Forget Candyland! This Is the Best List of Board Games for All Ages
Sometimes the daily grind of family life can leave you feeling disconnected as a family.
It could be that you retreated to your individual corners of the world to indulge in separate screen time. Or you got focused on the “list” instead of on each other while you ran a bunch of errands. Or maybe you rushed through the homework/dinner/bathtime routine because your eyes were on the prize at the end of it all: a glass of wine + couch + mindless TV.
When this happens, your patience can run dry or your kids may stop cooperating – usually both.
When our family is feeling that disconnect, one thing seems to have a magical power for bringing us back together with smiles and laughter.
Games.
But Here’s the Problem
We have a 11-year-old, 6-year-old, 4-year-old, and a toddler. Which means:
- The toddler destroys whatever we’re trying to play, so we have to wait until he’s asleep at night before we can play. This is understandable, and we know it’s temporary.
- We have to play games to the lowest common denominator: our preschooler. If a game is too advanced for her, she gets bored and assumes her baby brother’s role of wreaking havoc on the game in progress.
- Playing “younger” games isn’t the end of the world, except for the fact that…
- Most games designed for younger kids are boring.
Candyland, Chutes & Ladders, Hi Ho Cherry-O? MAKE IT STOP.
Call me the Board Game Grinch if you want, but I firmly believe life is too short to play a game so tedious it makes you want to gouge out your eyeballs.
If you do enjoy games like Candyland, you are a more patient soul than I am, and I admire that! But if you have to grit your teeth in order to play a game with your kid, you’re not doing anyone any favors.
Because when you’re actually having fun playing a game with your kids, your kids will notice and have more fun themselves. But if you’re bored out of your mind? They’ll notice that, too.
Related: How to Connect With Your Child: The Magic of the 5:1 Ratio {Printable}
38 Best Board Games for All Ages That Will Make the Whole Family Happy
Thanks to the wide range of ages in our family, we have the perfect testing ground for which board games and card games work well for all different ages.
These are our kids’ absolute favorite card and board games for all ages, but here’s the best part: My husband and I enjoy playing every single one of these games, too. When our preschooler picks one of these games, we don’t roll our eyes or groan because we actually want to play them.
These are also the games we lend to friends and family because we know they won’t be gone long. Within a couple days, friends report back that everyone in their family loved the game, and we can have ours back because they’re getting their own copy.
In other words, this list of board games for the whole family is 100% approved by both kids and parents.
I’d love to add to this list over time (not to mention find awesome new games we’ve never played before!), so before you go, please leave a comment with your favorite card and board games for all ages of kids (and adults).
You’ll be saving parents everywhere from the nightmare that is Hi Ho Cherry-O.
But First: Which Ages Work Best With These Games for the Whole Family?
Below, each game includes a suggested minimum age. Most of the time, this is different than the minimum age you’ll see listed by the game manufacturer on the box.
The minimum ages listed below are based on my own family’s experience of testing family games for all ages with our (very different) kids, plus the minimum ages reported by the thousands of families who posted reviews of these games online. But remember that every child is different, so your specific experience may vary. If your child isn’t ready for a game quite yet, put it away for a month or two then try again!
For even more games that are perfect for different age groups, check out our age-specific game lists:
- Ages 18 months to 3 years: The Best Toddler Board Games
- Ages 3 to 5 years: The Best Preschool Board Games
- Ages 5 to 6 years: The Best Board Games for Kindergartners
- Ages 13 and up: The Best Board Games for Teens
Note: indicates my family’s absolute top favorites on the list. These are the games my whole family can’t get enough of! In fact, we love them so much that we stock them in our store. Order from us here, and you’ll be supporting a family-owned business while also treating your own family to a fun new game!
Quick Board Games for All Ages: Play in 20 Minutes or Less
When you’re short on time and need a quick dose of family connection, these are the best board games for the whole family.
