We hope that our holiday time with families will be filled with laughter and a sense of love and belonging. Sometimes though, there are too many age gaps between cousins for them to get along. Sometimes the grandparent and grandchild who only see each once a year feel shy with one another.
If you need a perfect game for family get-togethers, Whoonu is it! Whoonu is a play on the phrase ‘Who Knew’. This game is from the inventive Cranium company. They recommend the game for ages eight and up. But anyone who can read can play this unique game.
What I love about this game is that there are no wrong answers. There’s no advantage to being older or younger. And every game is different. Plus, everyone plays every turn so there’s no being bored while waiting for your turn to roll around. Everyone will feel like a winner, regardless of who actually ended with the most points. Why? Because everyone will know him or her a little better, and he or she will feel closer to the ones she’s playing the game with.
The game can vary for the number of players. One player per turn is ‘it’. Let’s say that Grandma is ‘it’ first. The other players get three or four cards with a word or phrase on them. And then they think. Does Grandma like coffee, motorcycles, Disney movies, or the 4th of July best? Or maybe the cards say gold, soda, rock music, or insects.
The players select the card they think Grandma will like best. They put their card along with everyone else’s in a secret envelope. Then Grandma picks the cards out. Since she doesn’t know who picked what card, she doesn’t have to feel guilty or try to help a struggling player. Grandma reads the cards, and places them in order from her number one choice to the fourth. Then the cards are flipped over. The person who contributed the number one card gets the most points, the person who contributed the number two card gets the second most points, and so on.
What’s great about this game is the stories that surface. Oh, you didn’t know Grandma liked horses? Well, when I was a little girl….” Imagine the explanations of why you like birthday parties more than snow. Or why your child likes beaches over mountains. Or that Grandpa used to play in a Bluegrass Band. Who knew that?
I love that this game provides opportunities for families and friends to get to know one another better. I also like that children are thinking about who they are and what they like. I think it strengthens their sense of self.
This is a marvelous getting to know yourself and each other game. It’s a great ice-breaker game for families that don’t see each other very much, as well as a family bonding game for siblings who see each other every day. Just about every turn invokes laughter and stories, and that’s exactly what I want from my holiday gatherings.
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