monkey bars is always fun, nothing beats these basic games you can play almost anywhere. With spring in the air, now is the perfect time to take your kids and their friends outside and show them how to have a good time. Get going!
Alicia Randall is a full-time nanny living in Santa Fe, New Mexico, who writes about topics related to children’s play in her spare time. For more information on playground equipment, please visit www.swingset.com.
Lisa Austen is a mother of three from Sacramento, CA. She writes about topics related to children’s play in her spare time. For more information on Playground Equipment, please visit www.swingset.com.
OK, Monopoly may have more versions than players but I have noticed other editions of Risk (Star Wars & Middle-earth), Clue and Chutes & Ladders. If you were going to buy one for the weekend with for family get together, would you go for the classic edition or spring for the commercial/branded edition?
Kids love to play and it is their right to play different types of games inside and outside their homes. We know how health-oriented you are and how much you pay attention to the physical activity of your child. But what do you do if you have bad weather conditions like rains or thunderstorms and your child is unable to go out and play. Do you make him sit and study all the while in such situations? Certainly not! The best way is to entertain them at home with the help of apt board games.
Playing indoors is something we all cherish. Remember the card games we used to play when schools used to declare sudden holidays? Today the kids need many more things besides the regular card games. For them, the toy manufacturers and their dealers are on their toes to make new toys of different colors and patterns. Also the online market has made the toy purchase lot easier. Also you get lot more varieties to explore and choose from.
Let’s see what board games are ideal for your kids and why?
(1) Classic Bullseye Board Game 1st edition: Based on television’s popular dart quiz, this game confronts you with hoards of questions and rewards you with Bully’s star prize after going through varied rounds. No doubt it is a great entertainer and even elder family members can join the fun.
(2) Magic cube: It is an all-time favorite game among children and it can accentuate the cognitive and coordination abilities in kids. So, if your kids have attained 3 years of age, it’s time to give them the magic cube to match the colors on it!
(3) Corx: If you want to enhance the eye-hand coordination in your kids aged 4 or more, you should try Corx game for them. There are playing pieces embedded in the game that you are supposed to toss on any hard and flat surface. If they bounce on their ends, you score points. You can call the game a replica of mini-martial art. You kids will love this game for sure.
(4) Family Guy- Talking Magic 8 Ball: if you are fan of this dysfunctional family, the Family Guy, this game is for you. Ask a question and have your answer magically! 20 custom griffin family phrases have been included in such games.
(5) Monopoly card game: For little older children from 8 years above, you can think of buying Monopoly Deal, a card game. This dynamic game of trading, acquisition, and dealing is a great way to spend a quality afternoon indoors!
After all, what your kids want is to spend a quality time and with these traditional and/or novel board games, you can give them just that. Moreover, for all the parents who keep cribbing about their children’s indoor activities, here is an advice from child psychologists. The indoor board games and garden games bring out the coordination and concentration skills in your children. So, do not deprive them of these games. Instead try balancing their outdoor and indoor activities with the help of funny and educative kids’ toys!
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