1. Sleeping Queens
Time to Play: 10-15 minutes
Number of Players: 2–5
Minimum Age: 3-year-olds will need help to remember all the rules; best for ages 4 and up
Get It: Sleeping Queens
If you get nothing else from this, you must play this game. Promise me! Because of all our favorite family games for all ages, this is our number one go-to. The rules are simple enough for our kids to understand at age three, but the game still keeps everyone on their toes.
We never get tired of this one! Plus, you can play a whole game in about 10 minutes. Perfect for getting in a dose of family connection before sending little ones off to bed.
Note: The manufacturer says this is for ages 8 and up, but according to several other families (including mine!) most 4-year-olds are ready for this game, especially if you help them out a bit with the number cards.
Bonus: All game orders placed in our family-owned shop get a $7.99 bonus credit after purchase to spend on instant downloads!
Sleeping Queens
“My daughter and I love Sleeping Queens! It teaches them math without them even realizing it – or me, for that matter. I remember my daughter laid down a sequence that was like 1 + 3 + 5 = 9, and I thought ‘How did you know that…?’ Then I realized she just figured it out from doing math in the game. So cool to watch her learn right before my eyes.” – Ann
By the way, when you’re playing card games with your child, this card holder is a must have for little hands. Your child can hold it to see their cards, or they can set the holder down on the table for a break. (This particular card holder has stood the test of time, as opposed to other card holders we’ve tried.)
Readers who bought Sleeping Queens also bought
Little Hands Playing Card Holder“I love the card holder, plus your suggestions for how to play with little kids!” – Linda
2. Outfoxed!
Time to Play: 15 minutes
Number of Players: 2-4
Minimum Age: 3-year-olds can play this with a little help; best for ages 4 and up
Get It: Outfoxed!
This game is like Clue but for younger kids – and yet still fun for adults too. A fox stole a pot pie, and you have to figure out which fox it was before they escape into the foxhole.
My kids regularly play this cooperative whodunnit game independently, and I love watching them work together as a team to solve the mystery. This is a fun little game to build kids’ logic and deductive reasoning skills!
Outfoxed
“Outfoxed is cooperative so it’s fun for everyone and easy enough for even preschoolers to participate!” – Elizabeth
3. Sushi Go
Time to Play: 15 minutes
Number of Players: 2–5
Minimum Age: 4-year-olds can understand the basic gameplay, but ages 5 and up are a better fit for the strategy
Get It: Sushi Go
This fun card game is one of our favorite games for the whole family because you can play it quickly. My kids will happily sit and play this one for an hour or more – round after round after round.
To play, you pick one card from your hand to keep for yourself, then pass your cards to the next person. Everyone keeps doing this until all cards are picked. Then you score points based on which cards you picked to keep: Did you get the most maki rolls? Did you dip your nigiri in wasabi to triple its value?
When my second child was 3, she loved this game, even though she didn’t get the strategy of which cards to keep. In fact, she didn’t care who won because she had so much fun just picking her favorite cards and passing the rest along. Now that she’s older, she’s starting to pick up on the strategy – and her younger sister is now in that “having a blast picking cards” phase.
Sushi Go or Sushi Go Party
“I can confirm the power of board games. It’s our bonding time where we all have fun together. Sushi Go is one of our favorites when we are short on time!” – Olivia
4. Spot It! Jr Animals or Spot It! Classic
Time to Play: 10-20 minutes
Number of Players: 2–8
Minimum Age: Ages 3 and up do best with the kids’ edition; the regular version is best for ages 5 and up
Get It: Spot It! Jr Animals or Spot It! Classic (also called Dobble in some areas)
My favorite part of this matching game is that it’s so portable. When we’re heading somewhere the kids will have to wait a bit, like the doctor’s office or to a restaurant, I can throw this little game in my purse and keep all the kids entertained and relatively quiet. (Side note: The small tin holding the cards also makes this game a great fit as a stocking stuffer for kids!)
The junior edition of this game is better for younger kids because it features larger images and fewer images on each card. Also, some editions of the regular version require some reading, but the junior edition doesn’t require any reading.
By the way, out of all the family board games for all ages included in this list, this one is the most frequently recommended by readers!
