Spending time with your family is a wonderful blessing. Sometimes, my family and I like to play games together and I want to share some of our favorites.
These games aren't for littles but instead geared toward pre-teens, teens, and adults.
Hearts - Hearts is a trick-taking card game where the objective is to avoid collecting certain cards that carry penalty points, particularly hearts and the Queen of Spades. This makes Hearts a great game for families to play because it encourages strategic thinking, communication, and social interaction while also being relatively simple to learn and suitable for players of various ages and skill levels. Additionally, the element of luck ensures that even younger or less experienced players have a chance to win, fostering a sense of inclusivity and enjoyment for everyone involved. Try it for free at Hearts.Co.
First up, Monopoly Speed - this game is so much fun and the best part, you can play it start to finish in UNDER 10 minutes. It is only a 4-player game but we switched out players every so often and since the game goes by so quickly, no one feels left out.
Exploding Kittens - my oldest son loves to play games, he always has, and this is one he found last summer and that we still enjoy playing. It's different for sure but don't let the name scare you off!
If you'll be ordering the game online I've included some options below:
Exploding Kittens - Available at Target (often for same day pickup) or Amazon
It's that time of year again. When you spend time with immediate family and extended family. If there's one thing my family knows, it's how to have fun. We enjoy spending time with one another and the Holidays don't have to be the exception. It makes me happy to find new and innovative ways to play games and make memories with my husband and kids.
To give you some background; our youngest is 11 and some may say it's an awkward age when it comes to buying gifts and fun games/toys to play with. I say that's bogus! He really likes to play board games. We don't play them all the time, but when we do, we usually do it as a family and have loads of fun!
1. A good value game we like is UNO. It can support from 2-10 players at a time and it's for ages 7 to adult. This is such a fun game and when we play it our youngest usually starts laughing and can't stop especially if he gets to pass an "unfavorable" card on to one of his brothers.
2. 5-in-1 Wooden Game Set - Play Chess, Checkers, Backgammon, Chinese Checkers and Pachisi; 2 or more players, ages 8 and up. There are less expensive versions but I recommend this one because we bought one of the cheaper versions and while we do enjoy playing it the pieces are ridiculously small and we plan on upgrading to this set or a similar one soon.
My next recommendations are going to be classic board games that we really enjoy:
4. Monopoly 2 to 8 players. I remember playing this game with my Mom, my Dad and my brother when I was little and actually have a very specific memory of playing it after a Thanksgiving Dinner when I was 10-years-old....my brother won, he always did but those are the kind of memories that are priceless.
5. Yahtzee ages 8 and up. This is still one of my favorite games to play. It's quick, to the point and fun! I first learned to play it when I went camping as a child and the older retired couple in the camper next to ours taught me. They traveled all over the country and while we were playing they told me stories all about the beautiful places they had visited in the United States and Canada...all while there was a campfire lit and my parents sat in lawn chairs nearby enjoying an amazing summer night.
6. Scrabble Deluxe Edition. This is another game that I first played with my family growing up; my Mom, Dad, brother and his girlfriend, Rose Ann. We had so much fun playing this. We started with the regular version of the game but for Christmas the first year we were "addicted" Rose Ann and my brother bought my Mom a deluxe edition. It was awesome. The tiles stayed in place thanks to recessed game piece spaces, the game board rotated (the one my Mom received and that I STILL have and use was on a lazy susan-type base) but the idea is the same, the board can easily rotate to face each player. I also learned so many words, both the meaning and how to spell, that it is an awesome way to get your kids excited about learning.
7. The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary. This was Rose Ann's secret weapon. Once we realized she had one and was starting to memorize it, yes, memorize it, we bought one to keep at our house so we could finally have a shot at beating her....she was awesome at Scrabble but so was my Mom...it always came right down to the wire but usually a word either of them had learned from the Scrabble Dictionary was the determining factor in their win.
8. Battleship Game. This was the game I played with my Dad or my brother. Oh, how I loved it when they said, "You sunk my battleship". It's a great game for one-on-one time with your kids.
9 and 10. Last but not least, I'd suggest a deck of Bicycle Rider Back playing cards and if you'd like instructions on how to play card games, you can opt for this card set.If you've made it to the end of this post, I'd like to thank you for checking it out and hopefully, you've got some new ideas to consider for you and your family. My hope is that you have a fun Holiday season!
Mary Beth is a wife, mother to three sons, and a clean freak. She aspires to help others create a happy organized home, and a cozy living space and shares easy recipes, DIYs, and home improvements for busy families.
Great idea! Don't laugh... but we often play Yahtzee at meals. Game time is the best family time!
I would never laugh! Yahtzee at meals sounds like so much fun - family time any way we can get it is awesome.