Welcome to the July 2009 issue of our Family Games Treasurehouse newsletter. We hope you enjoy the reviews and that your family is blessed as they grow closer together.

In this issue, we will review some family games which suit a warm Summer's day, along with a simple dice game that is great for a family games night. We also review a new game that has recently been added to our site and is excellent for family reunions or other large group gatherings. We will finish with some excerpts from an article on our website. Simply click on the links to go to our website for more information. Let's get into it!

Outdoor games for Summer days

As the weather warms up (at least in the northern hemisphere; it's getting colder here in Australia!), you may like to consider some outdoor games for the whole family.

Let's begin with a review of an outdoor game, Beach Cricket, also known as Continuous Cricket. Beach cricket is great for a day at the beach, but it can also be played at a local park or any moderately sized open space. It is a fast paced beach game for adults and older children which requires a cricket bat, tennis ball, two markers (a hat or towel work well) and something for a wicket (a small chair with a towel draped over it, or a picnic cooler are fine if you don't have proper wooden stumps). Since the bowler can throw the ball at any time, this is a very energetic game, particularly for the batter. You may like to set a "retirement" score; if a batter reaches that score (say, 20 runs) they must retire and allow a new batter to play. Better players may also like to try hitting the ball higher into the air so there is a chance for other players to catch the ball. Just don't forget to run, in case they miss!

"Beach Cricket is fun to play because you get to run around lots. I like playing it with my family because it's fun with them."
(Hannah, age 8)

You may also like to consider some outdoor party games such as Crazy Golf or Water Bomb Toss which are obviously great for parties but can be played for fun on any occasion, especially if you want to cool off on a hot summer's day!

Pig – a simple dice game for all the family

Another game that suits the whole family is the dice game, Pig. The only equipment needed to play is one normal (six-sided) die. (Note: the plural of die is dice.) It is an easy game that is suitable for young children. Although it is very simple, it is still exciting and requires nerve and daring to win. An adult or older child may need to explain the rules and oversee the game if it is played by younger children, but it is exciting enough for the whole family to enjoy.

Our family had extraordinary fun playing Pig during one of our weekly Family Games Nights. During the game, one of my sons played conservatively and would stop playing if he got to ten points in a round. Another son chose to act like a Pig and go for broke in every round. He got well over 30 points in a number of rounds before he threw a One and his score crashed to zero. We all had great fun watching the two different styles of play. In fact, we were enjoying the game so much we decided to keep going to 100 points instead of stopping at 50 points. (Incidentally, neither son actually won the game!)

Taps – an excellent parlor game for family reunions

If you have a large number of people sitting around a table for a meal (or any other reason), you may like to try Taps which we have only added to our site recently. It is an excellent parlour game for family reunions, parties and other similar occasions.

Players sit next to each other with their hand crossing over their neighbour’s hand on each side. One player starts by tapping their hand on the table. The player with the next hand in a clockwise direction must tap their hand and so on around the table. This is not as simple as it seems since your hands are separated by your two neighbours’ hands. It is also made more difficult since any player can change the direction of the hand tapping (from clockwise to counterclockwise, or vice versa). Any player who does not tap their hand according to the rules removes their hand from the circle. A player with both hands removed is out of the game for the rest of the round. The last player with a hand left wins the round.

We once played this game with about 25 people aged from 6 to 75, including many teenagers. There was a lot of competition between the older players and the younger players as each group tried to show they had better co-ordination skills. Ultimately the teenagers won although one particular grey-haired lady gave them a good run.

Excerpt from the article "Family Togetherness Through Family Games"

Does the idea of family togetherness, where young children, teenagers and adults enjoy each others company and spend lots of time together seem idyllic though unrealistic? Most parents would love to have deep family relationships with their children, yet the reality is vastly different.

Television, movies, computer games and so on are the norm for most family entertainment. Throw in a good dose of weekend sports and there doesn't seem to be much time for relationship building.

While we may strive to achieve quality time with our children, one of the best ways to achieve this is simply to spend lots of time with them. That is, quantity time leads to quality time. Vacations, sports and other activities are good, but what about making a regular, weekly time of family togetherness? Family games nights can fill this role and can become an important way of building quality family togetherness ...
(The full article can be found at https://www.family-games-treasurehouse.com/family_togetherness_family_games.html )

Until next time,
Andrew Low
Family Games Treasurehouse