On the wild success of retro games your kids will love!

Fraboom Expert Victoria

My job is to find and host great games for children online using things like, cartoons, animation, creative challenges and role playing. Yet, with so many high tech options at our fingertips, I’m always amazed at how awesomely retro your kids idea of fun is! Some of our most popular games are perfect for injecting a little fun into road trips, family night, or even hostage situations! (Disclaimer: I sincerely hope you are not hostages, but if you are, blink twice. Ok, we’re good.)

        One of the best things about childhood is that the classics are still new. Believe it or not, a game’s entertainment value is not directly related to the amount of energy it requires to play. One request I’m always surprised to get from the kids in a Fraboom live class is Hangman. I Love Hangman. I didn’t know I loved it until 21 years into my life. My sister and I were stuck in a car for 7 hours on a Saturday and around hour 5 we decided to play hangman. We were saved! We spent the next hour and half going back and forth picking movie titles for the other to guess. After hours of play with my sis, I started playing Hangman in one of the live classes at Fraboom, our online kids museum, and it was a hit!


Tips for avoiding tears: Stick to themes or movie titles and take turns being the guesser every game, no matter who wins. That way if you’re bad at the game, you don’t have to suffer the whole time. Hangman is a simple and easy way to entertain the problem solvers and movie buffs in your brood.

        Of course, Hangman requires the ability to read and write, if your crowd is too young for that, fear not! May I suggest what is possibly the most highly anticipated game in my arsenal; Name That Tune. Children go nuts for this one! Give a hint or theme(country, pop, Princess movies) and sing the tune of the song. First person to guess correctly gets the most points! I’m not sure what it is about this simple game but the kiddos love it every time. Also, it’s one of the few times in life when being a terrible singer works in your favor—get the key notes right, throw in an interpretive dance, and you have just become the funniest parent ever!

        My final suggestion to you, the boredom-butt-kicking Moms and Dads, is a little game called Who Dat. In this game you pick someone in your head (Abraham Lincoln, Tinker Bell, a kangaroo) and then give hints as to who you are until someone guesses correctly. I am male, I have a top hat, I gave the Gettysburg Address, I abolished slavery, I’m on the penny. Abe Lincoln! This one can be super educational and very fun —especially if you have odd family members.

In the end Fraboom works so well because your child isn’t killing zombies by themselves in a dark room. By providing live hosts we can add a hint of high tech to some time-tested favorites in the game arena. These live hosts are able to react to the witty things children say and ask, they can adapt the content for a particular group of kids (Dinosaurs, math or space anyone?) and they can provide every child a chance to learn and play in a safe and competitive environment.

        As you can see, finding activities for kids to keep them from killing each other in the back seat on the way to Grandma’s house is not the headache it appears to be. Don’t be afraid to try the classics and join in yourself! Because playing with you is way more fun.

What low tech classics does your family enjoy? Fraboom teachers are always looking for new and fun games and we would love to see your comments!