Spot It! Jr Animals or Classic or 123
“A must have game for every home perfect for ALL ages…Spot It! It’s a matching game on a whole new level. My husband and I love this game as much as the kids!” – Cristy
5. Rat-a-Tat Cat
Time to Play: 10 minutes
Number of Players: 2-6 players
Minimum Age: Some 4-year-olds can play this with help; best for ages 5 and up
Get It: Rat-a-Tat Cat
In this fast-paced card game, your goal is to collect cards so that you’ll have the lowest possible point value. That means getting rid of the high cards (rats) and going for the low cards (cats). When you think you’ve got the lowest score, you call out “Rat-a-Tat Cat!”
This quick game builds your child’s memory skills and number sense, plus you can play a whole game in about 10 minutes, which is great for an extra dose of connection with your child before bedtime.
This game is in our regular rotation, and we also like to play it in between rounds of Sleeping Queens for a change of pace. It’s the perfect mix of silly, challenging, and fun!
Rat-a-Tat Cat
“My 5 year old’s current favorite is Rat a Tat Cat by Gamewright. I really like how the rules can be adapted for an ‘easy’ and ‘hard’ version of the game, giving the game more longevity!” – Patricia
6. Gobblet Gobblers
Time to Play: 5 minutes
Number of Players: 2 players
Minimum Age: 4 and up
Get It: Gobblet Gobblers
This game is like tic-tac-toe with a twist. Just like in tic-tac-toe, you line up three of your pieces to win. But in this game, your piece can also gobble up another person’s piece (or even your own piece) because the game pieces are like nesting dolls. You can also move any pieces you already placed on the board.
While it can get boring to play tic-tac-toe with a young child over and over again, this game shakes things up enough to make it fun for all ages in the family. The game is over quickly, which is a plus for a young child’s attention span. My 11-year-old and 4-year-old will sit and play game after game together because they’re having so much fun. Your child won’t even realize they’re building critical thinking, memory skills, and spatial awareness skills while having fun!
The manufacturer says this is for ages 5 and up, but according to several other families (including mine!) most 4-year-olds are ready for this game.
If you like this game, the same company also makes another game for young kids called Pengoloo, and that one’s a hit with the whole family too.
Note: Be sure to get this wooden version of this game, not the newer plastic version. The families who accidentally ordered the plastic version while on another site were bummed because the plastic edition isn’t nearly as sturdy.
Gobblet Gobblers
“Far and away our family’s favorite game!” – A boy mom
7. Crossing
Time to Play: 15 minutes
Number of Players: 3-6 players
Minimum Age: 6 and up
Get It: Crossing
This quick game of strategy is perfect for connecting with your child when you have a small pocket of time, like at bedtime or after getting home from school. Kids love trying to collect as many gemstones as possible, and the strategy aspect of the game is enough to keep adult players on their toes too.
On each turn, all players make their moves at the same time. You can choose to go after a new batch of gemstones, protect your current stash, or steal from another player. But if two players both go after the same gemstones, no one gets them. That means you need to think ahead and predict what the other players might be going after.
Plus, your child will get bonus math practice when adding up the points for their gemstones at the end.
Good, quick fun for a wide range of ages!
Note: The manufacturer says this is for ages 8 and up, but according to several other families (including mine!) most 6-year-olds are ready for this game.
Crossing
“This game is fun, quick to learn, and super easy to teach your child. My 6-year-old loves playing with her grandparents!” – Micah
Clever Games for the Whole Family That Will Sharpen Little Minds
Your whole family will have a blast playing these board games for all ages, and your kids won’t even realize they’re growing their brains, too!
8. Ticket to Ride First Journey or Ticket to Ride
Time to Play: 15-30 minutes for the kids’ edition; 30-60 minutes for the regular version
Number of Players: 2-4 for the kids’ edition; 2–5 for the regular version
Minimum Age: 6 and up for the kids’ edition; the regular version is best for 8 and up
Get It: Ticket to Ride First Journey or Ticket to Ride
In this game, your goal is to figure out the best routes to travel across America by train. Not only will your child learn strategy and geography, but they’ll have a blast too.
