We are definitely a “games family”. Growing up, my parents taught us numerous card games: everything from Uno, to Solitaire games, Accords, and Bridge. And our family has always loved to play board games. Every Christmas my Aunt and Uncle would come to visit for a week, and almost every night after dinner the whole family would play board games. Evening board game marathons are still one of my favorite parts of Christmas – even as an adult!

I remember so many nights spent laughing together as a family, and so many jokes that started during a board game and went on for years. Even my husband went through board game initiation when we first met. One of the first weekends when we were dating, he came over for our family Easter dinner, and was subjected to a game of Catch Phrase. Poor guy, his first time meeting my family, and there we were making him play a fast-paced word game! He was a great sport though … probably part of the reason he is my husband today!

Once we had kids of our own, we knew we wanted to instill a love of games in them as well. This sounds a bit corny, but I swear that our family is closer because of all of the “bonding” time spent playing games together. So as soon as we could, we started buying children’s board games. Here are some of our favourites over the years.

Young Children

Shopping List by Orchard Toys (3-7 years): This is a memory game, so don’t expect to win this one against your toddler! Each player chooses a shopping list and grocery cart, and all of the pieces are laid out face down in the centre. When it’s your turn, you flip over a piece. If you have that food item on your shopping list, place it in your cart; if not, return it upside down in the centre for another player to select on their turn. Both our children really enjoyed this game, and it’s enjoyable for parents as well. At the very least, I figure it’s helping to keep my memory sharp(ish)!

Busy Town Eye Found It by Wonder Forge (3 years+): This is an awesome, unique game! Based on Richard Scarry’s Busy Town, this is a collaborative game (collaborative meaning no winners, and therefore no sad players!) where players work together to reach the picnic at the end before the piggies eat all of the snacks. When it’s your turn, you spin the wheel to determine whether you will move forward, solve a mystery, or whether the piggies will eat a food item! If you spin a mystery, you draw a card (e.g pylon) and all players work together to find as many images of a pylon as they can throughout the game board. This was always one of our children’s favourite games.

Zingo (3 years+): This award winning game is a fun twist on traditional Bingo. As with Bingo, each player chooses a card (there are 2 levels of difficulty to select from). Instead of having a caller to call out the items, players use the Zingo Zinger to reveal two tiles at a time. If you have the image on one of the tiles, you call out the word, and take the tile for your playing card. Our kids loved to be the person that operated the Zingo machine.

Hoot Owl Hoot (4 years+): This game has also won numerous awards, and while we never owned it ourselves, we have played it a number of times at a friend’s house. This is another cooperative game, where players work together to move all of the owls safely into the nest before the sun comes up. Each turn, players draw a card. The card either gives you a colour (indicating a space that you can move one of the owls to) or a sun (meaning that the sun moves one more spot towards rising).

Disney Frozen 6-in-1 Games (3 years+): This game isn’t for everyone … but if you have an Elsa fan in your midst, it might be a hit in your family! There are 6 games in the box to keep you entertained: Bingo, Go Fish, Crazy 8’s, Four-in-a-Row, Dominoes, and Matching. These were favourites with our little ones.

Crocodile Snap (3-8 years): This game is a children’s version of the traditional card game Snap. Each player starts with a stack of tiles, each with a different animal on it. You place them face down in front of you and take turns flipping over the top card in your pile. Any time a matching pair of animals is visible on the table, players shout out Snap, and take the stack and add it to their own. If it’s two crocodile tiles, players shout Snap while making a crocodile snap with their arms. Although the game says ages 3-8 years our little ones found the speed aspect of this game a bit tricky at the start.

Go Fish/Old Maid/Concentration: Go Fish was one of the top games in our house when the kids were younger. It’s easy to play, can be played with multiple different decks (animals, letters, Frozen characters, etc.), and doesn’t take much time for a game. You can even use the same deck of cards to play a game of Concentration or Old Maid! We love the Animal Village Old Maid set, and the Go Fish set from School Zone where you match the baby animals to their Mommy/Daddy. We have found that for little hands, holding the cards to play some of these games can be tricky. My Dad made our children an awesome wooden card holder that they used all the time. These playing card holders can also be found online and in toy stores, and might be a worthwhile purchase to avoid frustration!

Slightly Older Kids

Outfoxed (5 years+): This is a fun, cooperative game, where players work together to discover the guilty fox. Players must collect clues, and then use a fun evidence scanner to get closer to nabbing the thief. Both of our kids enjoyed this game, and it’s different every time you play.

Guess Who (6 years+): Guess Who is a classic board game, and it’s just as fun to play now as it was years ago! Our kids love this game – the rules are simple, it’s easy to play for younger kids, and you can play in teams if need be. We’ve even found a way to make it more fun to play with our eldest! Instead of the traditional questions (‘does your person have blond hair?’, ‘does your person wear glasses?’), we’ve started being more creative with our questions! We ask things like ‘does your person look like they tried to get tickets to the Taylor Swift concert?’

