We could talk on and on about the perks of the ‘What if’ game.
- Who can play it? How many players do you need?
- Does it require a special setting?
- Do you need a lot of things to get it started?
- Is it difficult to learn?
Once we answer all these questions, you’ll realize that the ‘What if’ game is one of your best bets when you’re looking for a fun activity, no matter where and with who you are!
What is the ‘What if’ game?
‘What if’ is a group game that puts your imagination to work. It is based on prompts and hypothetical scenarios, so everyone involved in it must come up with original ideas. It doesn’t matter if they are crazy, funny, enticing, ambiguous, or serious and responsible! Pretty much everything works, as long as it keeps players laughing!
Players and purposes
The interesting part of the ‘What if’ game is that there are no winners or losers. All players must come up with 2 things:
- ‘What if…?’ prompts
- Hypothetical solutions for different scenarios
We love this game so much because it can be played by anyone. Kids, teens, grown-ups – as long as they are willing to put their creativity to the test, they’re good to go. That’s what makes the ‘What if’ game a great:
- Outdoor activity for you and your family
- Backyard game, when you’re having friends over
- Camping activity for kids
- ‘Get to know each other’ game for adults
The ideal number of players is around 6-10. Still, you can make things work even if you’re more than that. It might take a bit longer, but you won’t notice how time flies once the game begins!
One more thing: there are small differences in how to play ‘What if’ with kids, and how to play ‘What if’ with teens or adults, but we’ll get to it in the blink of an eye. Stay tuned!
Materials and equipment
‘What if’ game for kids
When playing ‘What if’ with kids, you will need to prepare in advance. Make up a list of hypothetical scenarios, appropriate for their age and interests.
*Note: It would be useful to have some comments that could guide them in case they get stuck.
‘What if’ game for teens and adults
If you’re planning a ‘What if’ night with your friends or teen students, make sure everyone has a pen and a slip of paper. Also, you’ll need a hat, a cap, or a bowl to put the post-its in, and to mix them up.
No matter who your players are, the ‘What if’ game works great both as an indoor activity and as an outdoor team building activity for the young and elderly!
Skills and abilities
The ‘What if’ game challenges your:
- Spontaneity
- Problem-solving skills
- Imagination and creativity
- Anticipation skills
- Vocabulary skills
How to play ‘What if’?
How to play ‘What if’ with kids?
Design a list of prompts to share with your players, depending on their age and language level.
Here are a few examples for kids under 6 years old:
- What if you had a magic carpet that could take you anywhere you wanted to go?
- What if you woke up one morning with superpowers? What would you do?
- What if a friend destroyed one of your favorite toys by accident?
- What if you said something really mean to your parents and they stopped talking to you?
- What if you were home alone and a stranger knocked at your door?
And here are some prompts for kids with age between 6 and 12 years old:
- What if you discovered a treasure map and went on a scavenger hunt?
- What if you woke up in the middle of the night, smelling smoke?
- What if Anne hurt herself during a game and started bleeding?
- What if you woke up late and were early for your first class?
- What if you got lost on the beach?
You can turn the ‘What if’ game into a fun indoor team building activity for kids but remember that it can also be used for more educational purposes. Make clear that there are no right or wrong answers. Let children share their ideas, get to know them better, and create a stronger community.
You can also encourage them to come up with their own ‘What if’ prompts for their parents, caregivers, and teachers!
How to play ‘What if’ with teens and adults
- Give each player a slip of paper and a pen.
- Ask them to write a question beginning with ‘What if…’ at the top of the card. The scenario can be real, sci-fi, weird, romantic, or might even berelated to an inside joke. Pretty much, whatever crosses their minds and can spark laughter among players!
- Next, gather all the pieces of paper, mix them up, and deal them back out, completely randomly.
*If a player gets his own piece of paper, he must put it back in the bowl and draw another one.
- Now, the players have a new slip of paper, with a prompt at the top of the card. They must come up with a suitable answer to that question. So, if the prompt begins with ‘What if’, the answer must begin with ‘Then…’. The wittier, the better!
- Mix and match! For the last part of the ‘What if’ game, players are supposed to read aloud their cards as follows: player A starts reading his ‘What if’ prompt. Next, player B answers player A’s question with the answer written on his own card. Next, player C reads his own ‘what if’ question, to which player D answers with what he’s got on his slip of paper, and so on and so forth. Every question must be followed by a mismatched answer! We assure you everyone will howl with laughter!
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