5 Second Rule

Today's board game is 5 Second Rule. This is a really quick, simple (I won't say easy!) game you can play with the whole family. The recommended age is 10 and up, and I believe that's because some of the categories can be kind of tough (like famous sports figures or historical events, etc.). I would not be surprised if there is a children's version floating around out there.

The Point:
Score the most points by giving three answers before the balls twist down to the bottom of the timer.

Gameplay:

Place the card box with the cards on the table where everyone can reach it, as well as the timer. Determine how many rounds you are going to play. Two or three rounds will be plenty for larger groups, whereas a smaller group may get through four to six rounds.

The first person who goes will draw a card and read it aloud. You can see there are different categories on the yellow side and red side. I don't really think it matters which side you read from. You can choose to read either, or decide to only play one color for the duration of the game.

Read the category aloud and immediately flip the timer. The player TO YOUR LEFT is in the "Hot Seat" and they will begin answering. The timer will run for five seconds and the person in the Hot Seat has to say 3 answers before that timer runs out. If they are successful, they get to keep the card. That's one point. Play then moves to the right.

Here is a video of the timer in action:

Okay, let's say you answer one or two things but not all three. The player in the Hot Seat gets no points, and the player to their right automatically has the timer flipped for them and must begin naming three things in that category. The tricky part is they cannot say anything that has already been named by the previous person!

Play will continue until someone names three in five seconds and wins the point.

If you get back to the original player without anyone naming 3 in 5 seconds, that player gets one point by default.

The person to the right of the original player then becomes the new player in the Hot Seat, so the person to their left picks a new card and reads it aloud. And so on and so forth.

For example: if we played with the card above - preschool songs - I might spit out, "Mary Had a Little Lamb", "Twinkle, Twinkle", and "Itsy Bitsy Spider". If I do that in five seconds, I've won a point.

Let's pretend now that I get stuck. I yell out, "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and "Twinkle, Twinkle" but I choke under pressure and can't think of a third. The timer flips over for the player on my right and he begins guessing. If he says either of my guesses, it does not count as one of his three.

This gets tricky if multiple people only get one or two answers correct as you can't use any of them for your three answers!

How to Win:
At the end of all the rounds, count up your points. Whoever has the most points is the winner!

If there is a tie, play one more round between those players as a tiebreaker.

If you aren't sure the answer given is correct, feel free to Google!

Verdict:
I like this game even though it makes me so nervous! I am definitely not good under pressure! This game can definitely bring a lot of laughs though.

Great for Learning:
Quick thinking, Vocabulary (cards have categories such as "perennial flowers" and "prepositions".