The ultimate activities gift guide for 2022

Elf Monopoly

This game of Monopoly brings everyones favourite Christmas Elf Buddy back to the magical land on New York to relive his adventures as he explores new places, finds his father, and saves Christmas with Santa. This special edition of Monopoly also contains six exclusive custom tokens: Santa’s Bag, Polar Bear Cub, Coffee Mug, Jack-in-the-Box, Santa’s Sleigh and Maple Syrup. Time to grab your favourite token and your elf shoes, and travel around the board spreading Christmas cheer and don’t forget to sing loud for all to hear! I am very excited to play this on Christmas Day with the family.

Elf Monopoly is online at Ryman.co.uk for £26.99.

Spot the intro

Spot the intro is the addictive musical quiz game from Cheatwell Games. Are you a genius at Pop and Rock Trivia? Can you recognise a song from the first few bars of the Intro – or are you a master of mime? There’s something for everyone here in this fun-packed contest to reach the top of the charts. Played in two or more teams. Race to the number one spot like a ‘Bat out of Hell’ by answering trivia questions in 3 different categories, ‘Pump up the Volume’ and identify songs from their intros or ‘Stand and Deliver’ song title mimes to your team mates. With five points available during each turn you can soon start to ‘Jump’ up the charts, waving ‘Bye Bye Baby’ to your opponents as you go.

Spot the intro is available at Amazon for £21.50.

Topix

Topix is the game of rapid recall, it is the fast thinking naming game. Pick a topic and a tile and take a turn… it’s a race against the clock to list as many things as you can that are related to your topic. I love games like this, perfect for Christmas Day fun!

Topix is available at Zavvi, for £16.95.

Taskmaster – The secret series game

Taskmaster the secret series game is a fun family or party activity. Gather your friends and family together for laugh out loud fun with this hilarious game. Take turns to be the Taskmaster and judge your contestants as they compete against each other to win tasks and points. The new Taskmaster Secret Series game allows you and your friends to play the game just like the tv show. Play 10 episodes, each with their own worth winner, totting up your episode scores as you play through the series. In the final episode, you’ll also crown your Taskmaster Series Champion!

Tasmaster The secret series games is available on Amazon, for £29.99.

Rummikub

The Rummikub Black Edition comes in a highly giftable and stylish black tin that will look great displayed on any games shelf or coffee table. With premium black tiles and brightly coloured numbers, curved racks, a special playing mat and fabric tile bag.

Rummikub Black Edition is available at Amazon, for £39.13.

Yes, Yes, Yeti and It takes two to mango

Yes, Yes Yeti – You’ve just learned the location of the elusive Yeti but, unfortunately, so has everyone else! Will you push your luck and pick a high number card in the hope of moving along the path fastest? The higher the number, the bigger the potential move towards the Yeti – but also the bigger the potential risk of turning over a Slip! card. The first player to land on or pass the Yeti gets the best photo – plus fortune, glory and the win! Available at Ginger Fox for £9.99.

It takes two to mango – The hilarious quick thinking, face-making party game the whole family will enjoy! Make silly faces to match your Mango cards.  Think another player is making the same face then shout “MANGO!”. If your cards match, then add them to your Ripe Mango pile. If they don’t match, pick up a Rotten Mango token. The player with the most Mango Matches is the winner! Available at Ginger Fox for £9.99.

I want my MTV and Switched on Charades

I want my MTV – Yep, you guessed it! It’s time to head back in time and revisit the 80s, 90s and 00s in this nostalgic MTV music trivia quiz game! Answer trivia questions ranging from general music knowledge, music videos and the iconic MTV sessions to earn pieces of the MTV logo. Be the first player to collect all four pieces of your logo and you’re the winner! It’s not that easy though, if you don’t know the answer another player can swoop in and steal an extra piece! Available at Ginger Fox for £14.99.

Radio Times Switched on Charades – A classic party game of charades with an entertaining twist! Turn on, tune in… and try to guess what you’re watching! Answer entertainment trivia questions and gain the all-important ‘control of the remote’ then guess the TV, film and music charades to put together a winning weekly schedule and become king or queen of the sofa! Available at Ginger Fox for £11.99.

Mickey’s Christmas Carol

Mickey’s Christmas Carol from Funko is a great game where players work together. Focusing on simple gameplay and collaboration, players work together to complete their story tableau – Christmas Past, Present and Future from this timeless classic. Puzzle tableaus depict iconic moments from the story, and players must complete them in order before Scrooge wakes on Christmas morning. Includes a wooden Scrooge mover to track game progress and six beautifully illustrated scenes inspired by the Disney classic. Mickey’s Christmas Carol is £15 from Funko.

The Genius Square

The Genius Square from the Happy Puzzle Company is a great game of logic! With over 62,000 puzzles to explore, the fun never has to end! The top board games for 10 year olds to keep them occupied and curious! You can grab The Genius Square from Amazon, for £18.99.

Partners in Crime

DO YOU THINK IN SYNC? Find your partner in crime without blowing your cover. Your mission is to identify each other by drawing or by writing a single word. PERFECT PARTY GAME – for adults and teens alike, this is a great party game, the best activity for a birthday, hen, stag, house party or any other celebration occasion. Age 14+. You can grab Partners in Crime from Lucky Egg, for £24.99.

Spontuneous

If you’ve ever heard a word that’s caused you to spontaneously break into song, then Spontuneous is for you! One player says a word and the race is on for the others to sing a song containing that word. Don’t worry though, talent is NOT required! It’s fun, fast paced, full of laughs and a perfect game to spice up your next get-together! Spontuneous is available from Moose Toys, for £19.99.

