I think we’ve all likely embraced the “family board game” as a part of staying home. Having a fun selection of board games to play has been a great way for many of us to fill our evenings that were once spent at arenas or in gymnasiums. We’ve added a few to our collection this past year and if you’re looking for a gift idea, now is the perfect time to give someone a board game that they might just love forever.
With a tween girl and teen boy who have very different personalities and interests, it can be tricky to find board games that they both love (and that we enjoy too). Thankfully we have a few regulars and winners here that keep us all happy!
So if you’ve played your 1000th game of Uno and are looking for some other fun family board game ideas, keep on reading.
I’ve put together a list of 10 the best family board games that we either love to play, or that have been recommended to me by my mom friends and are on my “must buy” list.
Our Top 10 Favourite Family Board Games…
#1 Genius Square
Genius Square is new to us in the last few weeks and both kids love it! It is a 2 person game which means we can’t all play together but it has turned out to be a perfect addition. It’s been a great way to spend time with one of the kids while the other is busy doing something else. I have a scoreboard going with both of them right now and mom is losing. It was recommended by a friend and is a winner! The goal is to be the first to complete a square using pieces of various shapes… a bit like Tetris from back in the day.
# of Players:1 to 2
Recommended Ages: 6+
#2 – Rummoli
Romole involves a turnstile game board and deck of cards. This is another family game we’ve played for a few years now. The goal is to choose the hand of cards at the start of each round that has the best potential to win the “pot” for a variety of different card combinations as shown on the board. We play with nickels and the player with the most nickels at the end of the game is the winner. Our game (and a few rolls of nickels) was a gift from grandparents and it’s been well-used and loved.
# of Players: 2 to 8
Recommended Ages: 12+
#3 – Skip-Bo
We were introduced to this game on an extended family vacation a few years ago and have played it ever since. Our daughter (who was about 8 years old at the time) was unbeatable for a long time! We have played with just 2 of us or with all 4 of us and it’s still fun no matter how many are playing. The goal in this game is to be the first to discard a starting pile of 25 cards that can be played a variety of different ways.
# of Players: 2 to 6
Recommended Ages: 7+
#4 – Mexican Train Dominoes
This is another game we’ve been playing with the kids since they were quite young. It’s simple, fun and there’s enough strategy involved to make it interesting but not so much that it makes it hard for kids to enjoy it too. You will need some space to play as the domino trains can get quite long. The goal here is to be the first to use up all of your dominoes and to have the least amount of points at the end of the game. Personally, this is one of my favourites!
# of Players: 2-7
Recommended Ages: 6+
#5 – Boggle (or Big Boggle)
Boggle is a game I loved even as a kid and we enjoy playing it now. As soon as kids are able to spell some simple words, it’s a go. The goal is quite simple… make as many words as you can (longer words score more points) from the letters that are on the boggle board.
# of Players: 2+
Recommended Ages: 8+
#6 – Sketch it!
Sketch it! is also another simple and fun family game. In fact, we were just playing last night. You don’t have to be an artist to win at this game, you just need a few basic drawing skills. It’s like charades but with pictures. After trading pictures, if someone guesses your picture correctly you get a point, and if you guess someone else’s picture correctly you get another point. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.
# of Players: 3 to 6
Recommended Ages: 10+
#7 – Monopoly
This is a classic and needs no explanation but I will say that it brings back memories of losing to my older brother every. single. time. Who knew that hoarding all your cash was not a good strategy?! When the kids were younger we also enjoyed Monopoly Junior and I also recommend Monopoly Deal – it’s a card game version of Monopoly that doesn’t take too long to play and we often took it on vacations.
# of Players: 2 to 6
Recommended Ages: 8+
# 8 – The Game of Life
We enjoy this game and my sister recommends it too (her kids are 7, 11 and 12). It’s another oldie but goodie! I like how it does introduce the kids to some adult things like education, careers and houses. It also doesn’t take super long to play a full game.
# of Players: 2 to 7
Recommended Ages: 8+
#9 – Catan
Catan is another mom-friend recommendation and we’ve just added it to our collection this week. It is a strategy-based game and focuses on building a settlement and acquiring resources to do so. As the kids get older they enjoy strategy games more and more so I can’t wait to see what they think of this one!
# of Players: 3 – 6
Recommended Ages: 10+
#10 Ticket to Ride
Many of my friends have also shared that Ticket to Ride is a family favourite so I’ve added it to my shopping list. Based on the reviews, it is a great balance of being fun, simple to learn, fast-paced, and strategic. Claiming a continuous train route across North America is the key goal of the game.
# of Players: 2 to 5
Recommended Ages: 8+
Bonus Idea
#11 – Chess
I’ve noticed that more and more of my friends are posting pictures of their kids learning to play Chess! Apparently it’s becoming quite popular as people binge-watch The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix. My sister said that she’s been on the hunt for a book for her kids on how to play Chess and that they are hard to come by! It definitely takes a few lessons and more effort than other games but kids and adults alike often fall in love with it.
# of Players: 2
Recommended Ages: 7+
Summary
#1 – Genius Square
#2 – Rummoli
#3 – Skip-Bo
#4 – Mexcian Train Dominoes
#5 – Boggle (or Big Boggle)
#6 – Sketch It!
#7 – Monopoly
#8 – The Game of Life
#9 – Catan
#10 – Ticket to Ride
Bonus – Chess
Despite the draw of all things techy in today’s world, board games will always be a great way to go old school and have some simple fun! Note to self, don’t hoard money in Monopoly.
Happy game playing. KJ 🙂
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