The kids’ edition is simple enough for younger kids but still challenging enough for the whole family to enjoy. In fact, because the games are quicker with the kids’ edition, my family prefers to play that one over the full edition!
Then when your child is ready, move up to the regular version for even more of a fun challenge. The full edition of Ticket to Ride is so much fun that my husband and I love to play it after the kids are in bed, just the two of us.
Ticket to Ride or Ticket to Ride: First Journey
“For Christmas based on your recommendations, I gave the kids Sleeping Queens and Ticket to Ride First Journey, and we’ve been playing them ALL YEAR! Can’t wait to add a few more of your recommendations this Christmas!” – Jess
9. My First Carcassonne or Carcassonne
Time to Play: 10-20 minutes for the kids’ edition; 30-45 minutes for the regular version
Number of Players: 2–4 for the kids’ edition; 2-5 for the regular version
Minimum Age: 3-year-olds can understand the concepts in the kids’ edition, but 4-year-olds and up will do best with the strategy; the regular version works best with ages 7 and up
Get It: My First Carcassonne or Carcassonne
Whereas some family board games for all ages are all luck and no strategy, this game gives kids a fun introduction to thinking strategically. To play, you place tiles to build streets in the city of Carcassonne, so the road-building aspect is fantastic for growing spatial intelligence.
This game is on my own personal short list of my favorite games to play as a family!
Carcassonne or My First Carcassonne
“We have three kids: 10, 8, and 4. We like the game Carcassonne a lot! We skip the keeping score part when playing with our preschooler, but not with our other two.” – Stephanie
10. Qwirkle
Time to Play: 30-45 minutes
Number of Players: 2–4
Minimum Age: Some 4-year-olds can play this with some help; best for ages 5 and up
Get It: Qwirkle or Travel Qwirkle
This game is simple enough for beginners but challenging enough for adults, so it’s the perfect fit when you need a game that will work for all ages. Your child will have fun while practicing math and building strategy skills at the same time.
This game took a little practice for our preschoolers at first, so take it slow and end the game early when you’re first teaching young kids. To speed up the game, we skip keeping score and put the focus on matching the colors and patterns. You can play a whole game in about 30-45 minutes, and then after the game our younger kids will extend the fun by building towers with the tiles.
This game also comes in a compact travel version, so we keep it in our suitcase and take it with us wherever we go.
Qwirkle or Travel Qwirkle
“This game is so much fun for the family! We have played it several days in a row, and it’s a fun and challenging way to spend time together. The youngest in our home is 15 and we are all competitive. But this game would be great for a wide range of ages. The game is designed to suit any skill level. This may be the best $25 I ever spent…This game is compelling enough to get teenagers off their phones.” – Sheila
11. Rummikub
Time to Play: 45-60 minutes
Number of Players: 2–4
Minimum Age: Some 3-year-olds can understand the concepts of this game, but it’s an even better fit for 4-year-olds and 5-year-olds
Get It: Rummikub
This classic family game will build your child’s math skills, but they’ll have so much fun they won’t even realize they’re growing their brain at the same time. As a bonus, Rummikub is challenging enough to keep even adults on their toes. When grandparents come to visit, this is the game both kids and grandparents love to play!
This is supposed to be for ages 8 and up, but we’ve had three preschoolers who were still able to understand the rules after one practice game. Several reviewers have said their preschoolers get into this game as well. Plus, it’s great reinforcement for kids who are learning to recognize numbers.
Rummikub
“This is a great QUICK game for all ages! Some family games like Monopoly can take FOREVER, but this one is fast enough that you can even play more than one round if you want. Plus, it’s not way easy like some games for kids, so it’s actually a challenge for me as an adult too! Keeps my brain active. :)” – Rose
12. Sequence for Kids or Sequence
Time to Play: 20 minutes for kids’ edition; 10-30 for regular
Number of Players: 2–4 for kids’ edition; 2-12 for regular
Minimum Age: 3 and up for the kids’ edition; 7 and up for regular
Get It: Sequence for Kids or Sequence
The regular edition of Sequence was a bit of a stretch for our kids at age three, so we got the Sequence for Kids version and it’s perfect for now. Sometimes though, we’ll invite the youngest to join mom or dad’s team so we can play the regular version.
