My kids love to have family game night and we have so much fun. With eight at home, we make two tables and rotate who gets to play with whom. Family game night is a great night of laughter, fun, and we even throw in some party food for good measure! — Looking for our Dream in Digital Giveaway? You will find it at the end of this post, or just wait ten seconds and it will pop-up on the site.
Finding the right game for your family can be a little overwhelming — so many options out there! So I did the research for you and have found a variety of games I’m happy to recommend! I kept in mind family friendliness, of course, and simplicity for the little people in the family while still being fun for everyone.
From the traditional to the lesser known, you’re sure to find several options to add to your game nights. We also have a collection of fabulous games that encourage thinking skills!
This fast-paced game will keep family night alive with excitement. Each player has a headband, a card, and three chips. The card attaches to the headband so the player wearing it cannot see it. Each person has a turn to ask “yes” or “no” questions and ultimately guess who is on their card. If they guess correctly before the timer runs out, they hand in one of their chips and start again on the next card until they run out of time or guess incorrectly. Your kids will be improving on their deductive reasoning and problem solving skills all while having a blast!
Beware, this game may cause those painful belly laughs! Using a device that pulls back your cheeks, you attempt to read a phrase from a card while your teammates try to guess what you’re saying. There are other versions of this game, but this particular one claims to be family-friendly. It comes with 10 mouth pieces so invite some friends!
If you haven’t seen this one floating around social media, you’re in for a treat! Your family will find the anticipation of getting hit in the face with some delicious whipped cream almost too much to bear. To play, you place your face up to a mask and crank the handles. Every time you’re able to turn the handles without setting off the pie-wielding arm, you receive a point. The first person to 25 wins. My kids would probably consider getting a pie in the face a win, though!
The Ticket to Ride games have been very popular in recent years. This version is simplified for the slightly younger crowd. The game board is a map of the United States with major cities connected by colored paths. The ultimate goal is to connect your trains from one city to the next, earning tickets along the way. The first to earn 6 tickets wins. This game is just the ticket (pun fully intended!) for geography fans and strategy lovers alike!
You’ve probably at least heard rumors of the original game of Settlers of Catan. (I highly recommend that one for the slightly older crowd!) This is, obviously, the junior version great for kids 6 and up. It acts sort of as an introduction to the original version with simplified rules and modified game board. Your kids will take on the role of pirate in this game, building “pirates’ lairs” on different islands. Instead of diving into the details of how to play, suffice it to say there’s plenty of strategy and a little luck involved in this game. My boys have loved this game!
This is another fast-paced game that’ll brew up some funny excitement. It’s simply a tin full of round cards with random objects on each card. There are several different ways to play this game but the overall goal is to match up one of the items on your card to the same item on another card and finish the game with the most cards. With different ways to play and no need for the ability to read, this game really can include the whole family and provide hours of fun!
This is one of our very favorites. It has been around for quite awhile but is definitely worth mentioning. While there is a kids version, the original is simple enough for the kids while still being super fun for the grownups! It’s a board game that uses regular decks of cards and colorful chips to make rows of 5. This is the type of game that everyone will want to play again and again!
There are so many amazing games out there it was hard to choose just a few! So here’s a handful of classics that you’ve probably heard of but should be sure to add to your game night line up!
Candy Land — a great way to introduce your youngest of kids to game board play.
The Game of Life — my kids love to play this with Grandma!
Scrabble — my personal favorite.
Monopoly — a classic all of my kids still enjoy.
Apples to Apples — we also like the junior edition.
Uno — our family favorite for game night, because youngest to oldest has fun!
Be sure to stock up on some (or all!) of these fantastic family night games and let the good times roll!
You might also like to take your family game night outdoors with this great list of games for kids to play outside!
Ginger Tipton says
May 7, 2018 at 9:35 AMThank you for all you do.
Andrea Downing says
May 7, 2018 at 11:04 AMSo many interesting articles and post with great ideas! Thanks for sharing!
Lori says
May 7, 2018 at 12:05 PMI really appreciated the article on good family games. thank you L
donna dial says
May 7, 2018 at 4:08 PMhoping to win can use all items above when my grands come over,thanks for the chance
Heidi says
May 7, 2018 at 4:59 PMDutch Blitz is another fun family game.
Valarie Hudson says
May 8, 2018 at 6:47 AMThank you for your posts. They are an inspiration.
Lissette guzman says
May 8, 2018 at 8:21 AMGreat give away