Favorite Family Games

Several years ago, I wrote a very similar post about our favorite family games. Most of those games are still in the rotation, but as the kids have gotten older, we have added even more games to our stash!

For reference, our kids are 10, 8, 6 and almost 2. So we are at the stage where we can introduce strategy games, but Theo and I may still need to be present to play those ones. We are also at the stage where there are many games that the kids can play on their own- which is such a fun parenting stage to arrive at! We don’t have any set family game night, but we do enjoy playing whenever we have a little bit of downtime.

Here are 15 of our (current) favorite family games:

Tenzi/Slapzi

These are two games that are easy to play and fun every time! Tenzi involves rolling 6 dice and trying to get different combinations on the dice. We love these two games because they are easy enough for a non-reader, but can also be enjoyed by an adult!

The Game

This is a math/counting/strategy game…which I usually hate. But I love this game! I mostly love how you can work as a team and that every single outcome is different, every time you play.

Piggy Piggy

I’m gonna be honest…this game makes almost no sense to me. But my kids love it, and play it almost constantly. It’s similar to exploding kittens with the silly cards and stealing from others and doing silly things throughout the game.

Taco vs. Burrito

Ah, another one that is not my favorite, but the kids LOVE it. More funny cards, more stealing and more all around silly fun.

Exploding Kittens

And, repeat the last two descriptions. Another game that my kids LOVE and that has silly humor involved in the cards. This one is also fun because it’s different every time you play and sometimes you can just win it all by pure luck, and sometimes you can lose it all by no fault of your own (which is also great for teaching a good winning/losing attitude ha)

Skipbo

A classic! This one is more slow paced and less competitive, so it’s nice to play all together. We’ve played this one since I was a child and it’s fun reliving it with my own children!

Carcassone

This one is great for our visual learners! It involves laying out a map for the characters to follow. The kids love to play this one with Theo! This is the kids version, there is also a regular version.

Hive

This one involves a bit of strategy and some memorization. Each “character” or “insect” can move in a specific pattern (think: chess). The goal is to trap the other players bee by moving your characters in their patterns.

Ticket to Ride

Another classic! It’s been so fun introducing this one to the kids and watching them grow an attention span long enough to play this game! We change the game play slightly when we are playing with kids and only do one route at a time (instead of 3 as the game play suggests). There is also a lot of helping the kids take their turns, but I think within the next two years the kids will be playing the one on their own!

Pit

I remember playing this game at my 11th birthday party. It’s a great party game and a great game to play if everyone needs to get some energy and shouting out! It involves trading your cards to get a full hand that matches- but everyone is trading at the same time, so there is a lot of shouting and action. It’s so fun!

Five Crowns

This is a card game that is similar to Phase 10, where you have to collect a certain array of cards in your turn. If someone else goes out before you collect that array, you lose points. This is a great one to grab and go because it can be played anywhere!

Sneaky Snacky Squirrel

This is a GREAT beginner game! In fact, our 2 year old can almost play this one- he just needs to learn how to take turns and the rest of the concept of the game is fairly straightforward. You spin the spinner and collect that color of acorn. Sometimes the spinner causes you to lose an acorn or to gain TWO acorns. The first person to get one of each color wins.

Bird Bingo/Cat Bingo/Dog Bingo

Maybe we are raising a band of old people, but we just love bingo in this family! These versions of Bingo are so involved, I learn about all kinds of animals that I’ve never even heard of before!

Costumed Cats/Disguised Dogs Matching Game

This game is so fun! It’s just like a traditional matching game, but the match is wearing a costume. It is NEXT LEVEL hard to find the correct match, but so much fun! My kids beat me every single time.

These are truly games that we own and love, and reach for over and over again when it’s time to play a game.

If you click on the blue letters it will take you directly to an amazon link for the game. If you purchase through this link, I will get a small commission via affiliate marketing.

I would love to hear from you! What are some of your favorite family games? Are there any that we need to add to our game cabinet?