Adams Media - Bored Games: 100+ In-Person and Online Games to Keep Everyone Entertained

NUMBER OF PLAYERS

4 or more

WHAT YOULL NEED

1920s music

Change up your after-dinner routine by throwing a 1920s dance-off. Give everyone a choice of the following dances to learn and compete with: the fox-trot, the turkey trot, the Charleston, and the black bottom. When dinner is finished, invite everyone to compete in the dance-off. Those who are not participating will be the judges. This game is even cooler if everyone dresses up in 1920s style.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS

4 or more (at least 2 groups of 2)

WHAT YOULL NEED

N/A

In this group game, teammates work together to reach a collective goal. Each team will empty their pockets, purses, and bags to try to get as many items as they can that start with a letter in the alphabet. For example, lip balm, mirror, and wallet would work for the letters L, M, and W. The team to collect the most letters of the alphabet wins. You can choose to let the players allow brand names as acceptable points, but only one letter can be assigned for each item. If you want to expand the game, invite additional players to join via your favorite video conferencing platform. All they have to do is hold the item to the camera in order for the point to count.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS

4 or more

WHAT YOULL NEED

N/A

This game can go on during dinner and continue for the rest of the night if so desired. Tell everyone the basic rules of the game. At the beginning of dinner, you will secretly assign someone to be the person who is all thumbs. This person will choose a time during dinner to place both of his or her thumbs on the table, but will not say anything and just wait for others to notice. When someone notices it, that person must place his or her thumbs on the table as well.

This continues until there is only one person who hasnt noticed. You can choose to have this person do something funny for losing, reveal something special about him- or herself, or just have him or her start the next round. This game will have everyone really trying to pay attention, and they are sure to laugh it up as it takes others a while to catch on.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS

2 or more

WHAT YOULL NEED

Board with nail hammered through

String

Apple

Lean the board up against a tree or wall, secured so it will not fall, with the nail pointed outward. Tie the string around the apple to secure it, with enough string left over that you are able to swing the apple. Each person will line up to swing the apple at the board, trying to get the apple to hit the nail and stay put. Each player gets three tries, and then it is the next persons turn. You can do rounds and give points for success. After three rounds of three tries for each player, whoever has the most points wins. Due to the nail involved in the game, make certain all of the players are positioned away from the board at a safe distance, and that the board is firmly in place at all times. Make sure you dispose of the board safely when the game is finished.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS

3 or more

WHAT YOULL NEED

Large piece of paper

Paints

Brushes

Have everyone gather around a table. Place the sheet of paper in front of one of the painters and put the paints in the middle of the table with the brushes. Artists will paint whatever they like on the paper for one minute and then pass it to the left. The paper will continue around the table until everyone has a turn. Theres not a winner to this game; instead, you all get to admire the contribution you made to the work of art. The more people play this game, the more creative the artwork will get.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS

4 or more

WHAT YOULL NEED

Stick-on name tags

On a bunch of name tags (as many as there are people in the house, or joining your next Zoom party), write conversation icebreakers. For instance:

• Worst date I ever had
• Strangest meal I ever ate
• Weirdest thing ever said to me
• Longest unexpected trip I ever took

As people arrive, in person or virtually, have the host assign a name tag to everyone. Then, at some point in the evening, someone can ask each person what the answer to his or her question is. At the end, when everyone has answered, vote on the winner for the best story.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS

2 or more

WHAT YOULL NEED

N/A

Have two players sit on the floor, back-to-back. The object is to try to stand up without the use of your hands. It requires everyone to work to stand together. With each successful stand-up, add someone else to join the first two players. Continue until the group can no longer stand as a whole. Challenge your friends by sending videos of your groups attemptssee if they can do any better.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS

4 or more

WHAT YOULL NEED

Latex water balloons

Water balloons are great on a summer day. Playing a game where you try not to pop one may sound odd, but it is very funny to watch. Set a point for the start of the race and for the finish line. Have the players split up into teams of two and hand out one water balloon to each team. The object of the game is to have the players stand back-to-back and place a water balloon between their backs. They must make it to the designated finish line without popping their balloon in order to win. If the balloon pops, then they have to start all over again. Due to the use of balloons, before the game ask each player if he or she is allergic to latex. You may need to avoid playing this game and other games involving balloons/latex.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS

2 or more

WHAT YOULL NEED

Sheets of newspaper

Sumo wrestling can be quite entertaining to watch, so why not host a match of your own? With variations, of course, this game can make for good laughs. Place a sheet of newspaper, spread out, on the ground. Two people, the sumo wrestlers, will stand back-to-back, shoulders touching, on top of the newspaper. Next, with their backs continuously against each other, they have to try to push each other off the newspaper. The first person to step off or to lose contact with the other persons back is out, and someone new comes in to try. The person who wins the round gets a point each time. This continues until everyone has tried. The sumo with the most points at the end wins the game.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS

3 or more

WHAT YOULL NEED

2 large kitchen spoons

2 tennis balls

Each person will receive a spoon and a ball. Players place the ball on the spoon, holding the spoon in one hand only. The object of the game is to keep the ball on the spoon while attempting to knock your opponents tennis balls off their spoons by any means possible. All the players will be scrambling to keep their ball and spoon safe. The last person with the ball still on his or her spoon wins the game.