What’s cool about this game is that you’ll notice your kids start thinking ahead a couple turns instead of just playing the second they find a match.
Sequence for Kids or Sequence Letters
“The one we have enjoyed playing most with our 4-yr-old daughter is Sequence for Kids. We loved it so much that she wanted to purchase one for her friend for Christmas. :)” – Kim
13. Dixit
Time to Play: 30 minutes
Number of Players: 3–6
Minimum Age: Some 4-year-olds have been known to beat their parents at this game (!); best for ages 5 and up
Get It: Dixit
Our oldest used her 10th birthday money to get this game, and we all fell in love with it right from the start. (The artwork is absolutely gorgeous!)
If you want to nurture your child’s creativity, you need this storytelling game. Each round, one player picks a card (without showing anyone else!) and makes up a one-sentence story based on the picture on that card. Then all the other players pick a card that best fits with that story, and everyone puts their cards facedown. The storyteller shuffles the cards and turns them all over, and everyone has to vote on which was the “correct” card that inspired the original story.
The best part of this game is watching how your child pieces a story together and literally seeing their imagination at work. I never get tired of seeing what my kids come up with. Sometimes their clues are more literal, and sometimes they completely surprise me.
A few ideas if you’re playing with a younger child:
- The first time you play, do a few practice rounds to help your kiddo get comfortable with the rules and strategy. You might even start with a practice run every time you sit down to play this game as a family. For example, it was a challenge for our preschooler at first to not give away which card was hers when it comes time to guess the right answer. But after a couple games, she got it.
- Make a house rule that clues can be just one word. This will help younger kids avoid giving away too much about their cards.
- Or as an alternative, you can have a rule that kids’ clues must be feelings. Ask the kids to describe how the card makes them feel, and they’ll avoid being too literal.
- Try playing without keeping score so you keep the focus on the best part of the game – getting your creative juices flowing.
Dixit
“My family’s favorite game EVER is Dixit. It’s perfect for a wide range of ages!” – Kristen
14. SET
Time to Play: 20-30 minutes
Number of Players: 1 or more
Minimum Age: Some 4-year-olds can play this with help; best for ages 5 and up
Get It: SET
This fast-paced, fun card game will give your child’s brain a workout – and yours too! To play, you compare patterns on the cards and find a SET of three cards before anyone else does.
At first, I thought this game looked too simple and that it wouldn’t keep my interest as an adult, but it came highly recommended from friends so I gave it a chance. And I couldn’t have been more wrong! The shapes are deceptively simple, and finding a SET is challenging enough to keep adults on their toes too.
Another plus for this game: Your child can play the game alone. So when they come to you saying, “I’m bored,” don’t say a word. Just put this game in their hands, and they’ll be all set.
This is a fun mental workout for the whole family!
Note: The manufacturer says this is for ages 6 and up, but according to several other families (including mine!) most 5-year-olds and even some 4-year-olds are ready for this game.
SET
“So good for including all ages together, getting them to think mathematically without telling them so. The spatial awareness this develops is fun, competitive and beautifully repetitive. Finish a game and you want to start another!” – Karen
15. Five Crowns Junior
Time to Play: 20-30 minutes
Number of Players: 2-6
Minimum Age: 5 and up
Get It: Five Crowns Junior
This rummy-style card game is a fun way to help your child practice math skills and color matching. Based on the uber-popular Five Crowns card game for adults, this kid-friendly version also introduces your child to the basic concepts of rummy so they’ll be ready to play that when they’re older. A simple and fun game for the whole family!
A quick heads up if your child tends to be sensitive to losing: When you don’t have a full 5-card run during a turn, you get stuck with something called a Robbie chip. Then at the end of the game if there’s a tie, the person who has the most Robbie chips ends up getting their treasure “stolen” by the Robbies and therefore loses.
