🎲 Fun Games to Liven Up Your Cottage Evenings
A stay at the cottage is the perfect time to disconnect and leave technology behind.
Board games are at the heart of the cottage experience — sparking laughter, friendly competition, and memorable conversations. While playing, everyone forgets about their phones and simply enjoys quality time together as a family or with friends.
By Myreille Simard
🦠 Pandemic
A game that feels… timely, doesn’t it? Four deadly viruses threaten the planet, and it’s up to your team of 2 to 4 players to work together and save humanity. Each game is different depending on the characters you draw, keeping every round fresh and exciting.
💚 What we love: the cooperative spirit of the game — it’s a refreshing change from the usual competition. Perfect for small groups or cozy celebrations at the cottage.
😁 Mouth Guard Challenge (a.k.a. “Speak Out”)
If you love to laugh, this one’s for you! Each player inserts a plastic mouthpiece that makes it nearly impossible to pronounce the phrases written on the cards. Chaos and hilarity guaranteed!
💚 What we love: everyone steps out of their comfort zone, and nobody takes themselves too seriously.
🧼 Safety tip: make sure to sanitize and keep the mouthpieces separate between players!
🎭 Improvise It!
Created by Quebec comedian Alex Perron, this improv-based party game guarantees laughter. Form teams, draw a scenario card, and perform your funniest improvisation based on the wacky situation you’re given.
💚 What we love: the “Alex Handicap” cards that make each scene even more unpredictable!
🔄 Switch
This clever word game features 500 popular expressions, song titles, and movie names — each rewritten using synonyms, antonyms, or related words. Your challenge? Guess the original phrase as quickly as possible!
💚 What we love: it’s perfect for two players and can even be played in the car on the way to the cottage.
💬 Just One
The goal: guess as many secret words as possible. Each player gives one clue to help the guesser — but if two clues are the same, they’re cancelled!
💚 What we love: everyone plays together, not against each other. A great cooperative option for groups and families.
📝 The Paper Ball Game
Divide into two teams. Each player writes 5–10 names on small slips of paper — celebrities, fictional characters, people you know, anything goes. Crumple them into little “paper balls.”
In Round 1, players describe the name using related words.
In Round 2, they mime it.
In Round 3, they can only say one single word to make their team guess.
Each correct answer earns one point.
💚 What we love: you can whip this game together last-minute with just paper and pens — and it’s always a hit.
🎁 The Wrapped Gift Game
A timeless favorite! Wrap a small gift in multiple boxes and layers of wrapping paper. Each player takes turns unwrapping while wearing oven mitts — but only for 15 seconds at a time before passing it on. The person who finally unwraps the last layer keeps the prize!
💚 What we love: this game creates excitement for all ages and adds a fun twist to holiday gift exchanges.
🌲 Wrap-Up
Whether it’s a cooperative challenge, a creative improv, or a classic board game, these simple activities make every cottage night more fun, connected, and memorable.
At the cottage, laughter really is the best way to unplug and reconnect.