Holy balls. Quarantine is getting to us. We’ve played every game in the closet, built every LEGO kit from scratch… twice, and binged every single show you can imagine. Even ones we had no interest in! Of course, many of us aren’t actually ready to go out in public yet. Pandemics are real and terrifying, dude. Still. We need new ways to entertain ourselves and our kids.
Enter guessing games. A great way to improve critical thinking, guessing games can not only be used for fun but also for educational purposes. This giant AF list of guessing games will give you an idea of what we mean.
Low-Cost, Low-Investment, And Little-To-No Tools Needed Guessing Games
1. Mystery Grab Bag/Box
This is way more simple than you realize. Find a bag (like one of your spouse’s ten zillion cloth grocery bags) or a box (from that drunken Amazon binge buy last week). Put a thing inside. Any old thing. The lumpier the better. Let your kids shake, sniff and grope the thing without actually seeing it. (And save reaching inside to feel the actual “thing” as a last resort.) Can they guess what’s inside?
2. Pictionary
Use some sheets of paper to make suggestions and then split your family into teams. A selected person will pick a suggestion from a hat or bowl. And attempt to draw it. Let them use a notebook, tablet, or one of those craft paper rolls. Give their team 60 seconds to try to guess what the paper said.
3. iSpy
“I spy with my little eye… something green and bouncy.” It’s a tennis ball, Dad. Try harder.
4. Twenty Questions
For the best results, assign some rules or a category. (Think: Disney movies, famous princesses, sports, etc.) Have one person pick something within that category, then let everyone else ask yes or no questions until they can make an educated guess as to what that person is thinking of. (To avoid cheating, consider having them write down and hide their answer.)
5. Hangman
Do we really need to describe Hangman to you? Use it to guess vocabulary words or important moments/people in their current history lesson.
6. What am I?
Another great learning opportunity. Pop a sticky note onto your little bug’s forehead with an interesting animal they’re learning about or even a specific historical event. Let them ask you yes or no questions until they guess what is written on their note.
7. Who am I?
This is the same as the last game, except you play with the name of a famous person (like a name from their current history lesson).
8. Charades
Act out movies, TV shows, books, scenes from history… anything. This is best played in teams.
9. Hidden picture
The easiest way to play this is just to cut out the front of a cereal box and then cut it into squares. Let the kiddos flip one square over at a time, until they can guess what cereal box they have. You can also do this with pictures of historical figures.
10. Guess the animal
Give hints about animals until they guess. “I have tusks.” “I am grey.” “I live on multiple continents.” You get the gist.
11. Guess My Job
“I use a stethoscope.” “I take your blood pressure at the hospital.” “I wear scrubs all the time.” Is it a nurse or a doctor? “I don’t operate on people.” You get the idea, right?
12. Listening Game
Can your kiddos guess the animal by your noises?
13. Rhyming Riddles
Look up or create rhyming riddles about literally anything you want your kids to learn (or just guess). Can they guess what the riddle is about? Once they get the hang of it, encourage them to try to write their own and fool you.
14. Eye witness
Pick an “it” to stand up and let everyone examine them. Next, they should leave the room and change something about themselves. (Part their hair on the other side, change their shoes, etc.) When they return, everyone has to guess what they changed.
15. Guess Who Is Missing
Blindfold the family and have one person leave. Using only their sense of touch (and maybe sound), can they guess who left the room?
16. Mr. And Mrs. Judge
Have one person cover their eyes or put their head down. Have another person sneak up behind them and whisper, “Good Morning, Judge,” and then return to where they were. Next, have “The Judge” open their eyes and guess who spoke.
17. 30 Seconds
Split your family into teams and give their representative a word. They must describe that word without actually saying the word or a similar word. Can their team guess their word?
18. Button, Button, Who’s Got The Button?
Give one person a button or anything tiny. Have them walk around and hold hands with each person in the group. At some point, they should try to secretly transfer the button to another person’s hand. At the end of the rotation, everyone must guess who has the button. The secret here is to work on faking out everyone watching.
19. Johnny Whoop
You know what? This game is fun but impossible to describe easily. Here’s an easy description. The basic gist is, once again, to fake out everyone playing.
20. Name That Tune
Can your kids guess what song you’re humming? Can you guess when they hum a song? Only one way to find out!
21. Psychiatrist
Designate a doctor, then give everyone else an “illness.” (They should have the same illness.) It might help if you also assign each person with a different symptom. As the doctor talks to the patient, can they guess what illness they all have?
22. Heads Up 7-Up
Remember playing this game during Friday free time at school? True story: You can also play it around your kitchen table.
23. Stool of Repentance
One person must leave the room and everyone else must write down real or fake facts about them. Have the person come back and sit on a chair or stool in the middle of the room and play the victim. You be the “judge” and read the accusations. “Someone said you have pretty eyes. Can you guess who?” If the victim can guess the right accuser, it’s time to switch. If they can’t, go on to the next “accusation.”
Apps For Guessing Games
24. Heads Up
Yep. This is Ellen’s game.
25. Guess Who
Just like the board game with the little flippable tabs, but this time on your phone or tablet.
26. Charades
Someone took the legwork out of Charades by creating an app to give you suggestions and time you. Sweet.
27. Guess The Color
Obviously this is a game best played by people who know or are learning their colors.
28. Draw Something
Just like Pictionary, but this game is played one-on-one and can be done on your tablet. (Or phone!)
26. Charades
Someone took the legwork out of Charades by creating an app to give you suggestions and time you. Sweet.
27. Guess The Color
Obviously this is a game best played by people who know or are learning their colors.
28. Draw Something
Just like Pictionary, but this game is played one-on-one and can be done on your tablet. (Or phone!)
29. Celebrity Guess Who
This app works like every other “guess who” or “who am I” game, except it gives you celebrities and does some of the set-up work.
30. Combo Words
Can you guess the keyword based on two pictures? Think: A can of white paint and a picture of a house. The answer is The White House.
31. Guess The Character
This app has aggregated a ton of pictures of famous characters. Using hints on your app, you can guess what character it is.
32. Logo Quiz
Can you guess the logo? Just like “Guess The Character,” this game seems to offer an endless supply of logos.
33. Guess The 90s
Okay. Your kids will probably suck at this. But it could be a ton of fun to play after bedtime.
Board Games And Other Games That Require Supplies
34. Guess Who
If you didn’t play this game as a kid, we feel sorry for you, Son. You got 99 problems and a crummy childhood was definitely one. It’s $15 at Target. Buy it. Play it. Experience pure joy and frustration.
