Summer is here, those HOT days are creeping in. Whether for a family game night or needing an activity inside in the A/C, these family games are the way to go.
We love family game time at our house! I have three boys in a range of ages who are all very competitive. Not every game is fun for parents…which is why I started taking the “sorry” cards out of the Sorry! game deck and strategically organizing the pink candy cards in Candyland.
There’s a time and a place to teach kids about sportsmanship, fairness, and rules, but sometimes it’s nice to just have fun and play a game that’s not too competitive where no one cries at the end.
Here are a few fast paced games that our whole family enjoys:
Farkle – a game of chance played with six dice and any number of players. You score by rolling ones, fives, or three of a kind.
Qwirkle – a matching game with colors, shapes, and a fun name!
Mexican Train or Chicken Foot Dominoes – We play with double 15 dominoes and it’s good for all ages and large groups.
Memory – Kids have excellent memories and mine is not that good anymore so this game offers a pretty even playing field for all ages.
Bingo – With prizes from around the house of course (eg. winner gets the last cookie or gets to shower first)!
Pictionary – My kids and I all love to draw, so this is an easy family favorite.
Rummikub – In this game you match tiles by color and number, it does require some math, but I’m always surprised how much my kids enjoy it!
We also like to gather around the table for card games:
Hand and Foot – This one takes time to get set up because you have to shuffle four decks of cards – it’s kind of a grown up version of Go Fish.
Contract Rummy – You’ll need two packs of cards for this extended rummy game, and at least three players.
Crazy Eights – At some point we merged the rules from Uno into our Crazy Eights games so twos require you to draw two, kings reverse play, and jacks skip the opponent’s turn. It’s still more fun than Uno!
Spoons – Ok, this one does get a little competitive, but still, we all think it’s fun!
I’ll also leave you with a list of games that I refuse to play with my kids because, let’s face it, they are NOT fun for the whole family. Stratego…no, way too complicated. Risk and Settlers of Catan…no, because someone always cries. Monopoly and Clue – no, shoot me now. Aggravation – obviously, no.
I hope you guys find some fun ones from our family’s fav games list!
What games does your family like to play?
Which games do you avoid at all cost?
