A useful little collection

Games to play while you’re waiting

Waiting becomes much easier when there is a tiny shared problem to solve. These games need almost no setup and most finish before the thing you are waiting for finally happens.

PLAY

For very short waits

Tic-Tac-Toe and Nim can be over in a couple of minutes. SOS lasts a little longer but is still easy to stop and restart. If there are three or more of you, Categories turns the waiting itself into a timer.

For children

Keep the rules light. Let younger players invent clues in Guess the Word, or use Categories without scoring. The aim here is not to turn waiting into homework. It is to give everyone something small and shared to do.

Games to play while you’re waiting

Tic-Tac-Toe

Nim

SOS

Guess the Word

Categories

Codebreaker

For very short waits

For children