Games you can play with almost nothing
Riddles, dice games, pencil-and-paper battles and challenges to beat your own record. No screen, no downloads, no waiting.
House rules
Losing is allowed. Arguing about the rules is allowed, briefly. Flipping the board is not.
Brain Teasers
Read the riddle, think as long as you like, then tap to see the answer. No peeking early. The best ones are the ones you nearly had.
Pig
Roll a die as many times as you dare, adding up your points. Roll a 1 and you lose everything from that turn. First to 100 wins. It is entirely about knowing when to quit.
Dots and Boxes
A grid of dots, take turns drawing lines, own the box when you close it. Easy to learn in a minute, and there's a trick near the end that wins almost every game once you know it.
Paper Plane Distance Challenge
Fold the dart, throw it, measure it, write it down. Then change one thing and throw again. By the end you'll have a plane that goes twice as far as your first one and a chart to prove it.
Card Tower Challenge
Build the tallest house of cards you can before it falls. Sounds simple. Ask anyone who's tried three storeys.
Twenty Questions
One person thinks of a thing. Everyone else gets twenty yes-or-no questions to work out what it is. Perfect for car rides, waiting rooms and the last ten minutes before bed.
Sprouts
Start with three dots. Take turns joining dots with a line and adding a new dot on it. Lines can't cross and a dot can only have three lines. The first player who can't move loses. Simple rules, sneaky game.
Never Lose at Tic-Tac-Toe
Tic-tac-toe is a draw if both players play right. Learn the handful of rules that make you unbeatable, then watch grown-ups get annoyed.
20 minShadow Puppet Theatre
Make shadow characters with your hands and turn a blank wall into a moonlit stage.
15 minSilly Charades
Act out funny characters and actions while everyone else tries to guess.
15 minMusical Chairs: Magic Kingdoms
Turn chairs into different worlds and visit each one when the music stops.
15 minMystery Bag Adventure
Pull out three mystery objects and turn them into a surprising adventure.
30 minBlanket-Fort Portal
Build a fort, choose a faraway place, and step through your own portal.
15 minCostume-in-a-Minute
Use three dress-up items to become a brand-new character in one minute.
20 minHousehold Soundtrack Studio
Turn pots, paper tubes, and keys into the sounds for a make-believe scene.
20 minStuffed-Animal Rescue Mission
Build a cushion course and rescue a stuffed friend from across the room.
20 minInvisible Café or Shop
Open a pretend shop, serve impossible treats, and pay with paper coins.
15 minFreeze-Frame Fantasy Worlds
Move, freeze, and become part of a magical world made by everyone playing.