FOR THE GROWN-UPS
COCONUT SHY
Games aren’t just for kids – join in with these alternative ideas…
THE TRADITION
As well as the usual meaning, ‘shy’ used to be a word to describe throwing something – hence, Coconut Shy. This fun fair favourite originates from the 19t h century, when coconuts were an exotic prize.
THE TWIST Tie a clothes line bet ween two trees or posts. Knot string around the handles of three servin g spoons, then tie them to the line so they swing freely. The kids take turn s throwing plastic balls or tennis balls at the spoons. They get a poi nt for each hit, and the child with the most points wins a prize. To make it harder, you can get them to stand further back, or use their other han d.
SQUEAK PIGGY SQUEAK
I SPY THE TRADITION Dating back to the 1930s, this family favourite is a classic way to pass the time on car journeys, with F for feld, S for seat, and so on.
THE TWIST Challenge players to name things starting with chosen letters in categories – say, a music act beginning with A or a drink starting with T. Borrow ideas from BBC One quiz show Pointless and award a prize to the team that comes up with the most obscure answers – for instance, Andrea Bocelli would be a less obvious choice than ABBA. You’ll need an impartial judge!
TEAM QUIZ THE TRADITION Everyone loves pitting their wits against their friends, but subjects such as science or current afairs may not appeal across the board.
THE TWIST
THE TWIST Get the children to stand in a circle around one blindfolded player, who reaches out to tap a ‘piggy’. He/she then asks them a series of questions – for example, are you taller than me, do you have any sisters, do you go to my school?. The piggy gives yes/no answers until their identity is guessed correctly. Then it’s their turn to be blindfolded, while the other players change places in the circle.
BLANKETY BLANK THE TRADITION Terry Wogan made this game famous on telly, but it involved asking loads of people to fll in the blanks in sentences, so contestants could guess what they said – and who has time to do that?
THE TWIST Make life easier for yourself by cutting headlines out of newspapers or magazines, then blank out words like they do on TV’s Have I Got News For You. Working in small teams, the players then give funny answers to fll the gaps. The funniest one scores a point and the team with most points wins. JULY 2014 | ASDA.COM/MAGAZINE | 71
ILLUSTRATIONS: WIJTZE VALKEMA
THE TRADITION This was popular in Victorian times, when it was considered a bit racy! A blindfolded player would work their way along a row of mystery ‘piggies’, sitting on each of their laps in turn to guess their identities.
Put together a quiz on showbiz and entertainment (for help, see quiz-zone.co.uk or quizfactor.com), with categories like soap characters or famous faces. You could also cut out pictures of stars, or record a medley of TV theme tunes or music from adverts, for players to identify. Throw in bonus points, too – so if the answer is Only Fools And Horses, ask players to give a Del Boy catchphrase.