The Hunger Games: 3 Ideas for Family Fun Around the Dinner Table
Dinners at our place are a little more relaxed in the summer months. For only eight weeks of the year, our evening meal isn’t dictated by who-needs-to-be-where-and-when. And, as a result, we eat a little later, stay at the table a little longer and engage in less formal ways of eating, as board games and other activities find their way to our dinner table, along with platters of food.
Lately, my favourite dinner is one that finds a large tray of nachos nestled in the centre of our outdoor table accompanied by Balderdash, a clever board game that combines the art of bluffing with a little trivia. We eat, play, laugh and have little to clean up as we linger around the table competing for the championship title.
Here are a few other games we like to play during summer dinners:
Who Am I?
Family members pick a famous person, without revealing it to the others at the table, and become that person for dinner. Take turns sharing some information about yourself, without giving too much away, and adopt as many habits and mannerisms as possible to help your tablemates guess who you are. Your family can ask you questions about yourself, but you can only answer yes or no. The first person to guess the identity wins the round.
Would You Rather’¦
Take turns asking each other a question that begins with ‘Would you rather’¦.’. Keep the options similar, yet silly, and give everyone the chance to answer. Points can be awarded to the player with the most original question.
What’s Missing?
One player closes their eyes and everyone else removes something from the table (a knife, salt shaker, cup, etc.). The player opens their eyes and tries to guess all of the items missing from the table. If they are successful, the turn passes to the player on the left and you continue until everyone has tried.
Does you family enjoy dinner games? What are some of your favourites to play?
