Game and Activity Ideas for:

Rummikub

Ages 8 – Adult

2-4 Players

Are you good at finding opportunities that others miss? Then Rummikub is your game!

It looks like dominoes but plays, instead, like the old Gin Rummy card game. It is not a game based on luck but does require skills of strategy and observance. We have only played with adults even though the game inventors say children beginning at age 8 can play. I challenge that. We’ve played this game over 100 times and find it satisfying and challenging each time. There aren’t a lot of sophisticated rules to remember but keep the rules nearby because you’ll have to remind some players often about how to use the wild card tiles. Allow at least 1 hour (2-3 preferred) to get through a few rounds of Rummikub in order to get full enjoyment. We usually play for several hours at a time because it’s hard to stop. We love Rummikub and give it our highest marks - 4.5 pretzels!

Scattergories

For Adults

2-6 Players

The first time we played Scattergories we laughed ourselves sick. And we’ve been laughing ever since. Think about a group of adults trying to complete the same sentence and the variety of words you’ll hear. However, each player works on the sentence privately while racing against a rather obnoxious timer. When the obnoxious timer blares, everyone compares answers. It is so funny to see how others interpret words. Such variety! This is an excellent game to discover hidden personality traits and different perspectives from those who play games with you. This is a great game for those who can’t warm up to Scrabble or other word games. We love Scattergories and try to play it any time we can talk our guests into it. Watch out for that timer! Sometimes I’d like to blow it up.

Apples to Apples

12 to Adult

4-10 Players

This is a game that allows people to express themselves harmlessly through cards they have in their hands. It’s an acceptable game to play amongst strangers but seems to be more fun with friends. Each person holds cards that have words or phrases on each card. The judge calls out a word and each player quickly selects a card from their hand that best fits the judge’s word. It’s up to the judge to decide whose card best fits his/her word. This sounds bland, we know, but it is fast paced and a lot of fun. We played it sitting at the dinner table shortly after eating peach pie a la mode. An hour’s worth of play will bring you enough satisfaction from this game.

Boggle

Ages 8 – Adult

2-6 Players

Boggle is a poor person's Scrabble. Or the lighter version of putting words together. Unlike Scrabble, Boggle is a fast paced game where players find more hidden words than their rivals before the timer (a quiet, gentle, sand clock) indicates the game is up. It’s a great brain exerciser to keep your mind flexible. If you stare at the lettered cubes for too long your brain will lock up. If, however, you keep an open mind and try to put together letters to make possible words, you’ll do very well. This is not a good game to play if one person (like this writer) usually slams everyone else. Players have to genuinely like to put small words together. Quickly.