by Abby Sakovich M.S., CCC-SLP
The long days of summer mean more hours playing outside, swimming, and
staying up late! The smell of cookouts and sunscreen fill the air. The sound
of thunder can be heard rolling in the distance – wait, thunder?! Oh no!
Nothing ruins a summer day’s plans faster than a rainy afternoon. Instead of
spending the afternoon stuck inside, here is a list of game ideas to promote
language, communication, and working as part of a group. They are free,
fun, and a fantastic way to beat summer boredom.
Change Up
- Players Needed: Two or more.
- Materials Needed: any clothing accessories (sunglasses, neck tie, shoes)
-
How to Play: Gather as many clothing accessories as possible. Choose one player to be
the Changer and one player to be the Guesser. The Changer may put on as many clothing
items as he/she chooses. The Guesser has 30 seconds to study what the Changer is wearing
and then he/she must close his/her eyes. While the Guesser’s eyes are closed, the Changer
removes one accessory and hides it behind his/her back. The Guesser opens his/her eyes
and must guess which item the Changer is no longer wearing, and may ask the Changer
yes or no questions if needed.
The Ultimate Cup Challenge
- Players Needed: Four or more.
- Materials Needed: plastic drinking cups, rubber band, yarn or string
- How to Play: Cut the yarn or string into arm-length pieces - one for each player.
Tie one end of each piece of yarn through the tubber band, evenly spacted to make
what resembles a sun (rubber band) and its rays (yarn pieces). Each player holds
the untied end of a piece of yarn. Begin with the cups stacked in the middle of the
table. Players positioned around the table work together to move and stretch the rubber
band around the cups to grab each one. Unstack them, stack them back up, stack them in
a pyramid, or create your own design - hours of fun!
Trifecta
- Players Needed: Two or more.
- Materials Needed: none
- How to Play: One player begins the game by saying three words of his/her choice to start
a story. The next player must repeat the portion/s of the story told before them before
adding three words of his/her own and so on until the story is complete or the players are
unable to remember all of the parts! Make it scary, silly, or serious – the possibilities are
endless!
Three Blind Mice
- Players Needed: Two or more.
- Materials Needed: household items (chairs, couch pillows, books) and a blindfold
- How to Play: Collect items from around the house such as dining table chairs, pillows
from the couch, or a stack of books to set up an obstacle course in the area of the house
with the most room. Choose one player to be the Guide and one player to be the Mouse.
Blindfold the Mouse with a long tube sock, scarf, or dish towel. If there are more than
two players, the remaining players will also be mice. The Mice must complete the obstacle
course without touching any of the items, but can only rely on the directions from the
Guide to get from one end to the other safely (i.e., “Take two small steps to your left, and
one small step forward.”)
Eureka!
- Players Needed: Four or more.
- Materials Needed: washcloth or rag
-
How to Play: Choose one player to be the Hider. The remaining players must leave the
room while the Hider hides the cloth anywhere he/she chooses in the room, leaving a
small corner sticking out so it can be seen. The other players return to the room and can
only look for the cloth without touching or moving anything. If a player spots the cloth,
he/she must shout “Eureka!” without giving away the hiding spot. The game continues
and each player who sees the cloth shouts “Eureka!” Any player who cannot find the
cloth may ask the Hider yes or no questions to find the hiding place (i.e., “Is it hiding
somewhere books are kept?”) The last player to find the cloth becomes the Hider for the
next round.
- Alternative: The Hider may describe the location to give clues to the Guesser. (e.g., It is near something we sit on.”)
Abracadabra!
- Players Needed: Two or more.
- Materials Needed: 10-15 small items (toys, silverware, coins)
-
How to Play: Spread out items from around the house on the floor or table. Choose one
player to be the Magician and one player to be the Guesser. The Guesser has up to one
minute to study the location of the items before he/she must leave the room. Without
touching any other items, the Magician must remove one item from the group and hide
it behind his/her back. The Guesser returns to the room and guesses which item the
Magician made disappear from the bunch. The Guesser can ask the Magician yes or no
questions for clues (e.g., “Is it a toy?) until he/she guesses which item disappeared.
- Alternative: The Magician may describe the item to give clues to the Guesser. (e.g., “It has wheels)
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