One of our family goals is to have a Tenenbaum game closet. What a strange, wonderful movie. Below is a list of 10 family games that are fun for adults and children alike.
We are trying to commit to a weekly Family Game Night.
A Family Game Night is a wonderful format for group conversations, teamwork, and educational opportunities. This week I was reminded that our girls will not be young forever; take a moment to watch this author reading by Katrina Kenison from The Gift of an Ordinary Day.
I want Family Game Night to be a long-standing family tradition so when my kids hit the tween years it is just “a given.” Many parents of young children think a Family Game Night has to include long painful boring children’s games like Candy Land and Chutes & Ladders, but it doesn't have to be! Check out the list of adult-friendly games below.
What is your favorite family game? We are always on the lookout for something new!
PS: Click here to read 7 Simple Tips for an Enjoyable Family Game Night.
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Blokus | Fun for all Ages
Product Description
Fun for both kids and adults, Blokus is a strategy board game that challenges spatial thinking. Bright colors and simple rules make it ideal for ages five and up, but adults will certainly be engrossed by this unique and challenging game.
What we like about the game:
- If needed you can play teams until your younger child gets the hang of it.
- It is actually fun for adults to play without children. What a concept!
- It is thought-provoking & requires a bit of strategy.
Shut-the-Box | Fun for 5 to 101 Years Old
Product Description
Entertain yourself with this classic style dice game called Shut the Box. This game is centuries old that has been played and loved by sailors and fishermen, and now you can enjoy it too in your very own home. Simply roll the dice and flip over any combinations of tiles that match the numbers you rolled. Then, continue rolling until the numbers you roll no longer match the tiles - this is the end of your turn. This game is fun to play with a group of friends but can also be enjoyed with only two people.
What we like about the game:
- It teaches kids a variety of number combinations. For example, my daughter can now tell you in the blink of a hat that 7 can be created by 1 + 6, 2+5, and 3+4.
- If you play multiple rounds you can work on larger math equations with your child by adding multiple scores together.
- The game goes very quickly!
- Your child can play by themselves, with a sibling or with the whole family.
- Many of the Shut the Box games are very stylish.
Life on Earth Matching Game | Fun for all Ages
Product Description
Flora and fauna from around the world show the richness of Life on Earth. Tiles include everything from iguanas to cardinals, oak leaves and acorns to underwater coral.
What we like about the game:
- The quality! The matching cards are thick & have a protective gloss laminate. We’ve had this game since our little Rose was an infant & the cards have made it through a few not-caught-quick-enough trips to the mouth.
- The imagery! Those of you who read the blog a lot know I am a bit of a visual snob; with a background in art I just like things to “be pretty.” This is a gorgeous game.
- The challenge! Ok, let’s be honest here… we are not one of those families that lets the child win so they can feel good about themselves. I truly believe a child can tell when you are not giving your all when playing a game. What I love about the classic game of memory? Well, 8 of 10 games my girls kick my butt. Sometimes I find it disturbing and they love to see my very real frustration. {winks}
Rummikub | 5 to 100 years old
Product Description
Rummikub is played with a set of 106 elegant tiles that are as durable as they are easy to handle. Like Rummy, players build melds of runs of the same colors - Red 7, Red 8, and Red 9 - or sets of the same numbers - Blue 8, Red 8, and Black 8. If you're looking for a fast action game where the outcome is undecided until the last play and has a never-ending variety of strategies and play situations, you'll love Rummikub! For 2 to 4 players.
What we like about the game:
- It is challenging! The concepts may take a while for a younger child to grasp, but they will be proud when they do.
- You can start the game with the very basic approach of sets or runs (example: coordinating tiles in the correct numeral order such as 8, 9, 10). Once your child has mastered the basic skills you can advance to splitting runs, etc. The progression is awesome.
- I love playing this game with my family, it is my absolute favorite. We set up each player as an individual, but play teams so I can help one girl with their tiles & Shad can help the other.
- It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings. This is a game that requires thought and strategy. It is very hard to tell who is going to win, so if the child gets frustrated because they have a lot of tiles and their opponent does not, you can easily calm them.
Pentago | 5 and Up!
Product Description
Pentago is a fast and fun strategy game that is both simple and sophisticated. The object of the game is to create a row of five marbles anywhere on the board. The mind twisting part is that you'll twist one of the four game blocks as part of your move. This causes the game to dynamically change, making for a fun and challenging game experience, both for beginners and masters alike. Play duration is 3 to 30 minutes. Pentago is simple and stylistic, yet very smart and deep with strategy and logic. It won the prestigious Swedish award "Game of the Year" in 2005 along with several other awards of excellence.
What we like about the game (the explanations from Amazon are right on!):
- Seconds to Learn- It takes just under a minute to learn how to play Pentago, as it's a basic five-in-a-row game, with a twist.
- Fun to Play- Pentago is immediately fun for beginners and continues to be fun and challenging for intermediate players.
- Years to Master-As you become a master Pentago player, the style of play, spatial orientation techniques, and strategies get perplexity complex. Deep logic and skill are required to conquer another master player.
