Family game night is a great way to spend some quality family time together while also making it educational. These fun family board games will not only keep your family entertained, your kids will learn something in the process. This list of fun board games is based on my family’s experience and runs the range from old board games that I played when I was little, to brand new board games that have only recently come out. Be sure to share in the comments what you think are the best family board games!
20 Fun Board Games For A Family
Family board games are a wonderful way to bring everyone together for quality time and fun. There are so many benefits! Playing fun board games for family provides an opportunity for family members to spend time together, fostering communication, teamwork, and understanding. Additionally, many board games are designed to enhance cognitive skills, including strategy, problem-solving, and critical thinking. They can also improve math, vocabulary, and general knowledge. Furthermore, board games teach valuable social skills such as taking turns, patience, and good sportsmanship. They also encourage face-to-face interaction, which is crucial for developing interpersonal relationships. Ready for a little friendly competition? Here is a roundup of the best board games.
Monopoly
No fun board games list is complete without the classic game of Monopoly! While this classic board game probably isn’t a good fit for preschoolers, it’s perfect for elementary school-aged children (ages 8+). In addition to teaching the basic money skills needed for making change, Monopoly also begins the teaching process of grown-up financial issues like saving, budgeting, and planning.
Kids learn that if they don’t plan how to spend and save well, they’ll be out of the game quickly. And the randomness of selecting the “Go directly to jail!” card teaches them how to adapt to unexpected change and disappointment.
Tsuro- The Game Of The Path
This fun board game has a nice short play time so you can play a couple of rounds giving a few different people a chance to win. Tsuro is all about strategy and creating a pathway that doesn’t run off the board. It is recommended for ages 8+. It is a fast-paced game so we usually play several rounds of it.
Richard Scarry’s Busytown
You’ll need some floor space to play this 6-foot-long board game made popular by the Busytown books by Richard Scarry. The basic premise of the game is for all the players (ages 3+) to get onboard the ferry to Picnic Island and eat their lunch before the pigs gobble up the food. Players have to work together as a team in order to achieve their goal, teaching your kids great teamwork skills. It also helps your child practice their powers of observation by recognizing objects and matching them to the board. And Busytown even helps with associating categories with people and actions. For example, kids will learn that shovels and hammers are found at the construction site.
Hoot Owl Hoot!
This is a cooperative game for younger children where players help owls fly back to their nest before the sun rises. It’s simple, educational, and encourages cooperative play. Cooperative board games are a fantastic way to foster teamwork and collaboration among family members. Instead of competing against each other, players work together towards a common goal.
Blurt- The Uproarias Word Race Game
Blurt is a board game of rapid word recall. Players take turns reading clues aloud, competing to blurt out the correct answer. It is pretty simple and yet a game that gets the brain working and you laughing.
Bingo
Is there any better game for teaching your kids letters and numbers? You can also find versions that are shapes, colors, and everyday items for a broader learning experience. You can even create your own version by cutting out pictures from magazines or printing ones you find online.
No matter which version your family likes to play, your little ones are building listening and memory skills in addition to letters and numbers. All of these skills will serve them well when it’s time to learn to read and do math.
Guess Who?
The Guess Who? game is typically suitable for children aged 6 and up. The game involves asking yes-or-no questions to deduce the identity of the opponent’s character, which makes it accessible and enjoyable for young children while also providing a fun challenge for older kids and adults. The simple rules and engaging gameplay make it a great choice for family game nights. It is good for promoting deductive reasoning.
Ticket to Ride
Strategy board games are excellent for promoting critical thinking, planning, and decision-making skills. This is a popular strategy game that families can enjoy together. Players collect train cards to claim railway routes across a map, earning points for completing routes and connecting cities. It’s easy to learn but offers strategic depth.
Poobah
This is a fun conversation starter game that will really get people talking and sharing stories and feelings. Poobah is great for those tween years when you have to work to get your kids to talk openly with you.
Settlers of Catan
Players collect and trade resources to build roads, settlements, and cities in an effort to dominate the island of Catan. It’s great for teaching resource management and negotiation skills. strategy games can provide hours of fun and intellectual challenge for the whole family.
Risk
A classic game of global domination, where players use armies to conquer territories and eliminate opponents. It’s a great game for teaching strategic planning and risk assessment.
