Games and activities everyone can enjoy together. A collection of fun play ideas.

Ubongo

Super-easy 5-minute explanation! The puzzle game “Ubongo”

Ubongo is a game where you complete puzzles to earn gems.

You must finish your puzzle before the sand in the hourglass runs out.

When you complete your puzzle, shout “Ubongo!” The gems you can get depend on the order in which you finish.

The first player to finish receives a blue gem and a gem from the bag; the second player receives a brown gem and a gem from the bag; players who finish third or later receive only a gem from the bag.

Each gem color has a point value.

Since the bag contains some of the highest-scoring gems, comebacks are possible.

If you’re used to solving the puzzles, why not try changing the rules? One recommendation is to skip drawing from the bag and instead let players take higher-value gems in finishing order, starting from first place.

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Nakajima Junko

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Lateral thinking quiz game: Umigame no Soup

How to Play Video for the Lateral Thinking Quiz Game 'Turtle Soup'

A lateral thinking quiz game where you brainstorm freely from the quiz prompt to arrive at the answer.

In ordinary quizzes, you often derive answers based on common sense, preconceptions, or established notions.

In a lateral thinking quiz game, the solver asks questions about the presented problem.

The quizmaster responds using only three options: “Yes,” “No,” or “Irrelevant.” Using the questions and these three types of replies, you deduce the answer.

The solver must think carefully about what to ask.

Another characteristic is that the answers are often things you can’t infer directly from the problem statement.

Come up with various ideas and solutions to figure out the answer.

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Nakajima Junko

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Finding commonalities

Icebreakers You Can Use in Training: Three Patterns for “Finding Common Ground”

Common-ground finding is a fun game that helps you talk with people you’re meeting for the first time and feel closer to them.

There are various ways to play: for example, participants form pairs or groups and, within a time limit, look for things they have in common through conversation; or they present common points they’ve written down in advance—those are standard approaches.

Conversations can stall without a prompt, so set simple topics like “How you spend your days off” or “Favorite foods.” It’s also a good idea to set a target number of commonalities to find beforehand.

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sasashina

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You can play it in the classroom too! Haiihadon

Easy Classroom Activity 14: “Hai Iha Don”

Sit in a circle and stack your left hands in order.

Decide the order, and when someone says “Hai,” the person whose hand is at the very bottom moves it to the very top.

When they say “Iha,” the person whose hand is at the very top keeps it at the top.

When they say “Don,” the person with the bottom hand lightly taps everyone’s hands from above.

Through this game, children develop concentration, quick reactions, and a sense of unity with those around them.

It’s a game that fills the classroom with laughter even when mistakes happen and instantly livens things up.

No tools or preparation are needed, so you can start right away.

It’s recommended as a quick communication activity for class recreation or morning time.

Adults can enjoy it together, too.

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kepiko

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The Runaway Trolley, the Worker, and the Fat Man

Thought Experiment Consensus Game: The Runaway Trolley, the Workers, and the Fat Man

A further variation on the trolley problem is the scenario where you could stop the trolley by pushing a fat man standing beside the tracks.

If you push him, many lives would be saved, but you must make the decision to directly sacrifice that person.

The choices are simple, yet they question the value of life and the ethics of actions.

In group discussions, opinions tend to split between prioritizing outcomes and prioritizing the action itself, leading to heated debate.

It’s an idea that allows classmates to delve deeply into their individual values through discussion.

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mutō

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Rock-Paper-Scissors Dice

@ai_paint_diy

Let's play Rock-Paper-Scissors Dice! You can predict which side will win, use it as regular rock-paper-scissors, keep playing until you roll the same result—there are endless ways to play! If you make three or four dice, the difficulty goes up and it gets even more fun.Educational toy#EducationalPlayMade by parents and childrenKindergarten craftsParent-child time#crafts#diy#WorkingGirl#HandmadeToysLife with children#RockPaperScissors#CardboardToy#CardboardCrafts

From Now On – Kepla

Let’s try a different kind of rock-paper-scissors! You’ll need cardboard, a utility knife, scissors, a pen, and glue.

Cut the cardboard and glue it into a die, then draw rock, scissors, and paper on the faces.

If two people are playing, it’s a good idea to prepare two dice.

With dice-based rock-paper-scissors there’s no risk of fighting over late throws or any mind games—everything’s left to chance—but sometimes it’s fun and refreshing to play a different version than usual.

If you’re playing with a large group, try coloring the dice so you can tell which one is yours.

Enjoy instantly! “Shingenchi Game”

[Let’s Play! Indoor Games] A “Shingenchi Game” you can start right away with friends and family

Choose one person from the players to be the guesser.

The remaining members decide who will be the “epicenter,” then either stand in front of the guesser or form a circle with the guesser at the center.

At the start signal, the epicenter naturally strikes a pose—anything is fine, such as folding their arms, switching their pivot foot, or scratching their head.

The other members, with a slight delay, imitate the epicenter’s pose.

The guesser must observe who started the pose and identify the epicenter.

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sasashina

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