Ah, the holiday season has arrived! Celebrations this year won't look how they used to. Intimate dining room meals replace large pot-luck buffets. Big gatherings will scale down to under ten people. But, a different celebration than normal doesn't equal less fun.
This past quarantine, classic board games came out of retirement. But, have you had enough of Monopoly and Clue? Are you looking for new ideas for things to do? Well, grab your quaran-team and get your game face on. Here are five non-traditional activities perfect for small groups to celebrate the holidays:
Kahoot
Kahoot is an online platform with unlimited trivia games. There are thousands of available quizzes to choose from. Kahoot has something for everyone. Quizzes range in themes from Thanksgiving to history to pop culture and more. You can even create your quizzes. Making a quiz is an easy format and signing up for an account takes only a few clicks. Create a quiz with family trivia. It is a fun way to get everyone involved and see who knows the family best!
All you need to play are smartphones and a larger screen, like a smart TV or computer, to display the quiz. There will be a generated game pin when you find a quiz like or want to play your own. Participants can download the Kahoot app or join on the Kahoot website by typing in the game pin.
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza is a fast-paced card game for ages 8-100. You can play it with as little as two players or more. The premise is simple and will only take a couple of minutes to understand. Distribute the deck and then the first player puts down their top card. As a card is placed down, the cardholder announces "taco." The next player follows suit but says the following phrase in the game's title, "cat."
If the card's image matches what's announced, every player must slap their hand on the card. The last person to slap their hand down takes the pile and adds it to their cards. The first person to run out of cards wins. To see this silly game in action, check out this TikTok.
Heads Up!
From Ellen DeGeneres, Heads Up! is sure to have everyone laughing and out of their seat. A smartphone is all you need to play. Get started by downloading the app "Heads Up!" From there, you can pick different subjects like animals and movies. To play, the first player chooses a theme.
Once started, they hold the phone horizontal against their forehead. The other players must describe the word to the first player until they guess it. You keep repeating until time runs out. Heads Up also has a fun feature where it can record while playing. So, you have a replay of the round to laugh at afterward!
Painting
For those wanting to channel their inner Bob Ross, try painting. A variety of painting tutorial videos are online. You can choose from different levels of difficulty and pictures to paint. Have the group pick one and gather needed supplies ahead of time. Then, everyone can follow along and unleash their creativity. For an alternative spin, assign everyone another person in the room. Paint portraits of each other and see who does the best (or worst)!
Baking Competition
With a smaller group, baking competitions are the perfect activity. Scour Pinterest and cookbooks for a recipe everyone can replicate. Gather enough ingredients and after-dinner get to baking. You can set a timer for a more high-stakes competition. After, have a taste test to decide the winner, or go head-to-head and see who can decorate cookies/cupcakes the best. The sweet part of this is everyone ends up a winner, because you get to enjoy your creations!