Madam President
This is a brand new game that teaches about the democratic process and can help empower girls to want to become president! The Madam President Game is focused on teaching children, specifically girls, ages 8+ about leadership, community, working together, and the political process.
Uno
Yes, that card game you’ve known, and probably, played for years. There are several versions available to accommodate all age groups including Thomas the Tank Engine, Disney Princesses, Words, Numbers, and Colors, and of course, the original version.
Staying focused is key to playing this game so your kids will learn the importance of paying attention when they have to remember the colors or characters of the cards to play. Uno also helps to sharpen your child’s pattern recognition skills, which helps to understand the relationship between numbers and objects. Older kids will learn reasoning, strategy, and logic skills when figure out which cards to throw down and which to save.
Rory’s Story Cubes
Ok, not really a board game, but a fun and educational game that your family will love. In this fun game, there is no winning or losing, just having fun. It’s recommended for kids over 8, but younger kids can certainly play too; it’s good for building their imagination.
There are nine six-sided cubes and each side has a sketch. Things like a hot air balloon, book, turtle, and lightening bolt. The player rolls the cubes then makes up a story using the nine images that land on the cubes. The person telling the story can interpret the images anyway they’d like and there is no right or wrong way to use the images. Your kids will love expanding their imaginations by creating their own stories.
Clue
Another favorite fun board game with out family is Clue. I remember playing it for the first time when I was in 4th grade at a birthday party. I came home requesting one for myself and my kids love it as much as I did and do!
Double Ditto
This quick thinking game makes a great party game. Double Ditto is easy to learn to play, has a simple objective, and is fun for both old and young. The short average play time is about 20-30 minutes depending on the number of players and that time frame works well holding everyone’s interest while still allowing them to get really into the game.
Labyrinth
This one comes from my husband’s childhood and it is a big hit at our house. It takes a lot of strategy and can be as frustrating as it is fun when you are trying to get to your object by manipulating the board tiles. Labyrinth is a real classic board game.
Hasbro Acquire
This is another board game from my husband’s childhood. In fact, we have a vintage edition! Acquire is all about creating hotel chains, and then buying selling and merging at the right times. This is one of those tile-laying games that requires strategic thinking. We play this board game with three generations and it is always fun! It is aimed at kids 12+ so not a great match for young players.
Wits And Wagers
This is a great party game that is fun for all ages and doesn’t require trivia knowledge, though that can come in handy. Players all put their best guess, reveal, and then wager on the correct answer. Wits and Wagers has a quick play time and is a family favorite to play with the grandparents here as well. This is one of the best party games for the whole family because you don’t have to know the answers to do well. You just have to guess the best answer after hearing what everyone else guessed. This means that even younger players will enjoy this trivia game.
Scrabble
Scrabble is a popular word game where players score points by placing tiles bearing single letters onto a game board divided into a 15×15 grid of squares. The tiles must form words that read either left to right in rows or downward in columns, and be included in a standard dictionary or lexicon.
The Farming Game
This one was a favorite of mine when I was young. My siblings and I had so much fun. Now, my daughter loves it too. We play The Farming Game without the operating expense cards because they are a little too realistic and it helps shorten game time and I prefer to play games that aren’t much longer than an hour. You can find this great game through my affiliate link on Amazon.
Conclusion
In a world dominated by screens, board games offer a refreshing break from digital devices, promoting active engagement and reducing screen time. Fun board games for families can be adapted to suit various age groups and abilities, making them an inclusive activity that everyone can participate in. Finally, playing games can be a great way to relax and relieve stress. The laughter and enjoyment shared during game time can boost mood and create positive memories.
A regular family game night can become a cherished family tradition. These fun family board games are sure to liven up your next game night! What do you think are the best family board games? Share your favorites in the comments below!
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Ravi Kumar says
Thanks for sharing the best games for families. We recently got the exploding kitten card game and my kids love that if you are looking for new games.
Sama says
Classic board games are good old fashioned family fun! It is good to learn to deal with the luck of the hand combined with employing a little strategy.
Kraig Bruen says
I think Monopoly is the ideal game because it is good for so many age groups. We always have the best time playing it.