Because of the negative connotation of the Robbie chips, some kids don’t like that aspect of the game, so I recommend just leaving that part out entirely until your child is ready for more of a challenge.
Five Crowns Junior
“We have a 9, 8, and 5 year old, and this has become a family favorite! It’s a simple game but still good for their brains, and the whole game takes less than 30 minutes.” – Ally
16. Kingdomino
Time to Play: 15-20 minutes
Number of Players: 2-4
Minimum Age: Some 5-year-olds can play this with help; best for ages 6 and up
Get It: Kingdomino
This is an incredibly fun twist on the classic game of dominoes. In this game, you’re royalty in search of new lands so you can expand your kingdom. But you’ll need to hurry to snag the best spots before other royalty gets there first.
This game is simple to learn, quick to play, and challenging enough to keep adults coming back for more too. And when you play this tile laying game with your child, you’ll build their strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, all while having a great time connecting as a family.
Note: The manufacturer says this is for ages 8 and up, but according to several other families (including mine!) most 6-year-olds and even some 5-year-olds are ready for this game.
Kingdomino or Queendomino
“Our family loves this game! It incorporates patterns, multiplication, and strategy, and with several variations on the rules, this works well for two players, and adds different objectives to games with more players.” – Christina
17. Quiddler Junior
Time to Play: 20-40 minutes
Number of Players: 1-6
Minimum Age: Some 5-year-olds can play this if they’re reading independently; best for ages 6 and up
Get It: Quiddler Junior
This is one of those rare educational games for kids that’s actually fun for kids and adults. If you enjoy word games like Scrabble or Boggle but your child isn’t yet ready for those games, Quiddler Junior is the perfect fit. (Personally, I love this game just as much as my kids do!)
Each card in your hand features a different letter, and the goal of the game is to use those letters to create words. Creating words scores points, and the person with the most points at the end wins.
Teachers and homeschoolers rave about this card game because not only will your child improve their spelling and build their vocabulary, but they’ll also practice math skills when adding up their points.
As a bonus, this game also includes instructions for playing a solitaire version – an excellent option for when your child announces, “I’m bored!”
Note: The manufacturer says this game takes 40 minutes to play, but that’s for a full seven rounds. If you’d like a shorter game, you can just play fewer rounds and then add up everyone’s points.
Quiddler Junior or Quiddler
“I play this game with my kindergartener almost every day, usually at my son’s request. The game works on spelling, reading, and math, all in a fun and exciting game. Little does he know he’s actually learning, too!” – Claire
18. Word on the Street Junior
Time to Play: 30 minutes
Number of Players: 2-8
Minimum Age: Some 5-year-olds can play this if they’re reading independently; best for ages 6 and up
Get It: Word on the Street Junior
Some kids’ board games touted as “educational” are so focused on the learning aspects that they’ve sucked all the fun out of the game. But not Word on the Street Junior.
Even though the game is marketed as educational for kids with many teachers using it in their classrooms, adults find that they enjoy this game just as much as the kids do!
This game is like tug-of-war – but with letters. On your team’s turn, you get a prompt like “something with a shell” and you have to think of a word that fits that prompt, like “snail.” Then you get to move all the letters in your word one lane closer to your side of the “street” board. The first team to move eight letters all the way off the board wins.
Pro tip: When playing with a child who’s still learning how to spell various words, many families find it helpful to play with a small dry-erase board or scratch paper. After the child comes up with a word on their turn, you can help them spell it on the board or paper. Not only will that help them complete their turn, they’ll get some bonus spelling and handwriting practice.
Note: The manufacturer says this is for ages 7 and up, but according to several other families (including mine!) many 6-year-olds are ready for this game. The game instructions include variations for playing with younger kids, plus because you play on teams, you can pair up younger kids with an adult or older sibling.
Word on the Street Junior
“I’m a mom of three, ages 5, 8, and 10. This game is awesome for all ages! It requires creativity, and the back and forth keeps it exciting. Definitely worth it!” – Michelle
Silly Board Games for All Ages (Dare You Not to Giggle!)
When it comes to silly games for the whole family, these are the best picks. Guaranteed laughs!
