Our family loves to play board games and after we had children, we began to play them a lot more. We are usually home more in the evening, so we pop some popcorn and catch up on our television shows while we play.
I try to get our board games at our local thrift store because it is a great way for me to try them out without making a huge investment. Sometimes I buy games and we discover that it isn’t something we would want to play over and over again. When they cost us only $1.50, it makes it much easier to donate it back and try something else out.
You might be able to do this without even making a small investment by checking with your local library. Our library actually has games and toys that you can rent for your children. We were able to try some games out for our son and found that he either didn’t like them or they were way too advanced by just checking them out for a week. We were able to return them and then try them at a later date with him, when they were more age-appropriate.
2. Scrabble- What is not to love about this game? Intended for two players or more and recommended for ages eight to ninety-nine, you can play this game for years with your children. The game has been improved with a swivel board (less stretching required!), raised holders to rest the tiles into, and a bag to store all of the tiles. This is one of my personal favorites and we play this a lot in our house. Don’t forget to purchase a copy of the Scrabble Dictionary and store it with your game board. Take some time to study some words and really beat your opponents! Want to see what Scrabble obsession looks like? Rent the movie, “Word Wars.” It is all about the Scrabble championships that are held and people who attempt to make a living from this sport.
3. Upwords- Along the same vein, this is another fabulous word puzzle game, but with a twist. You build words just like Scrabble, but you can build up and up (five letters high) to change words into new words. The more you stack, the more points you earn. I think it is more challenging than Scrabble, but the scoring is much easier to do. This game is for two players or more and recommended for ages eight and up. This game can be a powerful tool when your children are beginning to read because it can help teach them how to change words using different letters. Consider it a cheap version of “Hooked on Phonics” and a game that they can enjoy for years after they have learned to read!
4. Skipbo- This was my favorite game growing up and my sister & I would play this for hours and hours. Created by the makers of UNO, this card game is a delight for anyone of all ages. The game is a sequencing game of skill and strategy intended for two players or more and ages seven and up. Players create sequential stacks with cards on the board, the first player to use all the cards in their stack wins. The deluxe edition has a board with placeholders for all of the stacks of cards and score sheets to keep tabs of the winners. I love this game because it is easy to still have conversations while playing, making it a great game to socialize with other couples.
5. Yahtzee- A classic game of dice that has been around since 1956 and is still played in millions of homes today. You can play alone (which I don’t think would be as much fun) or with more players. The ultimate in this game is to actually get Yahtzee or five of a kind. This game is so much fun and also a great teaching tool for children. Children can learn basic addition and subtraction, as well as sequential ordering.
6. Monopoly- I had never played this game until high school, and I can honestly say that my husband is always the winner, which is why we don’t play it as much! This game is a great teaching tool in money-management and in buying
real estate. We have a couple of different versions of this game, but my favorite is the Dot Com Monopoly, which we purchased when Dot Coms were ruling the world. Few of the companies on the board exist anymore, which makes for interesting conversation and fond memories before the dot com bomb hit for computer nerds and geeks alike!
We have many more games in our collection and the last time I hit the thrift store, I picked up another stack of new ones. Our collection keeps growing and we hope to have a game collection that our kids will enjoy someday with their friends. In a day of technological bliss, game nights now seem “retro.” Why play on a board when you can just grab your game system or play a computer game online? I hope that board games will last the test of time because they can be an essential part of family bonding and creating a family night to remember!
What are your favorite games? Any games that I should be adding to our collection?
We have game nights not only with our kids, but also with friends. Parents love the chance to play with other adults and often time this doesn’t happen. We invite friends over with similar aged kids or let the kids invite a friend over, too, and then the parents spent a couple hours playing silly games. Our current favorite is Apples to Apples. LOVE IT!
Rebekah
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I will admit that we played games so much more before we had kids. Our little girl is 2 and it's hard to keep from grabbing game pieces, etc. But some of our faves are Boggle and Nertz (this one has many names but it's basically a combination of solitaire & speed). But Apples to Apples is also a really fun one!
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My husband and I enjoy playing board games, but for the most part it’s just the two of us playing so we have to find good two-player games.
Lately, we’ve enjoyed Sequence, Phase 10, and Blink. The last two are card games.
My parents like playing Boggle and Scrabble.
When we have several adults together, I like playing Apples to Apples and Taboo.
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LOVE game nights including cards, so fun. Except for Candyland, I quietly snuck that game out of our house some time ago…it is evil..a game that never ends. It had to go.
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We love Rummikub… my husband’s family also played it a lot when he was younger…I had never heard of it. We also play Mexican Train Dominos…and Triominos…sooo addictive!
We picked up a small set of dominoes for the kids to play with while we are playing “big people” games so they can be just like us! They sit at the kids table right next to our big table and then we can all play (for a short while…the kids are 3 and under!!)
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I agree with Rebekah and Kacie’s posts… For adults, Apples to Apples is down right hilarious. I’ve have laughed myself to tears several times during that game.
Catch Phrase Music Edition is also one of our favorites. You have to sing and guess your teams songs. It’s a blast.
Phase 10 is a good one too!
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I think Cranium is great fun, it involves some word puzzles, trivia, art and singing/acting.
The original is about $20 and worth every penny!
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Apples to Apples is fun, unless you have a husband that likes to argue his case. Then it’s annoying. :}
I loved playing Beyond Balderdash in college. We laughed so hard with that game. It would be for older kids.
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Rich and the boys play a game called Careers. You get various jobs and win by making your life “forumla” first. (happiness, fame, $$)
I don’t remember who makes it. Look for the ooooold version in a thrift store or at a yard sale. The 1950s/60s? version is much nicer than the updated one.
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“Sorry” is a fav from my youth that I’m now playing with my 4 year old.
And “Othello” is deceptively easy but very challenging to ye olde logical brain.
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We love the game “Things: Humor In A Box”. Not a great game for little kids, but my husband and I love to bring it out when we have friends over or game nights at our house for the youth at church. It’s a Canadian game, but Target just started to sell it in the U.S.
I always loved UNO as a kid though.
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We love a set of dominoes that we purchased. They are beyond useful because they are so versatile. My husband and I love to play Mexican Train with our adult friends, but when the kids around we play a modified version that also becomes educational.
When we volunteer our home for the church youth group we almost always pull out the Battle of the Sexes game.
And you can add us to the list of Apples to Apples fans as well!
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Our favorite game is Blokus. Even our 2 year old can play a version of it!!
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Pass The Pigs…I know, it sounds ridiculous, and it is, that’s why you can’t play and keep a straight face. My mother-in-law walked away after wetting her pants laughing so hard=)
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“Settlers of Catan” is by far our favorite board game to play with family and/or friends. they make a kids’ version but our children had no problem playing the regular version (and winning) when they were as young as six.
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