Ghosted

Ghosted is a hilarious game of deduction! You’ve come to an untimely end, been offed, put to rest, kicked the bucket, fatally finished. You’ve been GHOSTED! Your restless spirit won’t be calm until you solve your own demise from the great beyond. Be the first to solve the crime through a process of elimination by asking clever questions and gathering evidence. Ghosted is available from Moose Toys, for £19.99.

It’s Bananas

THE LAUGH AND SOUL OF THE PARTY. It’s Bananas is the smash-hit party game that will have your friends and family howling from the moment you strap on a monkey tail to your last squat. Split into two teams, warm up those thighs, and whoever collects the most bananas wins! Easy … or is it? Strap on a tail, spin the spinner, and win some bananas! Gameplay is super easy to follow (perfect for monkeys with short attention spans) but hard to master, making it the perfect addition to your card and board game collection. You can buy It’s Bananas from Amazon, for £24.99.

The Good Life

Ever wanted to go self-sufficient? Here’s your chance to give it a try. Use your wheelbarrow to move around the board to collect fruit, vegetables, pigs and chickens. The winner is the first to fill their garden and allotment. Seems simple. It is. But the ‘Green Fingers’ cards turn up unexpected twists and turns… So you’ll have to protect your chickens from foxes, sell your crops and livestock at the village fair and avoid drought, bird flu, and your animals escaping. Now, are you ready for ‘The Good Life’? This is available at The Good Life website for £29.95.

ZOMBIE KITTENS

Zombie Kittens is still the highly-strategic, kitty powered version of Russian Roulette that you love, but it introduces a brand new deck of cards so that your game doesn’t end just because you blow up. Only living players can win the game, but Dead players now get to keep the cards in their hands when they explode. They also get to play certain cards to torment the living players. And they can even come back from the Dead to win the game. Zombie Kittens is available from Exploding Kittens, for £20.99.

Mantis

Simple Yet Complex – With the simplicity of UNO and depth of Gin Rummy, Mantis is designed for both kids and adults. But adults should be warned that kids will often beat them at this game. This game is easy to learn with quick rounds of play in under 15 minutes. Be the first player to have 10 or more card in your score pile! This family-friendly party game is perfect for 2-6 players. Mantis is available from Amazon, for £19.99.

Puzzle Quest

Puzzle Quest is a brand-new series of puzzle books for children aged 7+. Each title is packed with more than 100 mazes, spot the difference, wordsearches, number puzzles, logic games and anagrams. Every puzzle is tied to the story, and will provide kids with clues to solve the mystery at the end of the book. These fun-packed activity books are perfect to keep children engaged and entertained throughout the summer holidays – and beyond!

Puzzle Quest books can be found online at Collins.co.uk, for £4.99 each.

Rubik’s Phantom

Touch, reveal and solve with the Rubik’s Phantom. Innovation adds a new layer of challenge to the original 3×3 Cube. Touch the Cube tiles to temporarily reveal colour. Solve the latest Cube, the Rubik’s Phantom, as the colours fade. You will be amazed by the thermochromic technology of this Cube. Reveal the Phantom’s colours with the heat of your touch. Solve the cube before it fades back to black. This smart Cube is unlike any toy you have ever played with before. The Rubik’s Phantom is a difficult challenge level, meant for experienced Cubers. This brain teaser puzzle Cube is one of the most challenging to solve of the Rubik’s collection. 

Rubik’s Phantom is available at Amazon, for £19.99.

History Heroes

We love History Hereos card games; you simply learn whilst you are having fun! Each box is £9.99 on Amazon and you can buy lots of different kinds. Noah loves Space so we chose that one for him and we are empowering Isla with the women heroes from our history. Such a great idea. A pocket-sized quiz game to play on holiday or at home. Win the cards by guessing from the facts read out on the cards about each of the famous characters in the history of Space

Women’s Euro Champion Top Trumps

Top Trumps has been a much loved game for over 50 years and is the UK’s #1 card game*. Over the years, Top Trumps has launched hundreds of titles on various topics, all over the world and in different languages.

Now to celebrate the Lionesses’ success in becoming the winners of the the Euros in 2022, Top Trumps is launching a pack with 30 female football players and featuring the likes of Steph Houghton, Demi Stokes and Ellie Roebuck. RRP £8 and you can grab this from Amazon.

Getting craft with EatSleepDoodle

I love crafts with the kids and Christmas crafts are also fun. There are a variety of fun crafts to choose from on the eatsleepdoodle website. We love the Colour-in Christmas Stocking. Have lots of merry Christmas fun with this colour-in stocking to personalise with the included set of 10 wash-out pens! Colour in your favourite festive icons from Father Christmas to candy canes, Rudolph, jingle bells, Christmas tree decorations and more! There’s even space to write your own Christmas wish list ready for Santa (great help to Santa’s elves with children’s Christmas present ideas)! Price is currently £11.95.

We also love the Butterfly Pencil Case – what a great activity for any child to do, colour their very own pencil case. The pencil case is currently on offer too for £10.35.

Wines of Spain and Portugal

I love a puzzle and this Wines of Spain & Portugal is a great pastime for the Christmas period. Wine lovers are spoiled for choice from Portugal’s windswept west coast to the sun-drenched shores of the Spanish Costas. From crisp Cava to regal Rioja and powerful Port, the Iberian peninsula has it all.

Wines of Spain and Portugal is available at Ginger Fox, for £17.99.

Icy Lights

I love Wentworth wooden puzzles and this Icy Lights design from last year still gives me such delight in completing. I just love the picture, it is so magical. Wentworth have a fabulous selection of seasonal puzzles from Autumnal themes to Christmas themes, perfect for this time of year. What I really love about these puzzles is that they have uniquely shaped pieces hidden in them, so not a conventional puzzle shape. I love the Puzzle Crackers too – perfect for stocking fillers.