Jazz up your quarantine time with indoor games

Ever heard of the phrase ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’. Well, there is a reason why the phrase has been around for decades. Experts believe that a fine balance between work and recreation is what leads to a happy and healthy life. There are many parents who push their kids to just study while ignoring recreation. Such an approach can be unhealthy for a child’s mental and physical growth. That being said, it is not necessary that every child has the same personality. There are kids who are more into contact sports like football or basketball, then there are others who would be just as content as playing video games or while choosing an indoor game like scrabble. Indoor games are a great way to get children to use their mental faculties and help them grow constructively. Indoor games are contests or competitions usually involving a set of rules that can be played at home or within a room.

While indoor games have been popular for years and have been entertaining kids and adults alike, their popularity has spiked during the lockdown which has been enforced across the nation in the wake of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. Forced to stay indoors and with schools being shut, most children are bored with too much time on their hands. Their parents are also running out of ways to keep them entertained.

Indoor games can not only help children stay occupied, but can also sharpen their minds. Take for example a game like scrabble. In this board game, players keep on earning points as they create new words with alphabet blocks. The game helps children improve their vocabulary and increases their confidence in reading and writing the English language.

Here are a few indoor games which you can play while being quarantined at home:

Name, place, animal, and thing: This is one of the oldest indoor games and most of us have played it countless times as kids. To play this game, you only need a sheet of paper and a pen or a pencil. The minimum number of people required to play this game is two. Each player divides the sheet of paper in his/her hand into four columns and marks one each for name, place, animal, and thing. Next, the players take turns to choose an alphabet. Now, all the players have to write a name, a place, an animal, and a thing starting with the alphabet chosen within 30 seconds. Once the time is up, everyone announces their answers. Each right answer gets one point and the player with most points wins the game

Monopoly: For most of us, this was the game where we learned about the basics of capitalism. This popular board game teaches children how to responsibly handle money. As far as adults go, it serves as a great opportunity to bond with family members. To play this game, you need at least three people and each player gets a token. You then place your token on the block labeled ‘Go’ when it’s your turn. A player is designated as the banker and is tasked with distributing assets among other players. Each player is given a fixed amount of money in currencies of various denominations. You roll a dice and move steps according to the number you get. Each number has a different task, which includes paying fines, winning lotteries, etc. To play this game, you can buy the Monopoly board game from any toy store or even online.

Jenga: This is one game that is meant for people across all age groups. In the game, players have to build stacks out of hardwood blocks. There are 54 pieces in each Jenga package and the minimum number of players required to play this game is two. The players have to stack the blocks in levels of three, adjacent to each other. One should ensure that the blocks are placed along their long sides and they rest at a right angle to the level above. Now, the players take turns to take out blocks from the tower and place them at the top. However, they should take out a block in such a manner that the tower doesn’t fall. The game ends when the tower falls and the person who makes it collapse is the loser.

Dumb charades: A hugely entertaining game, where the only rule is that you should love movies. The minimum number of players required to play this game is two. In case there are more than two players, they can be divided into teams. A member from the team whose turn comes first is given a film’s name by the rival team. The rival team can either whisper the film’s name in the player’s ear or give them a chit with the name written on it. The player has to enact the film’s names without speaking and with gestures, while their team has to guess the film’s name. The team with the most points wins.

Carrom: One of the oldest indoor games in India that has united generations in the past. The game comprises a huge board with four holes on each corner and a set of 18 black or cream discs and a red disc called the ‘Queen’. Using a striker, a player has to flick the striker in such a way that the disc ends up in any of the pockets. Each player gets a single turn. One can only use a thumb and a finger to flick the striker. The minimum number of players required to play carrom is two. The player with the maximum number of discs wins the game, although if you score the Queen you get an extra strike.

The aforementioned games are just some of the many games that you can play indoors with your family and kids. You can get creative with them by allotting prizes for winners. With the number of novel coronavirus cases rising in the country, it is important that people stay indoors for their own benefit. With no cure for the infection available, it is advisable that people stay indoors and stay healthy. That being said, there is nothing stopping people from jazzing up their time at home with some fun and indoor games.