Family-Friendly Improv Games To Play At The Dinner Table!

DINNER TIME!

We're really seeing a lot of each other right now and we can help you keep the whole family engaged and laughing around the dinner table with these brain-activating improv games that will keep you entertained too!

One-Word Story

Everyone in the car helps tell a story— one word at a time. Take turns coming up with a unique title to kick off each round. Competitive group? Deem one player a judge that can kick players out when they take too long to come up with a word, or try adding something that doesn’t make sense/messes up the sentence structure, or do the whole thing in Pig Latin.

For the gram: Set up your phone to record it or just use the audio feature, cuz it will be THAT good.

Yes, And…

Pick an object, any object!  The first player points out something about it, and the next player has to say “yes, and…” [insert something else about the object here]. If you can’t think of an add-on, you’re out!

Example: The object? A shoe.

Player One: "A shoe is supportive."
Player Two: "Yes, and stinky if Dad is wearing it."
Player Three: "Yes, and you’re grounded."
(Dad would be out for not staying on topic and also for being sooooooooo lame.)

1001 Mermaids Go Into a Juice Bar

Make up one-liners on the spot by picking an animal, group of people, profession or pretty much anything you want and plugging it in the following structure:

1001 (blanks) go into a juice bar, and the juice bartender says, “We don’t serve your kind here.” The (blanks) ask why, and the juice bartender says… “Because [insert hilarious punchline that is most likely a pun or something related to the (blank)]!!!”

Example: Fill in the blank with “mermaids,” and the hilarious punchline might be, “Because something about you smells Filet-O-Fishy!”

World’s Worst

Another joke machine! Pick a profession and take turns acting like the world’s worst person at that job. Keep score for how many act-outs each player comes up with, and tally up the points at the end of the game.

Example: World’s Worst Dentist

Player One: “Oops, chipped another one!”
Player Two: “Be patient, I’ll give you the laughing gas as soon as I’m done using it.”
Player Three: “Darn, dropped my drill down your throat!”

Andrew Thorp is the Head of Online Education for The Second City Training Centers. He also teaches Stand-Up, Improv, and Comedy Writing in the Kids & Teen Program.