Last night was family game night in our house—one of the items on our Summer List. After dinner, the kids got in their PJs and everybody got to pick one game. (I know, Saturday nights are crazy in our house!) We played each game until somebody won (and miraculously, everybody managed to win one) and then moved on to the next. At 3 years old, Finn was a bit young to really get the concept and kept moving his pieces to whichever square he wanted, but overall it went pretty well and the timing worked with us finishing right at the kids’ bedtime. Lucy said she “looooooved” family game night, so I consider it a success.
Here’s a rundown of some of our favorite family games:
via Hasbro
Favorite Classic Board Game: Candy Land is still our favorite, with its simple premise and yummy illustrations. The kids even had a Candy Land-themed birthday party last year. They have so much fun playing the game, they don’t even mind it when a picture card sends them back to the beginning of the board, and I like the nostalgia of playing something I loved so much as a child. The kids especially like to play this game with Grandpa, a Candy Land legend in our family.
via eeBoo
Favorite New Game Brand: eeBoo games are our contemporary favorites. They are well-constructed, eco-friendly, and beautifully illustrated. eeBoo makes absolutely gorgeous memory games—Lucy’s favorite is the Candy Matching Game—and we all love their Bingo games, like Animal Bingo and Storefront Bingo. They also make some great travel-sized games and card games, including the best version of Go Fish I’ve found.
via I Can Do That
Favorite Team-Oriented Game: Busytown is a Richard Scarry board game that requires everyone to work together as a team. You win as a team or lose to the game’s “piggies” together. Using a spinner, players makes their way across an extended board and try to reach a ferry that everyone will sail on together to the finish line. Along the way, there are opportunities to find hidden pictures among classic Scarry graphics. The picture searches keep everyone busy and the lack of an individual winner means no hard feelings, making this one a family favorite.
via Amazon
Favorite Action-Oriented Game: The Cat in the Hat – I Can Do That game keeps everybody moving. You choose a series of three cards that, put together, give you a task to perform with certain conditions—for example, you might be asked to hop on one foot while balancing the game’s birthday cake prop on your head. There are lots of different combinations and everybody gets a good laugh trying to complete the challenges. Best of all, the rules are so simple you don’t need to re-read an extensive set of directions every time you play!
What are some of your favorite family games?
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When I was growing up, my mom always bought a Christmas ornament wherever we were vacationing. It was a great way to remember our travels and always added something new and fun to the family Christmas tree in December.