19. Go Nuts for Donuts
Time to Play: 20 minutes
Number of Players: 2-6 players
Minimum Age: Some 4- and 5-year-olds can play this with help; best for ages 6 and up
Get It: Go Nuts for Donuts
This is a quick card game that always makes us laugh. The goal of the game is to get as many points-scoring donuts as you can and end up with the highest score, and the kids definitely love the donut theme.
But what really makes this game worth it is what happens when you go after the same donut as someone else. Because if you both go after the same donut, no one gets the donut. That means you need to think ahead and predict what the other players might be going after – so you can avoid going after the same donut. But then…are the other players predicting the same thing about you and therefore picking a different donut than you’d expect, so now you’re actually going after the same donut after all?!
My husband and I always end up picking the same darn donut turn after turn, so the kids tend to beat us handily.
Most families who enjoy Sushi Go end up loving this quick card game too.
Go Nuts for Donuts
“So many great games here! Castle Panic and Go Nuts for Donuts are AWESOME.” – Kayla
20. Yeti in My Spaghetti
Time to Play: 5-15 minutes
Number of Players: 1 or more players
Minimum Age: Some 3-year-olds can play this with help; best for ages 4 and up
Get It: Yeti in My Spaghetti
This game is similar to Ker-Plunk, but it’s a better fit for younger kids because Ker-Plunk’s marbles are choking hazards.
To play this fun little game, you lay the spaghetti pieces across the bowl then put the yeti on top. (No logic behind this – just go with it.) Then each player takes turns pulling out one piece of spaghetti. If the yeti falls to the bottom of the bowl on your turn, you lose. This is usually the point at which kids collapse into giggles, which can be contagious!
This game is perfect for younger kids because it helps develop their executive functioning skills when they learn (the hard way) to be patient and pull the spaghetti pieces out slowly. But because it’s so quick and silly, even tweens and teens get into it too!
Yeti in My Spaghetti
“We love Yeti in My Spaghetti. :) Low competition and just a fun game!” – Jane
21. Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
Time to Play: 10-30 minutes
Number of Players: 3-8
Minimum Age: 6 and up
Get It: Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
This twist on Slapjack is more fun the more players you have, so it’s an excellent choice for family game night or other family get-togethers.
Each person takes turns placing a card from their hand face up into a community pile while saying the next word in the sequence of taco/cat/goat/cheese/pizza. For example, suppose it’s your turn to say “goat” and as you lay the card down, you see that the card matches what you just said. Then everyone slaps! The last person to slap picks up the pile and adds it to the bottom of their hand. The person to get rid of all their cards first wins.
The deck also has a few special cards where you have to act something out before you slap the deck, like with the gorilla card where you have to beat your chest like a gorilla before slapping. This game is great silly fun!
Note: The manufacturer says this is for ages 8 and up, but according to several other families (including mine!) most 6-year-olds are ready for this game.
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
“We went camping and packed this new game we’d gotten for Christmas, and I’m so glad we did. Everyone had a BLAST, even my teenager and my 65-year-old mom. I love that you can play with a big group, and it’s easy to learn.” – Kristin
22. Trash Pandas
Time to Play: 15-20 minutes
Number of Players: 2-4
Minimum Age: 6 and up
Get It: Trash Pandas
This quick card game has a “press your luck” element that most kids love.
The setup of the game is delightfully silly—every player is a raccoon who’s tipping over trash cans to find food and shiny objects. You roll dice to determine whether you get to dig through the trash (i.e. draw a card), take something from someone else’s trash (i.e. steal a card), stash your goodies so they stay safe until the end of the game (i.e. stash a card), and more. The more cards you stash, the more points you get. But if you push your luck and keep rolling the dice, you could lose all your goodies from that turn.
Trash Pandas is easy to learn, quick to play, and perfect for kicking off or wrapping up your family game night. Plus, your child will learn about probability without even realizing it!
Note: The manufacturer says this is for ages 8 and up, but according to several other families (including mine!) most 6-year-olds are ready for this game.
