A family quiz is one of the few things that gets everyone off their own screen and round the same one. The trick is making sure the questions suit the room, not just the person who wrote them.
Mixing ages without anyone feeling left out
The challenge with a family quiz is the spread of knowledge. A question that is a doddle for a 40 year old is impossible for a child, and the reverse is true more often than adults like to admit. Some ways to even things out:
- Mixed-age teams. Put a child with a grandparent and a teenager with a parent. Each half knows things the other does not, and they have to talk to each other to agree on an answer.
- Rounds that favour different generations. A round on cartoons and video games, then one on old songs and television. Everyone gets a moment to be the expert.
- Multiple choice. Giving four options turns an impossible question into an educated guess, which is much more fun for younger players.
- Age-graded questions. If you are writing your own, have an easy version and a hard version of some questions and ask the right one to the right person.
Round ideas that work for families
Variety keeps a family quiz moving. Here are some rounds that tend to go down well:
- Animal kingdom. Biggest, fastest, loudest, smelliest. Children often know more than adults here.
- Around the world. Flags, famous landmarks, which country a food comes from.
- Theme tunes. Hum or play the first few seconds of a television or film theme.
- Family history. Where did Mum and Dad first meet? What was Granny's first car? Only works if someone in the room knows the answers, but it is always a hit.
- True or false. Quick to ask and quick to answer, which suits short attention spans.
- Odd one out. Four things, one does not belong. It rewards thinking as much as knowing.
- Higher or lower. Is a blue whale longer or shorter than a bus? Lots of shouting, very little stress.
Picture rounds are your secret weapon
Pictures level the playing field because younger children do not need to read well to take part. A picture round can be as simple as close-up photos of household objects, logos with the name removed, or famous faces as children. A few tips:
- Zoom in, then pull back. Start with an extreme close-up and reveal more of the picture bit by bit. Award more points for guessing early.
- Show pictures big. A TV is far better than a phone passed round the room, because everyone sees the same thing at the same time.
- Use your own photos. Baby pictures of everyone in the room make a brilliant, slightly embarrassing round.
Keeping it fair (and keeping the peace)
Family quizzes can get surprisingly competitive. A few ground rules help:
- Phones down except for answering. Agree on this at the start, and make the youngest player the official phone monitor.
- The host's ruling is final. If an answer is nearly right, decide quickly and move on.
- Give everyone the same time. A timer stops the fastest reader from always getting in first.
- Mix the question order. Do not put all the easy questions together, or the younger players will be cheering in round one and silent for the rest.
Keeping children engaged
Children are brilliant quiz players for about twenty minutes, then they need something else. Plan around that rather than fighting it.
- Keep rounds short. Five or six questions a round is plenty with younger children.
- Give them a job. Scorekeeper, question reader, sound effects department. Children love being part of the show.
- Let them write a round. Ask a child to write five questions for the adults. The results are often harder than you would expect.
- Build in movement. A round where teams have to find something in the house, or act out an answer, burns off energy.
- Celebrate every right answer, not only the winner. A cheer for a correct answer matters more than the final score.
- Stop while it is fun. Better to finish early with everyone asking for more than to drag out the last round.
Prizes everyone can win
With children in the mix, it pays to have more than one prize. Try awards for the best team name, the funniest wrong answer, the most improved team and the best sport. A small bag of sweets for every player keeps things friendly, with something a little special for the winners.