13 Family Games You Need After A Disaster or Emergency
Today I want to suggest to everyone to gather up some family games in their home and place two or three in their 72-hour kits. I am sure some of you have already put some games in those 72-hour kits. Kudos to you! If we need to evacuate I would love to have some of these games available to distract someone, whether they be an adult or child in my 72-hour kit.
The good thing about these games they will not melt like crayons. Please do not put crayons in your 72-hour kits. I have scraped crayons out of my car when my kids were younger. Yep, that is not fun. Who would have guessed a small red crayon could spread so far in the heat? Now I have colored pencils with a sharpener.
Here are thirteen games that are fairly inexpensive and small to pack in a 72-hour kit to take with you in an unforeseen emergency. If you have just a few of these games to share with friends, family, or neighbors should we need to be evacuated, this will hopefully distract people from the chaos going on around us. I like small boxes that do not take up a lot of space.
Plus, they are great family games to use at home if you have to hunker down and not evacuate.
Family Games:
1. Chalk-great for sidewalks or a small chalkboard. It does not melt in our bag either.
2. Truck (small) we can hide it when the kids leave the room and they come back in to find it. The kids squeal over this game. I mean they really squeal with laughter.
3. Dominoes: age 8+ (2-4 players)
4. UNO: ages 7+ (2-10 players)
5. Skip-Bo card game: ages 7+ (2-6 players)
6. Pictionary card game: ages 8+ (2 teams)
7. Go FISH card game: ages 3+ (2 or more players)
8. Crazy 8’s card game: ages 4+ ( 2 or more players)
9. Old Maid card game: ages 4+ (2 or more players)
10. I SPY GO Fish card game: ages 3+ (2+ players)
11. I SPY Snap card game: ages 5 and up (3+ can play the game)
12. Scrabble SLAM card game: ages 8+ (2-4 players)
13. Marbles: who doesn’t remember playing marbles as a child, keep away from the young ones, my one daughter would use a spoon and an egg carton with marbles for hours. It was quite entertaining.
Farmington, Utah Flood 1983
When we lived in Farmington, Utah back in 1983 we had a challenging spring. The winter had been a long and snowy one with record snow depth in the mountain watershed. The warm weather seemed to come on all at once. With that crazy combination, the spring runoff was just wild. We had only been in our house a few days and were busy trying to get things unpacked and the house in order.
The phone rang and a neighbor told us that a small creek above our neighborhood had become a raging torrent. At the foot of the hill, one of the home’s basement was being filled with mud and water as the creek overflowed its banks. We, along with dozens of others rushed to try and help out.
We spent the weekend with buckets hauling mud up the stairs and out to the street, over and over again. When we finally got down to a level where we could see personal items, they were also carried up the stairs and out the door to the driveway. There it was determined if the item could be cleaned up and salvaged for future use. What a mess!!
The family had some young children who couldn’t help with the salvage effort. Boy, it sure would have been helpful to have some family games in a 72- Hour Kit to keep the young ones occupied while all of us stayed busy working to make the home as free from mud and debris as possible.
Linda, I love this list. Our family loves games and play them with the grandkids all the time. Love the truck game, we hide a button and enjoy the squeeling too!
Hugs,
Wanda Ann
Hi Wanda Ann, How are you? I love playing these games with the grandkids too! I miss you! Hugs! Linda
Mare, you always make me smile! I am dragging these games out this weekend when my kids and grandkids come! WooHoo! Memorial Day weekend, Linda
Linda,
In my storm shelter I have a deck of cards but also seek and find books and a puzzle. I also
have some magazines and a Bible. Board games I don’t have in there have been thinking on it but
I do have them in the house for game nights with some friends. I live alone but keep things on hand
for when I have company.
Hi June, oh I wish I had a storm shelter!! That’s awesome you have one! I love hearing you have planned ahead with a deck of cards, books, and puzzles. Plus magazines and a bible, great comment! Linda
Good idea about pets. I thought about treats and food but forgot entertainment. I have three dogs. Two are quite elderly and just don’t play anymore. But the third is only 6 years and loves to play. She has a little rubber ducky she loves, so will have to get a couple extras to put with her treats. Thanks again for the ideas.
I would add an antler to play Find it with my dogs.
Hi Penn,y great idea, our pets will need something to calm them as well. Linda
I know this is an older post but I thought I’d share part of our game list. We have two types of games, 2 player and 3+ player games. Right now all my family are adults with Hubby and Younger Daughter in our house, then Older Daughter and her Husband to complete our small family. Older Daughter is expecting her first child in the spring of 2021, so we’ll have to break out the games we have saved to play when she is old enough. Children’s games are frequently rotated, I’ll pick up some at thrift stores and donate others. Most of our games are either gifts or thrift store purchases. I love to find new and unusual games. Some are played once and returned to the thrift store, others become family favorites. We have about 4 shelves of games. I am thinking about taking the ones missing pieces and using the boards to decorate the game room.
2 Player games
Cribbage
Mancala
MasterMind
Battleship
Checkers
3+ Player games (some can be played with just 2 players)
Uno
Scrabble
Sequence
Yatzee
Clue
Risk
Monoply
Harry Potter Trivia
Trival Pursuit
Ticket to Ride
Catan
Harry Potter Trading Cards (similar to Magic)
Children’s games
Many of the card games Linda mentioned (Dollar store purchases)
CandyLand
Sequence Junior
Bambie (old Disney game)
bunch of homemade games (I’ll take old game boards, cover with white contact paper, using stickers we create a game board path, card are made with words or stickers, and the kids’ favorite small toys.)
Hi Topaz, oh y gosh, this list is awesome!! I see some of the games I used to play with my girls when they were growing up. These are treasures! I like the idea of using the boards to decorate the game room, that would be awesome! I really miss having family around. It’s all about making memories together. I love your comment! Linda
I miss having family around. 20 years ago, hubby’s job brought us 1500 miles away from both our families. My daughter lives 2 hours away and I wish she was closer so I could spoil, errrr help her with, the baby when she arrives.
Hi Topaz, Oh, a new baby is coming!! Congratulations! Oh, how I love little ones around. I don’t have any now and I sure miss them. Linda