A Chilling Game Night Theme of Ice and Penguin Games

Parents and children can chill out and enjoy an entertaining evening together by playing some fun ice and penguin games.  Snacking on Klondike ice cream bars or sipping on homemade slushies, players can get into the spirit of the frosty affair.  Great to plan on a hot summer night for a cooling effect, or to mesh right in with the wintry season, the following games are a cool blast all year round.

Hey! That’s My Fish! (for 2-4 players and for ages 8 and up)

Strategically fun, Hey, That’s My Fish is a perfect family game. Having the tasty treat of Swedish fish on hand, for players to munch on while playing this game, will have players saying ‘hey! that’s my fish!’ on and off the game board.  The game is played by penguins (players) striving to gather as many fish as possible by moving across the tiled game board of ice floes.  The tiles are marked with one, two, or three fish on them.  Each time a penguin moves from one of the ice floes, it is removed and claimed by the penguin.  Trying not to get stranded, gathering as many fish as possible, and attempting to block other penguins from getting to all the fish first, keeps all penguins on high alert and happily occupied.   The most fish wins!

Don’t Break the Ice (for 2 (or 4) players, ages 4 and up)

Don’t Break the Ice is one of the classic games. Parents, who remember playing the game when they were younger, don’t mind bringing down the skating Polar Bear, or bringing back childhood memories, by hammering away at the ice blocks.  Break the Ice gives a quick, simple, and exciting time for all.  Chipping the ice away, along with the night, is a refreshing and cool way to spend time together as a family.

Thin Ice (for 2 or more players, ages 5 and up)

Another quick, but different type of ice breaking game, is Thin Ice.  Players begin by placing a tissue (thin ice) over an igloo base.  Using ice tongs, players pick a marble from the icy water tray below and gently set the wet marble on top of the thin ice.  Then, the player speedily passes the tongs to the next player.

Thin Ice is the cooler version of Hot Potato.  If a player is caught with the tongs in hand when the marbles drop through the thin ice, they lose the round.  When this happens, that player receives a letter in the word ICE.  The last player without all three ICE letters wins the game.  Although extremely easy to play, the game is still a delight for younger children and their parents.  And if older kids are around, after watching and hearing all the excitement, they too will be tempted to try and place a marble on Thin Ice!

Penguin Pile Up (for 1-6 players and for ages 5 and up)

Balance, balance, balance!  Players learn to have a steady hand while attempting to pile all their penguins onto the shaky iceberg.  Balancing is the key in this game.  The more penguins there are on the iceberg, the more wobbly the iceberg gets.  If any penguins lose their footing on the slippery iceberg and fall off, then the player whose turn it is must gather them up, and include them with their other penguins.   The first player to position all his penguins on the iceberg wins!  Although laughing doesn’t help with winning the game, it will for sure be part of the evening!

Penguins on Ice (for 1 player, ages 4 and up)

For nights where parents want to just relax with their kids, but still have a cool time, Penguins on Ice is ideal.  Each player can take a turn trying to fit all the ice tiles into the tray.  With attached penguins, this solitary game offers lots of attractive challenges.  While packing the many shaped ice pieces into the tray, the penguin must also be in the correct spot.  Snuggling up in a blanket together on a cold winter’s night, Penguins on Ice will keep all hearts warm.

Planning to have a chilling themed game night is simple.  Whipping up some correlating snacks, which are focused on ice and penguin games, doesn’t take a lot of time.  Even Ice pops will do.  Children will just love the time spent playing a few games with them.  And although the themed snacks boost the mood, they don’t need to be extravagant.

If wanted, after the above quick games are finished, a family can end the night with the ice/penguin theme still in mind and watch a movie together.  Some suggestions for movies are:  Batman Subzero (with Mr. Freeze), Frosty the Snowman, Jack Frost, Happy Feet, Surf’s Up , or Family Films Scamper the Penguin

Have a chilling night!