Toy Story Pop-o-matic Trouble Game | 5 to 100 years old
Product Description
It's the classic race-and-chase game with the PopoMatic die-rolling bubble! Pop the bubble and hop your pegs around the track. Land on an opponent's peg to bump it back home. But don't you get bumped back, or you're in Trouble. Keep poppin' and hoppin' to get all 4 of your pegs to the finish line first, and you win.
What we like about the game:
- Well, the bubble of course! Our girls *love* to pop the bubble on their turn. However, when they were younger this sometimes was a challenge.
- There are a variety of versions available from Toy Story to Star Wars. Fun, fun, fun!
- This is another “It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings” game. It teaches a child not to give in just because it seems like they are behind.
- Best of all, it is a great intro to the more complex game of Parcheesi.
- If you don’t have a lot of time you can reduce the game to “get in 2 or 3 pegs” instead of the full four.
Richard Scarry Busy Town | Perfect for little ones!
Product Description
Race around town solving mysteries! How many objects can you find? Join Huckle Cat and Lowly Worm on a fun-filled race around Busytown to solve mysteries and find hidden objects. Drive through lively city streets, an activity-filled farm, an action-packed airport, and a bustling harbor full of silly boats. There's much to discover on this gigantic, colorful game board that's over six feet long! As players race through Busytown, they'll team up every time someone lands on Goldbug-leaving no corner of the board unexplored as they discover hidden objects and race toward Picnic Island. With hundreds of objects to find this game provides hours of fun while building confidence each time a child says, "I found it!"
What we like about the game:
- This is a great game for families who have elementary school age children and toddlers. It is a perfect “intro” game that is tolerable for parents too!
- If you have siblings who vary greatly in age this game is wonderful. Each player starts out individually, but halfway through the game they are required to team up to “beat the pigs.” It is a wonderful way to ensure your little one doesn’t get left behind. Again, it is a great intro game which can create positive experiences before moving on to individually competitive games later on.
- Did you read the description? The board is over SIX FEET LONG. It is just cool.
- I love the variety. Not only do you move characters forward, but you also get to play a team Busytown version of Where’s Waldo once and a while.
Sequence | Elementary Aged Children
Product Description
It's fun, it's challenging, it's exciting, it's Sequence. Play a card from your hand, place a chip on a corresponding space on the game board when you have five in a row, it's a Sequence. Learn to block your opponents - remove their chips. Watch out for the Jacks, they are wild. With a little strategy and luck, you'll be a winner.
What we like about the game:
- If needed you can play teams until your younger child gets the hang of it.
- It is a great intro to a regular pack of cards vs. being character oriented.
- It is actually fun for adults to play without children. What a concept!
- It is thought-provoking & requires a bit of strategy.
- There is a children’s version of the game available that is slightly easier for kids 3 to 6.
Disney Bingo | Fun for all Ages
Product Description
Join all your favorite characters in this magical DVD twist on traditional BINGO with Disney Movie Clips! This game offers a high-tech twist on an old favorite. The Disney DVD Bingo lets kids learn numbers, colors and matching skills with their favorite characters from the show. Match the numbers on the board to the ones given by the caller. Disney makes learning so much fun in this DVD version of traditional BINGO with real clips from Disney.
What we like about the game:
- I will admit we don’t generally openly promote Disney at our house. Still, I know it is common for elementary school children to watch Disney flicks. This game is the perfect way to keep your distance from Disney, but still allow your child to know the characters in social situations.
- The game can literally be played by any child who has enough hand-eye coordination.
- The caller on the DVD announces the information in three ways & in the perfect educational order. The first read the letter and number. Next, they read the color associated. Finally, if the child hasn’t found the square yet the game announces the character on the square. Perfect!
- The game has a lot of classic variety; you can play traditional bingo, patterns or blackout.
- To keep the kids entertained there is an occasional “free space” movie clip presented. Generally, it is a short popular scene or a song. Again, this is a great way to introduce your child to Disney if you are not a fan of some of the values or morals their movies convey.
UNO | Fun for all ages
Product Description
America's number one card game, UNO offers hours of fun. It's easy to learn, always unpredictable, and never dull. It can be played with 2 to 10 players, individually, or in teams. And it can even be educational, teaching younger kids number recognition.
What we like about the game:
- It is small! You can carry it in your purse and play it anywhere.
- If you have little ones you can play teams & it is still fun.
- It is great for teaching numbers & colors.
- Great game for mixed aged siblings.
- Everyone knows the rules. Generally, most adults know the rules so there is no learning curve. If you are at a family function and you whip out the cards most aunts, uncles, cousins, and relatives are willing to play because they know how already.
Bonus Game:
Suspend | 8 and up *We've played since girls were 5!
Product Description
Melissa & Doug Suspend is a balancing game that is as easy to understand as it is difficult to master. The game comes with 24 notched, rubber-tipped wire pieces that hang from a tabletop stand. With each turn, a new piece is added to the transforming vertical sculpture, causing the balance to shift and the difficulty to increase. This balancing game tests your nerves and helps develop hand-eye coordination, cognitive skills, and interpersonal skills.
What we like about the game:
5 reasons why you must add Suspend to your family game stash (Our FULL Game Review)
What is your favorite family game? Share in the comments below.
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