Top Five/Bottom Five

Summer is a great time for road trips, air travel, or just spending time together at home. Make the most of it with a new game, Top Five/Bottom Five!

You don’t need any supplies to play this game, and it’s pretty simple to learn. First, choose who will pick the category. That person will identify their “target” – either one of the other players or the entire group – and then call out a prompt beginning with either “Top five…” or “Bottom five…” For example, “Everyone – top five noodle shapes!” or “Marco – bottom five animals to find in your house!” Then the chosen person, or people, will give their list, and since it’s all based on preferences, there are no wrong answers. And it’s up to you how silly the categories are; after all, noodle shapes are fun to talk about, but you can also share things like top five Bible characters, or top five verses of scripture, or bottom five Bible story movie adaptations...

A note about ground rules, especially if playing with younger humans: you can choose whether “Bottom Five” is an option, but if it is, consider agreeing ahead of time not to let the game turn mean (i.e. “Bottom five members of this family”) and not to yuck someone’s yum (i.e. “Ewww pizza is one of your top five foods?! Gross!”). You might also give each player the option to say “pass” if they need to, and empower someone as a moderator who can call out “new choice” if a proposed category is inappropriate or too challenging.

Top Five/Bottom Five is a great way to share some laughs, learn about each other, and possibly learn some things about yourself as well! It is infinitely re-playable and can be played whenever and wherever you want, whether you’ve got a six-hour flight ahead of you or a half-hour to fill while you’re waiting for dinner to be ready. So have fun, and let us know some of the categories your family comes up with! You can share with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.