Games for all ages

Well, here we are again, summer is just a memory and the last of the leaves are underfoot, making us slip in the rain or crunch in the frost. Winter can be a great time, as long as we keep wrapped up and warm, there’s not a lot that we can’t do. As always, holiday time with children brings not only happy times, but also the conundrum of keeping them entertained and happy for the duration.
Most children have access to a computer nowadays, whether it’s their own or one belonging to a

parent, learning to play and use the internet is now as much a part of growing up as learning to ride a bike without stabilisers! Games consoles are another must have for most children, and although they are great for keeping them out of mischief for hours at a time, the worry about how anti social these games can be, and also the time spent sitting almost motionless in front of a tv screen, is quite a worry for many parents.

The more time children spend using their imaginations, getting some fresh air, getting exercise and integrating with other children, the better it is for their social development. Also, as a parent, spending time playing with your own children, is not just fun, but a brilliant way to bond and observe how your child is growing into a social being. Children learn a lot from playing with adults, and holidays are  a great time to get the family together, young and old, and play some interactive games together, like many people did before the advent of the games console!
Now, it is easier said than done to tear youngsters away from all modern consoles and have them perform charades in the living room, many will point blank refuse, so finding games that involve a little technology but are also fun, group activities, is perhaps the way forward.

If it is an indoors type of day, in other words if it is pouring down outside, a fun game to play indoors is bingo! Bingo has changed a lot in the last twenty years, and many think it is now the domain of mothers and housewives, to be played alone online. Years ago there were many bingo games on the market, complete with dabbers, calling cards and a tombola of numbered balls for the caller! Now, many online bingo sites have the option to print out your own bingo cards, and even have a bingo cage that can be set up to randomly pick out the numbered balls, so everyone in the room can play along. This is a great game for young and old, maybe even one to play at Christmas to avoid the often inevitable post-Christmas dinner slump! This is also a game that doesn’t go on forever and yet is exciting enough to keep even the older members awake and alert!

If the weather is dry, summer or winter time, another fun game is to take the family geocaching. This is great fun if you live in a city, as rural areas may not have enough ‘cache’ to find. Geocaching is very much like a treasure hunt, and all that is needed is an android phone with a downloaded GPS device. Clues are given as to where a ‘cache’ might be in a certain area, and the GPS tells you when you are getting close. The ‘cache’ is often a small plastic waterproof container, that can be found hidden on a railing, on a park bench, just about anywhere, and inside there is a scroll of paper that the finder signs to say it has been found and then puts back in place for the next geocachers to hunt for. It’s worth having a look online and finding out if there are many near you, if the family get the bug, all future days out, no matter where you go, can be spent looking for a geocache!

It doesn’t take much thought to keep the youngsters happy, a little technology, a group of friends and family and some free time, can leave everybody with a smile on their face and a memory of time shared with loved ones!

Should you want to get to grips with the game before entertaining the family check out the free games available at online.bingo.com, visit the site now to play some bingo!