Boxing Day Games: Fun Ideas For The Whole Family To Play At Home

Boxing Day is the flattest day in the calendar: everyone's full, the good telly's gone, and there are three generations in one room with nothing scheduled.

The fix is one game that everybody can play without reading anything. Here's what works, by energy level.

Games that work across every age

• Say it first - shout the answer before anyone else. A seven-year-old and a grandparent are genuinely equal at it, which almost no other game manages.
• Articulate - teams, so nobody plays alone, and the children can be paired with an adult.
• Dobble - pure spotting speed, and the youngest usually wins.
• Charades, written on scraps, with one film round and one Christmas round.
• Pictionary on the back of the wrapping paper.
• Uno or Dobble for whoever's still at the table at four o'clock.

Gentle, after a big lunch

• The chocolate game - dice, a hat and scarf, a knife and fork, and one box of Quality Street.
• A family quiz written by the teenagers about the adults.
• Guess the Christmas number one from the year everyone was born.
• A jigsaw left out on a side table for people to drift to.
• Yahtzee or dominoes for a quiet corner.

Getting everyone out of the house

• A Boxing Day walk with a photo scavenger list written before you leave.
• Football in the park with mixed-age teams and no scoring.
• Rounders with a tennis ball if there are eight of you.
• A treasure hunt round the garden for the youngest, written by the eldest.

Running it without a row

• Announce the game rather than asking. Boxing Day dies in committee.
• Pair the youngest and the oldest on a team. It fixes both problems at once.
• Keep rounds short so people can join and leave without fuss.
• Have a prize that costs nothing - the last mince pie, or not doing the washing up.

Shop Christmas cards

How to write it so it lands

• Set the game up before lunch. Nobody starts anything after the cheese board.
• One game for everyone beats three games for different groups.
• Let the children explain the rules. They enjoy it more and the adults listen better.

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Frequently asked questions

What games can the whole family play on Boxing Day?

Fast games with no reading and short rounds: Say it first, Articulate, Dobble, charades and Pictionary. All of them work with children and grandparents in the same room.

What's a good game for mixed ages?

Anything based on speed or teams rather than knowledge. Say it first and Dobble level the field completely, and Articulate lets you pair a child with an adult.

What can you do on Boxing Day when everyone's tired?

A jigsaw on a side table, a family quiz, dominoes, or the chocolate game. Low effort, easy to join and easy to leave.

What Boxing Day games can you play outside?

A walk with a photo scavenger list, mixed-age football with no scoring, or rounders with a tennis ball. Getting out for an hour resets the whole day.

Do you sell board games?

No. We make greeting cards, art prints, pin badges and party bits in the UK, so the games here are simply what we'd recommend to a friend. Some links go to other shops and may earn us a small commission, at no extra cost to you.