Top 10 Christmas gifts for family fun

Christmas time! House full of roaring laughter, belly full of delicious food, family time fun games and treats.

But nowadays kids prefer to go off to the room and be entertained by Social Media. I think we need to go back to that time and instil in our children what it means to have fun as a family rather than in their own rooms, alone with some ‘device’ as company.

With my frugal hat on I’ve thought of letting you have my recommendations for top 10 gifts you must consider for families to have fun together this Christmas. These ideas are frugal gift ideas in that if you have to buy for several people in a family, don’t! Just buy one gift that will keep them all having fun together.

Bean boozles, – OMG. Earlier this month I bought this for my daughter as one of her birthday surprises. We had such a laugh as a family! In case you have not heard of it before, here’s what it is: You get a box with various jelly beans in, right.

Well! Some of the jelly beans have weird flavours like juicy pear or booger, lime or lawn clippings and coconut or spoiled milk. You just don’t know what you are going to get! But just seeing the faces and hearing the screams when your family members get some weird, distasteful flavour is just to die for! Such howling laughter makes for happy memories for years to come.

Drone – One of the new best crazes about is drones. These cute, miniature airplanes are being further developed even as you read this post right now. They can be used by large groups (some being spectators of course) to have amazing fun. Some things to bear in mind: be careful, find an open field, learn how to control it before you have a go, and last but by no means least, let all in the party wear helmets! It’s also a good idea to check laws  and bylaws in your area so that you don’t get yourself in trouble.

Bop-It – This is cute! It has been around for some time now but what is good about it is that the manufacturers keep updating and making it more fun. It has great lively music on and the aim is to pass round the pretty bop it to all who are involved. What makes it so fun is the fact that you have to hit a particular spot on the bop it, in time and to the music or else you are ‘out’ to the delight of all the others. Try it!

Jenga Quake Game – this too is one of those old time family favourites. They are seemingly useless brick-like pieces of wood! Then try taking turns stacking them and then removing each from the pile carefully, without toppling it over and you have got the making of a belly full of laughter. Warning: to win, you must have a steady hand. To ‘irritate’ the others, try giving them a joke or a scare when it is their turn to place or pull one piece of the jenga out.

Pass the Pud

This one is a must see! Do you know ‘pass the bomb’? Well it’s from the same developers and promises ‘belchingly’ good after dinner fun in the form of a word game. It’s a jingling Christmas pudding with a variable timer. This one is suitable for four or more players aged 8+. There are four mouth-watering categories to choose from, plus a pot-luck variation. You can’t go wrong with getting your family together during the festive season with this thrilling game.

gofindit – outdoor nature treasure hunt card game for families

During the holiday season, when you’ve had too much, or just enough to eat, one way to burn off some of the calories plus have some fun with your family is to play the Go Find It game. It is a simple card game that allows you to use up your senses. It is like a natural outdoor treasure hunt game that is a whole lot of fun for all the family. It can go anywhere with you as part of your outdoor trip as it fits easily into a pocket. The game can last from 2 minutes to as long as you want it to! And you know the little ones are going to want it to last forever! Just be prepared for it. And use the time to cherish the moments you spend together as they grow up so fast and before you know it, you’ll be playing this game with your grandchildren

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Scrabble Original Board Game

As well as being a whole lot of fun, playing scrabble is a good way to teach certain aspects of literacy including spelling. I can attest that my family has benefitted greatly from playing scrabble over the years. The school reports prove it. This is my absolute top 1 recommendation! Depending on the age of your children, you can start off with Junior scrabble which is a little easier. All up to you, but in no time they would have mastered it and be ready for regular scrabble.

 

The Logo Board Game

We haven’t got this game in my family yet but I’ve heard about just how exciting it is. Shhhh! I hope you can keep a secret… It will be on my gift list this year. The price is affordable and it is suitable for up to 6 players. So what is it? It is a trivia board game that includes 400 cards with 1600 questions. The aim is to identify images and answer questions based on logos, products and packaging of the UK’s most well-known brands. Isn’t that easy enough? I will definitely be trying this one this year.

 

The Cube Game

If you know the TV game The Cube, then you will have an idea of what you are letting yourself in for. Most of the challenges are quite difficult, and you don’t want to look bad in front of the younger members of your family! Just hope that you get something easy to do when it is your turn! My own draw back on purchasing this game is that I think it should come with a bag or pouch for storing the various pieces that come with it before you put it back in the box. Other than that, it can provide hours of tense but funny moments for the entire family.

 

Articulate

Again, this is a board game that can give you hours of fun, and despite the taste of food (and perhaps alcohol) on your lips, you have to keep a steady head to be able to keep up with this. This is a fast-talking description game that wants you to describe as many words as possible to your teammates in 30 seconds. You’ll lose if you say “rhymes with” or “sounds like”, so do be careful. And I can bet you’re still going to forget even though I’ve told you. It includes 500 cards and 3000 entries and is suitable for 4 to 20+ players. Does your family have so many members? Call the neighbours ‘round if you don’t lol.

Bonus Game

You know we are frugal bloggers, right? Well here’s a ViewMaster   that I had as a child and that made me some money too, lol. True, they just need a variety of film and your authority to give every visitor to the house a ten-second view into their view master for a small amount of cash. See my post about how I made money as a child here.

So no matter your family type and no matter how many people are in your family, you have 10 (and an added-money making bonus) games that are clever and fun ways of keeping the family together and entertained with hours of fun that will last a lifetime.

Do share how you get on with us. If you are still after frugal ideas as a family, here’s the link to get a whopping 101 frugal tips that you can share with your friends and family.

 

Grammarly