On a cosy winter’s evening, there’s nothing better than sitting by the fire playing trivia with the kids. Fun, educational and always competitive, quizzes are a great way to fill your little ones with heaps of knowledge. Quizzes come in all shapes and sizes - so we’ve got together some of our favourites to get you started.
Guess the animal!
Whether they’ve got the bravery of a lion or the grace of a giraffe, animal personality quizzes are always fantastic fun for kids. Describe an animal's features and characteristics and leave it up to the kids to guess which animal you’re detailing. For instance, if you were describing a lion you could say ‘I have huge claws!’, ‘I have a big mane!’ and ‘I love to roar!’. Make each night focused on a specific place, such as Africa or the UK, and create a list of 4 or 5 animals to describe.
Superhero facts
Let’s be honest - there’s nobody that children admire more than superheroes. Everybody’s got their favourites, so when Gotham City pops up for your batman-obsessed kid, they’re sure to be ecstatic. We’d suggest getting more specific with these questions and giving your kids a multiple choice option. You could ask questions like ‘What is Captain America’s shield made out of? A. Metal B. Cardboard C. Cheese.’ You’ll be shocked to find out just how much they know about superheroes!
Movie magic
If your family is obsessed with cuddling up with some popcorn and watching your favourite movies, a film quiz might be one that everybody can get involved in. You could go the extra mile with this one and print off some numbered screenshots of some of your family’s favorite movies. Create some answer sheets and tell your kids to write down the name of the movie each screenshot is from. Whether they’re from Toy Story or Frozen, the winner gets to pick the movie to watch that night!
Geography quizzes
Another educational brain twister is the always enjoyable geography quiz. Get some easy to read world maps and hand them to your kids. Prepare yourself with 4 or 5 countries and describe their unique cultures to your little ones. For example, if you described Italy you could say ‘We’re famous for our pizza and pasta!’, ‘We have a city built on water!’ and ‘One of our buildings is starting to fall over!’. When you’re done, get your kids to point out the country or shout out the name!
Dictionary quizzes
If you’re looking to get your children’s word knowledge up to scratch, a dictionary quiz is the way to go. With the internet taking over, old-school referencing is still important to teach! Hand your kids some children’s dictionaries and create a list of around ten words for them to find. For instance, some examples of questions are ‘Find three words beginning with ‘wo’’, ‘Find a word that begins with ‘z’ and ends with ‘o’’ and ‘Find a word that begins with ‘ap’’. If it’s getting too easy, help them make the big step up to an adult dictionary!
Quizzes can provide some lighthearted, interactive entertainment on a relaxing weekday night, as well as offering up some learning in the process. Set one day a week away as quiz night and bring together quizzes with similar themes - it’s all part of the fun!