Winter is well and truly upon us, and for the first time in a few years, more places than ever before are seeing heavy snow across the UK. It has dubbed the coldest on record for many decades thanks to the plummeting temperature of more than minus twenty in some parts. With the lockdown on top of the weather we are spending longer at home than we may have done in the past, so finding new ways to entertain ourselves and stay warm has become more critical than ever. There are more cosy games for you to play than you might realise so here are some suggestions to get you started.
Setting the Scene
No matter what game you and your loved one choose to play, you can have fun setting the scene. Blankets and duvets on the sofa can create a cosy place to enjoy your games and create a lovely atmosphere. It also means you can save on heating costs, keeping the thermostat down a little and topping up the warmth by snuggling. Instead of crisps and sweets as game snacks, why not toast marshmallows and heat up some tea cakes with a mug of coffee or an indulgent hot chocolate with added cream. Getting through a long winter is always more comfortable if you enhance self-care. Don’t worry about the diet, for now, a couple of weeks won’t hurt too much, you can pull it back once the mercury starts to climb.
Console Games
Whether you both love World of Warcraft or Mario Kart, there are plenty of console games that offer multiplayer functionality. There are plenty of cross-platform games too so if one of you prefers the PS5 and the other the Switch you can still enjoy the same game. It is up to you whether you play cooperatively or against each other – it may depend if someone forgot to take the rubbish out or wash the dishes!
Board Games
Twister is a fun game for moving and keeping warm and usually ends up with players in a heap on the floor laughing. Something like Monopoly is more sedate and can be played without having to leave the blanket fort. The older games like Cluedo and Trivial Pursuits are classic and bring hours of fun, and there are plenty of new incarnations available for you to try. The good thing is you can order them all online and get them delivered to the house. Your local Facebook selling page might also offer you the chance to bag some second-hand games or even swaps, so everyone gets to play something new.
Jigsaw Puzzles
Apparently, the humble jigsaw is experiencing one of the most significant surges in popularity ever recorded. It is a little tricky to put together a large picture from the comfort of the sofa, but you could set up camp on the floor with your blankets or add an onesie and sit around the kitchen table. There is loads of fun to be had doing a jigsaw puzzle with your loved one, but be sure to challenge yourselves and make sure there are a good number of pieces. One thousand pieces or higher are great for adults and don’t worry if it takes you more than one evening to complete, you can have a longer-term activity running in the background over a week or so.
Never Have I Ever
This is a fun and silly game that you can play in advert breaks. One of you makes three statements that begin, never have I ever, and two of the statements should be accurate and one false. This means you state two things you genuinely have never done, jumped out of a plane, skinny-dipped or been to Italy, and one thing you did do, but are claiming not to have. It is up to your partner to sleuth spot the lie. You could have sweet treat rewards for getting it right and forfeits for getting it wrong. It is a great way to get to know someone even better but be warned it can occasionally lead to a lover’s tiff.
Alexa Games
The home voice assistant Alexa has several skills that can be added that turn her into a quiz master. You can take it in turns to answer her questions and see who has the best general knowledge, sports knowledge or even music knowledge! Simply use the Alexa App to search for the skills and enable them, they will have instructions for getting started, and these games are a lot of fun. Maybe the first to answer 20 questions correctly gets a pamper session from the other, or the loser has to cook the roast on Sunday. It can be as fun or seriously competitive as you want it to be, and it is another game that can be played from your cosy sofa set up.
