Family Games at a Distance for Christmas (and they have GOOD math, too!)

What were many of us MOST looking forward to for Christmas? Food, Fun and Family… Fun in our family over the years has been board games, cards and dice games. And then new health orders came to Saskatchewan and that hope seemed to be dashed… BUT… there was a huge ‘aha’ when I was asked to design and facilitate a “Let’s Play: Math Games Online workshop” this past week.  I put my research hat on and found some online platforms for play. There are SO many cool fun platforms that are FREE to everyone. There will be Cribbage for Christmas after all!!

I have always believed that my confidence and competence in math came from the games I played as a child. Cribbage with my Grandpa and Great Grandpa, Monopoly with my friend Tommy, Go Fish with my sister, 31 with my Mom and Dad… So, how might we play these games online with Jori and Michael in Martensville, Erin in Comox, and Adam in Saskatoon? And better yet, how do we play them with the kids’ cousins Paige in Halifax, Amanda and Christian in Winnipeg, and then there is Auntie Sandra in Melfort and Grandma Carol down in Mesa this Christmas? My family is FAR too large to list everyone here, but you get the idea. Here are some games and platforms that might bring some cheer to your homes and families over the holidays.

Each of the following does NOT require an account or sign in. For each, you:

• Start a game.
• Copy the link and send it out by text or email to your game friends.
• Set up a phone call or video call so that you can talk to everyone in the game. (Did you know that your iPhone can create a group call up to 5 people??) Or use Zoom, Google Meet, Facebook Rooms, What’s App… SO many possibilities. If two of you are in the same house on your own devices, consider either using your phone on speaker, or each of you use headphones/ear buds so you don’t get sound feedback.
• Each of these is designed for each player to have their own device – they seem to work on computers or tablet/iPad or smart phone.

Game	Number of Players
Cribbage	2, 3 or 4
Chess	2
Euchre	4 (in two teams)
Go Fish	2-6??
Hearts	4 (in two teams)
Crazy Eights	2 – 6
500 Rummy	4 (in two teams)
Backgammon	2
Checkers	2
Yahtzee	2 – 6
Farkel	2 – 6
Wizard	2 – 6
Oh HeCK (or there is another word I can’t type here)	2 – 6
Spades	4 (in two teams)
Battleship	2

Hopefully some of these games bring some fun to your Christmas!