15 Creative Whiteboard Games to Survive Load Shedding (For Home & Office)

The power goes out. Everyone reaches for their phones, and within twenty minutes the batteries are flat and the mood in the house has followed. Sound familiar?

Here's the thing nobody tells you about load shedding: the best entertainment in the house is probably already hanging on a wall. A whiteboard needs no electricity, no Wi-Fi, no charging cable and no setup. Just a marker, a duster and a bit of candlelight.

We've been manufacturing whiteboards in Johannesburg since 1996, and over the years customers have told us about all sorts of unexpected ways they use their boards. This list pulls together the best of those, plus a few favourites from our own homes and office.

Browse our full whiteboard range here.

Why a whiteboard beats a screen when the lights go out

• No electricity, batteries or backup power needed
• No internet connection required
• Wipes clean in seconds, so one board gives you endless games
• Gets everyone in the room involved instead of staring at separate screens

Right, on to the games. We've grouped rough age suitability under each one, but honestly, most of these work for anyone who's stuck in the dark with nothing better to do.

15 whiteboard games to play in the dark

1. Noughts and crosses

The old faithful. Draw a 3x3 grid and take turns placing Xs and Os. It gets boring fast at that size, so scale it up: try a 10x10 grid where you need five in a row to win. That version is genuinely tricky and can keep two adults occupied for a surprisingly long time.

2. Hangman

One player picks a secret word, the rest guess letters one at a time. Use South African slang, place names or full phrases to make it harder. Great for spelling practice with school-aged kids, and they usually don't notice they're learning.

3. Pictionary

One player draws a secret prompt while their team shouts guesses before the time runs out. Write theme cards beforehand: movies, animals, household objects, famous South African landmarks. Chapman's Peak is easier to draw than you'd think. The Union Buildings, not so much.

4. Battleships

Draw two grids per player, label the rows A to J and the columns 1 to 10, and hide your fleet. Players stand back to back or use a book as a screen. All the fun of the boxed game with none of the little plastic pegs disappearing under the couch.

5. Categories

Pick a random letter and four or five categories: countries, fruits, sports, jobs, whatever you like. Everyone races to write a valid answer for each category starting with that letter. Deduct points for duplicate answers to keep people from playing it safe. Best with teens and adults.

6. Word ladder

Write a short word at the top of the board. Players take turns changing exactly one letter to form a new word. CAT becomes BAT becomes BET becomes BED becomes RED. See how long a chain you can build before someone gets stuck.

7. Maths race

Write a column of mental arithmetic problems on the board. Two players race side by side to solve them. You can pitch this anywhere from Grade 1 addition to matric algebra, which makes it a sneaky way to turn homework revision into a competition.

8. Whiteboard bingo

Draw a grid for each player and let them fill the squares with numbers, shapes or vocabulary words. One person calls options out of a hat while players cross off their matches. Teachers, this one works just as well by torchlight in a classroom as it does at home.

9. Draw and continue

The first player draws one random line or shape, then hands over the marker. Each person adds to the drawing without any plan or discussion. After five or six turns, step back and admire the chaos. There are no winners here, only laughter.

10. Connect four

No plastic frame needed. Draw a large grid of empty circles and have two players fill them in with different coloured markers, working from the bottom row up. First to get four in a row in any direction wins. Quick, strategic and endlessly repeatable.

11. Memory challenge

Write or draw 15 random objects on the board. Give everyone 45 seconds to memorise them, then wipe the board clean. Whoever can list the most items from memory wins. Harder than it sounds, especially after a long day.

12. Story builder

Write the opening sentence of a story at the top of the board. Each player adds one sentence, covering the earlier lines so only the newest one is visible. Read the whole thing aloud at the end. The results are usually absurd and occasionally brilliant.

13. Alphabet challenge

Pick a broad topic like animals or foods, then work through the alphabet writing one matching item for every letter from A to Z. Play it as a team against the clock, or split into two groups and race. Letter X is always the fight.

14. The line game

One player draws a single squiggle anywhere on the board. The next player has 30 seconds to turn that squiggle into a recognisable picture. Everyone votes on the best transformation at the end of each round. Simple, but it brings out a competitive streak in the most unlikely people.

15. Office quiz night

Whiteboards aren't just for kids. If the power drops at work, run a quick company trivia round, a rapid-fire Pictionary tournament between departments, or even a sales brainstorm while the generator warms up. It beats everyone sitting in the dark refreshing the Eskom app.

A board earns its keep long after the power comes back

Once the games are packed away, a whiteboard quietly becomes one of the most useful things in the house or office:

• Meal planning and the weekly grocery list
• Tracking fitness goals and training programmes
• Homeschooling timetables and a dedicated kids' drawing zone
• Sprint boards, brainstorms and to-do lists at work

Choosing the right board

We manufacture boards in a wide range of sizes and two main surface types:

• Coated masonite boards: lightweight and affordable. Ideal for light home use, kids' bedrooms and anywhere the board needs to move around.
• Coated steel magnetic boards: a premium, hard-wearing surface that works with magnetic accessories. The right choice for busy offices, kitchens and classrooms.

Have a look at our whiteboards and markers, erasers and accessories to get set up.

Be ready before the next outage

Load shedding schedules change, substations fail and storms take out the grid without warning. A whiteboard on the wall means you always have a reusable, battery-free way to keep everyone entertained, whatever stage we're on.

Bestboard has been manufacturing display products in South Africa since 1996, supplying homes, schools, offices and government departments with boards built to last. Buy direct from the manufacturer, with free delivery on orders over R950.