Long weekends are the perfect chance to catch some much-needed downtime. A chance to kick back, relax and just take the pressure off for a bit. It’s also the perfect time to have some fun, whether with friends or family, especially when the novelty of doing nothing wears off.
If you’re after some ideas of how to entertain the whole family on a long weekend, these games could be exactly what you’re looking for.
Card Games
A staple but a classic for a reason, card games can provide endless hours of fun, especially if you’re teaching kids how to play games or even playing solo games like solitaire. And if you don’t have a pack of cards to hand, you can play online solitaire instead, no problem.
And games like this don’t really require much thought or effort. Well, unless you play blackjack where a bit of strategy is required. But games like Go Fish, Rummy and Crazy Eights appeal across most age groups and don’t require the level of skill games like blackjack do.
Board Games
Now is the ideal time to pull out your board games or purchase some to keep everyone entertained. Even if you’re competitive, it’s still worth getting a few games on the go. Monopoly, Catan, Ticket to Ride, and Codenames are all family favourites. And they’re all in that sweet spot of being easy to pick up (or change the rules in the case of Monopoly — every family has their own rules) and hold attention for a while.
If you have young kids, then Uno and Sorry work well for all ages and include the younger contingent of the family.
Puzzles
Puzzles, specifically jigsaw puzzles, can help the whole family stay quiet for a really long time, depending on the number of pieces and the complexity of the puzzle. You can start small or go all-in for impossible puzzles. There are even clear ones that will keep everyone confused for a long time.
One of the benefits is that multiple people can join in. You can come and go as you need to, and when it’s over, it’ll feel extremely satisfying.
The sweet spot for jigsaws completed in this setting is 1,000-piece ones, but that’s not a hard and fast rule.
Word & Picture Games
If you fancy something more taxing, then word games and picture games can increase the chaos and fun and allow you to, well, get creative with letters or drawing. The fun isn’t even in being good at it; it’s more fun if you’re actually not.
Think Scrabble, Bananagrams, and Boggle for fun word games. These are genuinely enjoyable, especially if you’re not taking it too seriously, but they can still have somewhat of a competitive edge.
Alternatively, question games or trivia ones you make up can be fun to play with the whole family come in handy here, too.
For those who like to draw, again, Pictionary is always a winner, but games such as A Fake Artist Goes to New York and Cranium can be what you’re looking for here.
