The DBC crew recently asked me to share my version of Sunday 7, or seven quick and quirky facts you may not know about me. When I started writing I realized that there were still so many games to explore and share and ways to level up using each game that I had not shared in Game On? Brain On! that I realized that it warranted a whole new post. And here we are!
The following is not only a list of super simple, reasonable, and FUN games, but also links to find each one AND ways to level up and connect on a deeper level or think about how each might be used in a novel way in your space. (disclaimer: I am NOT affiliated with any links/games)
And…if you have a copy of the book and want to access all the free resources, tips, and tools in your space please don’t forget to visit the landing page I created especially for YOU here.
Behold! The stack of games that never seems to get put away because they are constantly in use.
…True story!
These games are so much more than meets the eye. Now that we’re all home more than before, games have become even more of our crew’s way of relaxing, laughing, connecting, and learning together.
Special thanks to my youngest kidlet Levi for helping me organize our favorite games while modeling how much of an impact each game has made on our at-home experience this year.
Get loud. If you’re ready to make some noise then Tenzi and Slapzi should be on your list of family games. Each game has a super simple game mechanic (or way to play) and is sure to get your crew thinking, talking, and playing. The bonus is that each can also be used to reinforce a variety of concepts from math and English to strategic thinking and perspective taking.
From left to right: Slapzi and Tenzi
In Slapzi (top left) each player gets five double-sided picture cards and someone flips over one of the green clue cards and the first person to match one of their picture cards to the clue by slapping it on the clue card yelling “Slapzi” wins. Super easy, super fun, and EVERYONE can play immediately!
Level Up: Use Slapzi to launch a conversation about perspective (a bagel would totally be too heavy to lift...if you were an ant, right?) or create your own game of Slapzi where the picture cards are different representations of formulas, concepts, or facts, and the clue card is the category that each could match. Then enjoy the debate that arises as each player advocates for theirs as the very best fit!
In Tenzi (top right), four players each get a set of ten dice that are all the same color. Someone shouts “GO!” and the first person to get ten of a kind (all 4’s, etc…) and shout “Tenzi” wins. There are also lots of different versions of the game including Pirate-zi (say Argh! between rolls) and my favorite, pyramid-zi pictured above and to the right.
Level up: Use Tenzi to reinforce number sense, collaboration, or right before or after lunch to engage in playful and creative learning.
Clockwise from top left: Anomia, Swish, and Set
Activate your PFC. If you want to see how well your crew can plan, monitor, and strategize during game play then you must launch into a game of Swish, Set, or Anomia immediately! Your prefrontal cortex, or PFC, is the part of your brain just behind your forehead that helps regulate cognition, or thinking. Playing games like these taps into your innate cognitive architecture to help practice skills like decision making, regulating thoughts and behaviors, and planning for the future.
Anomia is a silly and super smart game of attention, recall, and speed. Think of Swish as memory’s spatial cousin and Set as a deceivingly simple matching game that stumps PhDs and preschoolers alike.
In Anomia (top left), players take turns drawing a card from the draw pile at the center of the table and placing it face up in front of them to form a single pile. You have to stay alert and keep an eye on the cards each successive player draws because once another player draws a card whose sign (e.g., the four red dots in the image below) matches the sign on the card at the top of your pile, it’s time to get into action. When the signs on the two cards match, the first of the two players to names an example of the item listed on the other player’s card is the winner. Seems simple enough, just keep an eye on the signs of all the cards that are facing up and have an idea of an object that would fit, right? Not exactly. Over time your pile grows and there’s always a waterfall lurking right around the corner. A waterfall is when one person removes their top card only to reveal a card whose sign matches yet another player’s card. And I haven’t even broached the topic of wild cards!
Level Up: Use Anomia to introduce new topics that lead to even greater discussions. For instance, we launched into a whole conversation about renewable energy when the fuel card came up during one round. Driving past the gas station took on a whole new meaning after that experience and now our kids are starting to understand the imperative for solar energy.
In Swish (top right), twelve translucent cards are laid out on the table in an array. Players look at the array of cards until they see two (or three) cards that can be combined to complete one another (how very Jerry Maguire) calling out: SWISH! In the example above you can see the blue arrow is outlined in one card and filled in on the other card, while the orange blob is outlined in one of the cards and filled in on the other card. Flipped onto one another they complete each other and you, my friend, have just earned your first Swish! You’re welcome.
Level Up: Try to find three cards that make a Swish when stacked together and add a level of complexity by having players talk about how they would have to flip the cards to make them ‘swish’.
