These days, we spend a lot more time with our family members as we stay home and practice social distancing. Life as you know it may be completely different this fall. In the past, in the evenings and on weekends, you and your spouse may have gone off in different directions as you shuttled your kids to various sports practices and games. Those hours you formerly spent chauffeuring the kids or attending sporting events are now being spent at home together.

Are you making the most of it? Relaxing together in the hot tub is an excellent way to spend quality time and get closer to your family. We’d like to share 6 conversation games you can enjoy in your hot tub and make the most of this newfound “together time.” Keep in mind these games are best played with kids over the age of 5, as hot tubs are not recommended for younger tykes.

Let’s Talk

There are plenty of articles about crazy games where you dodge ping pong balls or pass a cold bottle of soda from person to person, not using your hands. Those games may be fun, but here we’d like to focus on another sort altogether: games where you actually talk to each other. These 6 conversation games you can play in your hot tub may give your family a terrific opportunity to reconnect any time of the year.

Would You Rather?

The game of ‘Would You Rather’ has been around for generations. The idea is each person gets a turn to pose a question to the group. “Would you rather your pants be three sizes too big or one size too small?” “Which would you rather have: three arms or three legs”? “If you had to choose, would you rather eat a grasshopper or a snail”? Everyone gets a turn to choose an answer and explain why. This exercise can get pretty hilarious, particularly if middle school kids are involved.

Fortunately/Unfortunately

This game is popular in drama improvisation classes. It is fun, fast and guaranteed to get the group laughing. It is especially good at fostering imagination in kids.
One person starts with the first sentence. “On Thanksgiving day, Mom took the turkey out of the oven to serve the family for dinner.”
Person 2: “Unfortunately, she dropped the turkey on the floor.”
Person 3: “Fortunately,  the floor was clean.”
Person 4: “Unfortunately, the turkey rolled out the door into the garden.”
Person 5: “Fortunately, the neighbor’s dog stopped it.”
Person 6: “Unfortunately,”—-well, you get the idea.

5 Things

You have to think fast while playing this game. The person chosen to go first points to the player on their left and calls out a category such as types of cookies, makes of cars, kinds of shoes, breeds of dogs, etc. The player chosen must quickly call out five items in the chosen category. “High heels, flip flops, sneakers, hiking boots, slippers.” A minute timer is handy to have nearby for this game because Dad always takes too long when it’s his turn.

3 Strikes and You’re Out

This game is great for any age group. Each person raises three fingers to indicate the number of “strikes” before they are “out.” The first person states one thing about themselves that is unique, such as “I can ride a skateboard,” “I know how to French braid hair,” or “I have taken dance lessons.” Other members of the circle who cannot or have not done that must put one finger down. Whoever first runs out of raised fingers is out.  The player with the last finger up is the winner. Younger children love this game because they can often come up with unique personal abilities and outplay the grown-ups.

Dream Life

Each person is given a category and must describe their “Dream” version: their dream vacation, dream bedroom, dream job, dream meal, dream pet, dream hobby, etc. This is a wonderful game to learn more about each other’s desires and hopes for the future. Get the teenagers involved in this game; you might learn a lot!

First Letter/Last Letter

One person starts the game by declaring a topic such as food, cities, animals, actors, rock bands, etc. The rules are simple; the first person says a word in that category, and the next person says a word that begins with the last letter of the first word. Say the topic is food: 

Person 1- “Pumpkin”
Person 2- “Noodles”
Person 3- “Sushi”
Person 4- “Ice cream”

Engage and Reconnect with Family

The ramifications of social distancing in 2020 have been unsettling to many of us. However, one positive outcome is the opportunity it has given us to spend more time with our families. We have also had more time to improve our outdoor space and discover what a great hangout can be. Sharing hot tub time with our family is an opportunity to engage and reconnect. These 6 conversation games you can enjoy in your hot tub could be just the ticket.

Aqua Pools has been serving families in the Chicagoland area since 1978 and is proud to be a leader in the pool and spa industry. Stop by our showrooms or give us a call. We are here to help you out with all aspects of your hot tub and pool ownership.