Updated on August 11, 2024 by Angelika
What I like to play, asks Ilka Kind in their Blog Parade. Not much today, is my first thought. That's probably mainly because there are no more children around me. My sister's and my children are already over thirty. We still play from time to time - I remember the New Year's Eve 2017/2018 that my daughter, our friend Jutta and I spent singing karaoke at my house and had a lot of fun.
When I look back further and think about my own childhood in the 1960s, I am amazed at how few aids we needed to play. We even got through 20-hour car journeys on vacation quite well because we could always think of something to pass the time. And all without a tablet or cell phone!
I certainly can't think of everything we played, but if you have children or grandchildren, this post might help you remember which simple games have shortened vacation trips or boring Sunday afternoons. The children in your family could benefit from it - and maybe you'll even feel like having a game night again.
Long Car Journeys: Singing and Memory Games
Perhaps, like me, you belong to the baby boomer generation and remember endlessly long car journeys to the Adriatic or even to Spain. The tunnels through the Alps didn't exist yet, but our fathers (most mothers didn't have a driver's license in the 1960s) had to steer the low-horsepower family carriages over the serpentines of the Alpine passes. Small cars such as a 2CV or Beetle were often seen lying on the side of the road, the desperate drivers standing next to them because they couldn't make it up the mountain. Some even tried to push their car up - I swear we saw that! The cars had no air conditioning, no power steering and were so packed that a child in the back seat could hardly move. We got through it with great anticipation, lots of singing, memory games and guessing games. These included:
Singing games
- My hat, it has three corners: Each time the song is sung, certain words are replaced by gestures. This promotes memory and motor skills. You can sing the song faster and faster until no one can manage to perform the movements in sync, which ends in great fun and laughter.
- Green, green, green are all my clothes: This classic song sings about different colors and items of clothing. It's great for young children to learn colors and clothes and to sing together.
- Three Chinese with the double bass: In this fun song, all the vowels in the lyrics are replaced by a specific vowel after each repetition. This promotes language development and provides lots of fun, especially if you sing the song at an increasingly faster tempo.
Memory and Guessing Games
- I'm packing my suitcase: The players take it in turns to pack an additional item into an imaginary suitcase. They have to repeat the previously named items in the correct order. A great memory game that provides amusing entertainment.
- I see something you don't see: In this guessing game, a child describes an object in their surroundings by naming the color (example: "I see something you don't see, and it's red"), and the other players try to guess the object. Like "I'm packing my suitcase", this is probably one of the best-known games for on the go.
At the Resort: No Boredom with Card and Bouncy Games, Sand and Water
We took our first trip abroad during my first school vacation in 1969. Dad had just bought our very first car - an old Simca. We drove to Poreč in what was then Yugoslavia with the house tent we had borrowed from my mother's cousin. What an adventure! We were on the road for over 20 hours until we finally arrived at the campsite in the middle of the night. Dad had 500 marks in cash with him and we stayed as long as the money lasted - that was about three weeks!
When we weren't splashing around in the sea with Heike from the neighboring tent - there was a swimming area fenced off with rocks for children - we would get up close and personal with the young divers who were taking sea urchins and starfish out of the sea and preparing them - unimaginable today, but extremely fascinating for us back then. When our mothers thought we'd had enough sun, we three girls usually played card games at the camping table under the canopy of our tent.
Even out of the water, we always had ideas of what we could play - there were now three of us, which made most games much more interesting than when I played them just the two of us with my sister. Here is an overview of our repertoire:
Card Games
- Black Peter*: The aim of this centuries-old card game is to collect pairs and avoid holding the "Black Peter" card at the end of the game. The game promotes memory and is particularly suitable for younger children. It is most fun with at least three players, but can also be played with for two.
- Quartet*: Players try to collect complete quartets (four matching cards) by asking for specific cards. There are many different themed quartets, from animals to cars and professions.
- Penalty out!*: A tactical card game for children aged 7 and over, in which the aim is to discard number cards in ascending order, starting with the eleven card. The aim is to be the first to discard all your cards and win the game.
- Mau Mau*: We only played Mau Mau when we were at school, using our parents' Skat cards, but nowadays there are child-friendly Mau Mau cards that even kindergarten children enjoy playing with. The players try to get rid of their hand cards by discarding matching cards to the discard pile. Special action cards such as the "Draw 2″ or "Change direction" cards add extra fun and strategy to the game.
- Memory*: One of the oldest and most popular card games for children, the aim of which is to find pairs of matching cards lying face down on the table. Players take it in turns to turn over two cards and try to memorize their positions in order to collect as many pairs as possible over the course of the game.