Set (bottom middle) is the game I didn’t know I had been looking for all my life. And I do not say this lightly. In this game your goal is to find three cards that are a set. Sounds simple, right? Not so fast buster! While the cards vary in feature (color, pattern, shape, and number of objects), a set of three cards means each card has each feature either entirely the same or entirely different.
In the above array of cards one set includes the single green oblong object that is not filled in, the two purple oblong objects that are completely filled in, and the three red oblong objects filled in with the striped pattern. They all share the feature of shape (oblong object), they all have different patterns (empty, solid, patterned), and each has a different number of objects (1, 2, and 3).
Level Up: This is a game of next level awesome already baked in or to borrow from the words of a friend, “this game is just begging to be the topic of a PhD study.”
From left to right: Apples to Apples, One Night Ultimate Werewolf
Take Perspective. If you want to see empathy in action, a game of Apples to Apples Junior or if you’re feeling particularly adventurous or eager for an entertaining game of logic and deception then One Night Ultimate Werewolf is in order!
Apples to Apples (top left) is the original version of Cards Against Humanity. It’s a brilliantly simple game of perspective taking, creativity, flexibility and negotiation. Players each get 7 red cards (nouns) and take turns being the judge. The judge flips over a green card (adjective) and players must choose the card in their hand they think is the best fit for that adjective. For instance, my kiddo may play his card ‘monkey’ for the adjective ‘well-mannered’ when his brother is the judge but when I’m the judge ‘music lessons’ is the card he choses. And here’s the kicker, the player place their cards upside down and the judge moves them around so no one knows who shared which card. Then the judge picks them up one by one and decides which card THEY think is the best fit. Talk about playing to your audience, right?
Level Up: It is beyond hilarious listening to my crew negotiate for or against one another’s cards. I mean, monkeys are clearly the best choice here, right? But this is also an opportunity to talk about perspective and how important it is in connecting and communicating (e.g., I’ll remind mom how ‘well-mannered’ we were when we went to see ‘Wild Kratts’ live and maybe we’ll get to stay up an extra half hour tonight!).
If you’ve ever played the social deduction game Mafia (see also: Among Us), you are going to LOVE One Night Ultimate Werewolf (top right). Game play is deliciously simple and excitingly fun. There are two teams: Werewolf/Minion and Villagers (all other roles). The goal of the game is to accurately reveal the Werewolf (if you’re a villager) or to deceive the villagers (if you’re a Werewolf). Each player has a very important and unique role to play that unfolds during the night (e.g., One NIGHT Ultimate Werewolf).
Game play is straightforward: Each player receives a card (face down) that tells them their character whose actions are repeated during game play in case they should forget. Players simply look at their card and replace it, face down, in front of them on the table. They do not show their card to anyone else around the table. Everyone closes their eyes and the moderator (or the free companion app) calls out the rules as the ‘night’ progresses. Each player can take different actions on their turn to ‘wake up’ from moving or swapping cards or simply see who is in cahoots with whom. Then at daybreak the fun begins as players all wake up and have five minutes to decide who among them is the Werewolf.
Bonus: there is a FREE companion app (for the web, iOS, or Android devices) you can download that acts as the moderator, calling out directions during game play and is complete with fun music and a timer to keep things moving once decisions are required.
Level Up: In Designed to Learn I talk about the incredible work of Matt Farber who hacked the game ONUW to create game play based on the characters of the Scarlet Letter. Why not try your hand at recreating the game with characters from your favorite novel or film. Ready to level up even more? Ask your kids/students to create their version of the game as an alternative to useless reading logs or boring book reports. We are here to level up learning, right?!
Bohnanza
Seed new growth. Games are my favorite way to get to know other people, learn new things, and even engage in hard conversations. One of my partner’s favorite games is Bohnanza and while it is not the most complex game on the planet, it’s a game that has many levels of strategy and invites entertaining negotiation tactics. The player who harvests the most lucrative beans wins, but different types of beans have different values which correspond to their quantity. So as game play progresses so too does your opportunity to connect statistical and negotiation skills to have the most fruitful yield.
Level Up: Bohnanza is a great game to play to explain probability, or likelihood of an event occurring and can be connected to supply-chain economics. Depending on your comfort with a variety of topics (GPD, exports/imports, even news media) you can invite a variety of conversations within a seemingly simple and fun game.
If you’re inspired to try a new game with your partner, colleagues, your own children, or your students, my hope is that you will share your experience. If you’re still not sold on the power of games for learning try using these questions with your crew and let me know what you find!
By sharing the rich opportunities for learning afforded by play we see that learning doesn’t have to be uncomfortable and rote, it can be fun, meaningful and APPROACHABLE to and for every one of us.
Game on, friends!