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If you’re anything like our family, you have quite a collection of BOARD GAMES taking up space in your basement cupboards.
We love BOARD GAMES so much that I tend to buy too many. So many, in fact, that there are several that have not seen the light of day in years. And, just like with many things in life, it’s the old, classic versions that get neglected while the hip, cool versions get played.
So, in an effort to make space for new BOARD GAMES during the upcoming gift-giving season, I’ve been going through our game cupboard.
But, much to my neat-freak husband’s disappointment, instead of finding some to get rid of, I’ve found new ways to reinvigorate some of the old classics for this holiday season!
And we had so much fun with these CHRISTMAS-TWISTED BOARD GAMES that I wanted to share with y’all!
ONE: UNO
UNO is such a great game for several reasons, not the least of which is it’s easy for all ages to play! And, it turns out that UNO has nearly endless possibilities of ways to give it a fun CHRISTMAS-TWIST.
Here are just a few suggestions:
- Play a red card = get a red M&M
- Play a green card = get a green M&M
- Play a 2 on top of a 5 {25} = get a Hershey Kiss
- Play a red card on top of a green card = get a mini candy cane
- Play a green card on top of a red card = take a sip of hot cocoa
Or if sweets are not your style:
- Play a red card = sing Rudolph
- Play a green card = wear the Santa Hat until somebody else plays a wild card
- Play a 2 on top of a 5 = speak in an elf-voice for the rest of the game
- Play a red card on top of a green card = move an ornament on the tree
- Play a green card on top of a red card = act like a snowman melting in the sun
TWO: SCRABBLE
SCRABBLE is a staple in most homes but it is probably often over-looked as too educational {aka: boring} for some. But, with this CHRISTMAS-TWIST, everybody will be asking to break out SCRABBLE this holiday season!
Play SCRABBLE like you normally do but every time a word is played, the player needs to use that word in a CHRISTMAS-TWISTED sentence. Your family can decide if the sentences need to make sense or not {personally, we like nonsensical things around here but we do expect the parts of speech to be used appropriately.} You can come up with your own sentences or use these suggestions:
- For Christmas, I really hope Santa brings me a ____.
- It’s so cold outside that I am ____.
- The Christmas carolers are ____ on our porch!
- ____ will be our new Christmas tradition.
- Oh my gosh! Look! Santa stuffed your stocking with a ____.
- All I want for Christmas is a/an/the ____.
- Rudolph, with your nose so bright, will you ____ my sleigh tonight?
- This Christmas, we’re only going to hang ____ on the tree.
- For Christmas morning, we are going to eat ____.
- I’m going to leave Santa some milk and ____.
- Instead of a tree, let’s hang ornaments on a ____.
- Frosty, the ____ man was a jolly, happy soul.
- Jingle ____, jingle ____, jingle all the way!
- Santa put your present ____ the tree.
- Oh, we wish you a ____ Christmas!
- I wrapped all of the presents with ____.
THREE: PICTIONARY
Whether you have the classic version or the new one that includes small whiteboards, using CHRISTMAS-TWISTED PICTIONARY cards is an easy and fun way to rejuvenate this classic game for the holiday season.
You can snag a CHRISTMAS-TWISTED PICTIONARY PACK here for FREE. The cards are color-coded to work with all versions of PICTIONARY but can also be used with your own family’s homemade version of the classic picture-drawing game.
FOUR: TWISTER
TWISTER is never boring, that’s for sure, but with these CHRISTMAS-TWISTED ideas, your family will surely enjoy the game like never before!
- Play the entire game with knit gloves on!
- Everybody has to wear a Santa hat and keep it on their head or they’re out!
- Or everybody has to wear a Santa hat but it doesn’t matter WHERE you wear it!
- If you are touching a red spot, you must sing Frosty the Snowman until you move from that spot.
- If you are touching a green spot, you must sing Jingle Bells until you move from that spot.
- If you are on a green and red spot at the same time, you must say “ho ho ho ho ho” until you move from one of the colors
FIVE: HEADBANZ
If your family doesn’t own HEDBANZ, you should seriously consider getting it! My son has outgrown the original intent of the game but we still use it for spelling and vocabulary review all the time {with our own words}.
And with the CHRISTMAS-TWISTED HEDBANZ PACK, it’s super easy and FREE to turn this silly game into a great option for the holidays. You can grab the CHRISTMAS-TWISTED HEDBANZ PACK here.
So, whether you decide to try out CHRISTMAS-TWISTED
UNO,
SCRABBLE,
PICTIONARY,
TWISTER
or
HEDBANZ,
your family is sure to enjoy making some new memories with some old games!
And for some other great CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES, check out these posts from some of my amazing fellow homeschool blogging mamas…
1. Don’t let your learning stop over the holidays. My teenage kid will DEFINITELY be doing some of these Holiday-Themed Science Projects from Homeschool On the Range! 2. And, here’s a GREAT math printable for the littles! Christmas Cakes One More One Less Printable Worksheet from The Art Kit. 3. I collect natitivies so this might be TOO CUTE to eat but we definitely want to make one of these Gingerbread Nativities from Hess Un-Academy! 4. We use our fireplace ALL THE TIME during fall and winter so I really hope my teenager wants to make me some of these DIY Firestarter Gifts from Making Room 4 One More. 5. I LOVE grapevine wreaths and have many sizes to use for different seasons. And after seeing this craft, I want to get some teeny ones to add to my collection! Such a cute ornament from Woodland Birds Ornament from Heart and Soul Homeschooling! 6. Whether you NEED new Christmas traditions because 2020 just ain’t allowing for your norm or you WANT to add something new, you should consider this Cultural Family Night: Christmas edition from Stand Up, Reach Out! 7. Are you BIG stocking stuffer people? We are! My husband often wonders if we spend more on stuffing stockings than we do stocking the pantry for the holidays, but it’s so hard NOT to scoop up all the cute little things! This year I plan to use some of these ideas for Easy, Cheap, Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Kids from Julie Naturally! 8. I’m always looking for cute, personalized ornaments but this year, I think I will MAKE them. Check out how stinkin’ cute these are! Scrabble Tile Christmas Ornament from I Choose Joy! 9. I’m one of those moms who takes the easy way out and buys the expensive Star Wars Lego Advent Calendar each year but I REALLY WISH I could make the switch to something like this Simple Christmas Family Traditions: An Advent Tree from Whole Child Homeschool! 10. Here’s another SUPER CUTE handmade ornament to hang on your tree this year! Handprint Candy Cane Ornament from Homegrown Motherhood 11. If you live in a cold-weather climate, here are some great ideas for how you can STILL get your family outside! Outdoor Christmas Activities for the Whole Family from An Off Grid Life 12. I collect nativities, and they’re not always cheap nor CHILD-FRIENDLY, so I really wish I had known of this option when my kid was little! Nativity Set for Kids to Make and Play With from Orison Orchards 13. If you love all of the creative and clever ideas to make the holidays happy and bright but you are short on TIME, check out this great list of Simple Christmas Activities for Busy Working Homeschool Moms from Thrive at Home! 14. How about THIS for an original yet meaningful craft!?!?!? How to make a fork painted manger set from Our Crazy Adventures In Autismland 15. Again with the TOO CUTE nativities! This one is not only cute, it’s easy to make and you probably have every single item sitting in your craft tub right now! Heart Nativity Paper Craft from My Joy-Filled Life