Bouncy and other games that take up little space in the suitcase
- Rubber twist: In this movement game, a long rubber band is stretched around the legs of two players and the third player performs various jumping figures. It promotes coordination and is great fun both indoors and outdoors.
- Heaven and hell: This classic hopscotch game is played in many different variations all over the world. A playing field with numbered squares is drawn on the floor with chalk. Players throw a small stone into a square and then hop through the playing field on one or both legs, depending on the number of the square, leaving out the square with the stone.
- City, country, river: A guessing game in which players have to find matching terms for given categories (e.g. city, country, river) that begin with a certain letter. The categories can be expanded as desired - we like to add plant, animal, singer and actor, for example. The game promotes knowledge and creativity and is ideal for rainy days. The game is of course also available today to buy in a wide variety of versions*, including different versions for adults.
- Marbles*: Players shoot small, colorful glass balls (marbles) into a target or hole. Different game variations provide variety and train skill and precision.
- Inflatable beach ball*: An inflatable beach ball should never be missing from our summer vacation luggage. It is perfect for various fun and simple games in the water or on the beach. From water polo games to simple, rule-free throwing back and forth - the light and colorful ball ensures movement and fun for the whole family.
Vacations with My Own Child: Card, Dice and Board Games
During the summer vacations with my daughter, card and dice games were our favorites - they didn't add much weight to our luggage. I loved playing Kniffel as a child with my sister and my cousin. On our vacation in Tuscany with Anna and our friend Jutta, it became a ritual for us to play puzzles and Mäxle or Uno on the terrace of our rustico after dinner. The Cologne couple from the vacation home next door joined us and we spent many happy evenings playing games together, during which the Chianti also flowed freely. We had so much fun that we arranged another Tuscany vacation next year.
When we later visited each other at home, we mostly played the board and board games that were popular in the 1990s.
Dice and Card Games with a Primary School Child
- Yahtzee*: In this dice game - the German version of the American Yahtzee - players try to achieve certain combinations by rolling the dice skillfully and making tactical notes. With five dice and a special pad on which the results are recorded, it's a mix of luck and strategy.I loved playing it with my sister and my cousin as a child. On our vacations in Tuscany with my daughter and our friend Jutta, it became an evening pastime, usually alternating with Mäxle.
- Mäxle or Mäxchen*: Players roll two dice face down and announce the result, although they can also bluff. The aim is to have the highest value or to see through your opponent's bluff, which guarantees excitement and fun.
- Uno*: This further development of Mau Mau was probably the most popular card game for children in the 1990s. The object is to be the first to discard all your cards by placing matching colors or numbers on the discard pile. Special action cards, such as "Sit out", "Return" and "Draw 4", ensure exciting twists and strategic play.
Board Games with a Teenager
- Trivial Pursuit*: In this quiz game, which began its triumphal march around the world in the 1980s, players have to prove their knowledge in various categories in order to collect knowledge corners and thus win the game. Back in the 1990s, a children's edition was launched on the market, which was always in our luggage when we were traveling by car. The game offers an exciting mix of knowledge, strategy and luck and is perfect for social evenings. My daughter and I still enjoy playing Trivial Pursuit together today.
- Activity*: This entertaining party game, in which players have to draw, pantomime or paraphrase words so that their team members can guess them, always caused a lot of laughter. It can be played by three or more people, but is more fun in larger groups.
- The Settlers of Catan (since 2015 Catan - The game*) : When the strategic board game was voted Game of the Year in 1995, there was hardly a family in Germany that was not infected with Settlers fever. Players collect resources, build trade routes and establish settlements to gain points. The game promotes strategic thinking and negotiation skills and has become a modern classic.
Which travel games bring back nostalgic memories of summer vacations past? Share your favorite games and stories in the comments. Maybe these old classics will even inspire you to have a game night with family or friends. I look forward to hearing about your experiences!
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There are so many wonderful games. I also love board and card games, which are always with me on vacation.
I loved Sagaland as a child, I could play it for hours with my friends.
As a learning therapist, I love playing with my students so much that I am convinced that I have the best job in the world :-)
Dear Susanne,
Thank you so much for sharing your favorite childhood game with us. I have to admit that I've never played Sagaland and had to google what it is🙈. It's probably because this game came onto the market (1982) when I was 20 and busy with completely different things. By the time my daughter was of board game age, there were so many new things to try out. It's great that you still play a lot in your job - I'm sure the children you work with will enjoy it too.
Warm regards
Angelika