Uno (7 years+): Another classic option, Uno is a great game to play as a family. It’s fast-paced, easy to learn, and fun. We even played over the holidays with a 4-year old member of our family, and he loved it! There are also many different variations of Uno that have been developed over the years, if you’re looking for an alternative to the classic version!

Sleeping Queens and Sleeping Queens 2 (8 years+): Sleeping Queens 1 and 2 were both developed by a 6-year old girl – with the help of her family. We started playing these games over a year ago, and they are still our #1 favourite games to play. Both games can be a little tricky to learn, as there are a lot of rules and things to remember. But I promise you – if you stick with it, they are such fun games! Sleeping Queens 2 is a little bit trickier to learn, but worth it! It even involves some math, which has been a great way for our youngest to practice her addition. The age rating on these games is 8 years +, but with some practice, a 6/7 year old can definitely play.

Do you really know your family (8 years+): This is such a fun game! It’s fast-paced, loud, and always gets our family laughing! It is also a great way to learn more about your family. There are two types of cards in this game: trivia cards, and challenge cards. Trivia cards ask a question such as ‘What is your favourite trip you’ve taken?’. The player who drew the card thinks of their answer, and then the others try to guess. The first player to guess correctly gets to keep the card – collect 15 cards and you win. Challenge cards offer a challenge that can be won by any player typically. It might be something such as: go around the room naming different countries – if a player repeats a country or pauses, they’re out. Last player standing keeps the card! This game is a hit with our family. The recommended age is 8 years, but we’ve played this game with 6/7 year olds with no issue. We just have to sometimes let them draw a new trivia card if one doesn’t apply to them (e.g. “what do you enjoy most about your work”?)

Pictionary (8 years+): Pictionary is another game that’s been around for years, and is still one of the best! The classic drawing game is a blast to play with kids or adults alike.

Pictopia Disney Edition (7 years+): This is a really fun game – especially if your family is a fan of Disney movies. Test your knowledge of Disney trivia … and of each other! There’s even an element of teamwork, and wagering. Our 7 year old loved this game so much that she would ask to take some of the trivia cards up to bed at night to quiz each other – a great way to practice her reading!

Cranium – Cadoo (7 years+): Cranium has always been a favourite game with the adults in our family (see below). Now there’s a kids version! Based on the same premise of drawing, sculpting, acting and puzzling – but perfect for family game nights with younger kids.

Guesstures (8 years+): Guesstures is a fast-paced exciting version of Charades. Players act out various cards – but there’s a twist! The cards are placed in a machine and once your team guesses a word correctly you must grab the card before it drops! A great game for kids and adults alike.

Preteens & Teens

Cranium (16 years+): Cranium was always one of my favourite games as a teen/young adult. It combines many of my favourite games into one: drawing, sculpting, acting, and trivia! Cranium is played in teams, who race around the board answer questions as they go.

Catch Phrase (12 years+): Catch Phrase is another family favourite. It’s a fast paced word game, always good for a lot of laughs! Players sit in a circle, alternating Team A, B, A, B. When the timer begins, the first person tries to get their teammates to say the word displayed on the machine. Once their teammates correctly guess the word, the player passes the machine to the person beside them, and a new word is displayed. As time goes on, the beeping gets faster and faster. Whichever team is left holding the machine when it buzzes, loses that round. The other team receives a point, and the opportunity to steal a second point by guessing the word!

Taboo (13 years+): Taboo is similar to Catch Phrase, but with a twist: when a player is describing a word, they must avoid saying 5 “taboo” words that are written on the card. And of course.. these 5 words are the exact words that you would like to use, to help your teammates guess the word! Each player tries to get their team to guess as many words as possible before the timer runs out.

Rummoli (12 years+): Rummoli is a fun game to play with a group of people. Players are dealt a hand (and can even bet on a new hand if they don’t like theirs!). Then play begins. Anytime a player is able to play one of the combinations on the board, they get to keep all of the chips on that square! You can even start each round with a quick round of poker if you like.

What (14 years+): What is a very funny game. Each player must write a response to a question/prompt. Whoever’s turn it is will read out all of the responses and choose their favorite. Players then take turns guessing who wrote that response. Guess correctly and win a point! If no one guesses correctly, the author of that statement earns three points! We find that the more rounds we play, the funnier the responses get! Our 11 year old plays with us, and is amazing – it’s one of her favourite games!

Telestrations (12 years+): Telestrations is a bit of a mix between Pictionary and Telephone. Each player gets a card and draws one of the words on their board. Everyone then passes their board around the circle, and the next player looks at the drawing and writes their guess on the next page. Boards are passed again, and this time players draw what was written by the last player. This continues until the boards have been passed around the circle. Each player then shows their board and players get points if the drawing and guess matches. As you can imagine, some pretty funny situations can occur – especially when you add young kids into the mix!! Our 7 year old started playing with us this year, and absolutely loves it. This is one of our favourite games to play when the whole family gets together.

Does your family have any favourite card or board games? I’d love to hear them! We are always looking for new options for family game nights!