Games for Unplugging

New Canaan Unplugged

New Canaan Unplugged

— 6 min read
Games for Unplugging

Next up in our series of emails to help celebrate the Global Day of Unplugging, we are sharing some of our favorite games play with your family. These games are timeless and create connection without needing much more than a deck of cards, a piece of paper and your imagination!

This year's Annual Global Day of Unplugging will be this Friday into Saturday, March 6-7, 2026. Around the world, people will enjoy a 24-hour digital pause together. To learn more about this annual event, click HERE to visit the website and read about the mission behind the event.

Paper Craft Activities

FORTUNE TELLER

Fold a paper into a pointy origami device with colors/numbers outside and fortunes inside. Click HERE for a simple video on how to make these.

  1. Set Up: Write four colors on the outside flaps and numbers (1-8) on the inner flaps. Write short, fun fortunes under each of the 8 inner triangles.
  2. Pick a Color: Ask the person to choose one of the four colors on the outside. Spell out the color, moving the fortune teller back and forth (or in and out) for each letter.
  3. Pick a Number: Ask them to choose one of the numbers visible on the inside. Move the fortune teller that many times.
  4. Reveal Fortune: Ask them to choose one final number. Lift that flap to read their fortune

PAPER FOOTBALL

Fold paper into a triangle "Ball", then flick it across the desk to score through "goal posts" that you can either make or just have it be another person's fingers. Click HERE for a video of how to make one.


HEADS, BODIES, LEGS

This open-ended game, played with paper, pencils, and your imagination can result in some hilarious drawings. You can play it with as few as two people or with a whole roomful. You can even play it through the mail for creative pen-pal connections.

  • Start by folding a piece of paper into 3 equal sections
  • One person draws a head and neck in the top section, extending two small lines into the middle section, then folds the paper over to hide the head.
  • A second person uses the small lines from the top section as a guide to draw a torso/arms in the middle section, extending two lines into the bottom section. Then fold the paper to hide the body.
  • The third person will draw legs/feet in the final section, starting from the lines extending down from the middle section.
  • Unfold the paper to see the finished creature!
  • Tip: If playing with 2 people, each can take turns doing different parts, or both can work on their own pieces, then swap.

Family Friendly Card Games


SPOONS

  • Players sit in a circle with one fewer spoon than the number of players placed in the center of the table.
  • Each player is dealt four cards. The goal is to collect four cards of the same rank by quietly drawing from the deck and passing unwanted cards to the next player as quickly as possible.
  • Once a player gets four-of-a-kind, they grab a spoon without saying anything, prompting everyone else to scramble for the remaining spoons.
  • The player left without a spoon earns a letter toward spelling "S-P-O-O-N-S" (or a similar word), and the first to complete the word is eliminated; the last player remaining wins. The game continues with rounds until only one winner is left.

KING'S CORNER

  • Kings Corner is a 2-4 player, solitaire-style card game where the goal is to be the first to play all cards from your hand onto a central, cross-shaped layout.
  • Deal 7 cards to each player and place the remaining cards face-down in the center as the stockpile.
  • Turn up 4 cards from the stockpile and place them in a cross (N, S, E, W) — these are the foundation piles.
  • Player to the left of the dealer starts. On your turn draw 1 card from the stockpile. You can make as many of the following plays as possible:
    • Play cards on foundation piles in descending rank and alternating color (e.g., red 9 → black 8).
    • If you have a King, they can be put in the corners of the cross layout. Only Kings can start these corner piles.
    • Move a full pile onto another if the top card fits in descending/alternating order.
  • The winner is the first one to get rid of all their cards.

SPIT

  • Spit is typically played with just two players.
  • The goal of Spit is to get rid of all your cards as quickly as possible by playing them onto two central "spit piles."
  • Both players are dealt 15 cards each to form face-down piles in front of them (with the top card face-up), plus a hand of 5 cards each; the remaining cards are set aside unused.
  • The game starts when both players simultaneously say "Spit!" and begin playing from their hand onto either central pile, placing cards in descending order regardless of suit (e.g., a 7 on an 8, a King on an Ace treating Ace as high).
  • When neither player can play, they each slap a new card from their personal pile face-up onto the central piles to restart, and play continues.
  • The first player to empty their hand and personal pile wins the round; play multiple rounds until someone wins the agreed number or the deck is exhausted.

Pencil and Paper Games

DOTS AND BOXES

This game goes by many different names: game of dots, dot to dot grid, boxes, and pigs in a pen. It has been around the 19th century, when it was invented by French mathematician Édouard Lucas, who called it la pipopipette. While there are versions available online, the point here is to play it with pencil & paper.

  • Draw a grid of dots or click HERE for a downloadable template
  • Take turns drawing single lines and then connecting them.
  • The player who completes the fourth side of a 1×1 box earns one point and takes another turn. That player claims the box with their initials.
  • The person with the most boxes outlined wins!

ULTIMATE TIC TAC TOE

Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe is a strategic, nested version of the classic game. It features a large grid, where each of the nine squares contains a smaller Tic-Tac-Toe board (81 total slots). Players must win three small boards in a row on the global board to win. Click HERE to watch an explainer video on YouTube.

REBUSES

These "visual riddles" combine pictures, symbols, and letters to represent a common phrase or object that you must use your imagination to guess. While some are easily solved, many take a bit of reasoning and offer a rewarding "aha!" moment when you crack the code. These brain teasers are universally appealing for all ages and provide an interactive and often humorous way to test problem-solving skills. The examples above give you an idea of how they work (The top left answer is "See for yourself"). Although you can find lots of examples online, the best ones are those that you come up with yourself!

We hope you enjoy these games with your friends and family! They are great for this weekend's celebration of the Annual Global Day of Unplugging but also terrific year round. Look forward to celebrating this Friday into Saturday, March 6-7, 2026 with a 24-hour digital pause together! To learn more about this annual event, click HERE to visit the website and read about the mission behind the event.

Help New Canaan Unplug

If you are interested in creating a healthier relationship with technology for our children, please check out our survey HERE to let us know how you can help.

New Canaan Unplugged is a parent-run group completely independent from the New Canaan Public School System and the Town of New Canaan.

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