Trash Pandas
“Our whole family loves this game! We play with our 10-year-old and 7-year-old, and everyone gets a kick out of the silly card names. It’s easy to learn, quick to set up, and small enough to take along on family trips.” – Tracy
Exciting Family Board Games That Will Make Your Heart Race
These board games for all ages will get you working towards a common goal against a shared enemy – or desperately trying to out-maneuver your opponents so you’re not left in the dust.
23. My First Castle Panic or Castle Panic
Time to Play: 20 minutes for the kids’ edition; 45-60 minutes for the regular version
Number of Players: 1-4 for the kids’ edition; 1-6 for the regular version
Minimum Age: Ages 3 and up do best with the kids’ edition; the regular version is best for ages 7 and up
Get It: My First Castle Panic or Castle Panic
This is one of my absolute favorite board games for the whole family. This is a cooperative game, so you work together to fight off a horde of monsters who are trying to tear down your castle walls and destroy your towers. It sure is fun to work together as a family towards a common goal that doesn’t involve loading the dishwasher!
If you’re not sure which edition is right for your child, the regular version’s printed rules include a few variants for younger kids. The manufacturer says the regular version is for ages 10 and up, but according to several other families (including mine!) most 7-year-olds who can read are ready for the regular version.
Castle Panic or My First Castle Panic
“So many great games here! Castle Panic and Go Nuts for Donuts are AWESOME.” – Kayla
24. Forbidden Island
Time to Play: 30 minutes
Number of Players: 2-4 players
Minimum Age: Some 5- and 6-year-olds can play this with help; best for ages 7 and up
Get It: Forbidden Island
This one’s so fun you’ll enjoy playing it even without your kids. My husband and I regularly play it after the kids are in bed!
This is another cooperative game, which is always a plus when it comes to family board games for all ages. In the game, you work together to collect treasure before the ancient island you’re on sinks into the ocean – plus you have to rescue your whole team off the island with a helicopter before you sink with the island. Even though I know it’s not real, my heart races every time we get to the end of this game!
If your kids are still a bit young for this one, check out My First Castle Panic or Castle Panic (also included in this list) for another awesome cooperative game for the whole family.
Forbidden Island
“Forbidden Island is great because unlike most games it teaches cooperation instead of competition – all the players must work together, using their different player skills, in order to get all the treasures before the island sinks. Either everyone wins or everyone loses. It is my new favorite game to play with my 9-year-old daughter!” – Mark
25. 7 Wonders
Time to Play: 30-40 minutes
Number of Players: 2-7
Minimum Age: 8 and up
Get It: 7 Wonders
This is the ultimate strategy game. Your goal is to develop your city’s civilization and build the Wonders of the World. You can win through military prowess, scientific advancement, or by building the best civilization with the most victory points – so the shifting strategy keeps every game unique.
The game takes just 30 to 40 minutes, it’s incredibly fun for kids and adults, and every game delivers a fresh challenge. My husband and I love this so much, we often play it after the kids are in bed too!
Note: The manufacturer says this is for ages 10 and up, but according to several other families (including mine!) most 8-year-olds are ready for this game. Younger kids will need help with thinking through their strategy the first couple times you play, but the payoff is well worth the slight stretch at first. When my 8-year-old reigns supreme at this game, she beams the rest of the night.
For a slightly faster 2-player version of this game, check out 7 Wonders Duel.
7 Wonders
“My teenager played this at a friend’s house and came home raving about it, so I surprised him with a copy for his birthday. Now our whole family is HOOKED. The genius of this game is that every time you play it, your strategy has to shift based on the hand you’re dealt. So it never gets boring. It’s a family favorite for us!” – Gabriela
26. Rhino Hero
Time to Play: 5-15 minutes
Number of Players: 2-4
Minimum Age: 5 and up
Get It: Rhino Hero
In this card-stacking game, you take turns adding more levels to a skyscraper and try to avoid knocking the whole building down. It’s kind of like Jenga in reverse, but you don’t have to preemptively cringe every turn because instead of a loud crash from dozens of wooden blocks falling all at once – it’s just a few playing cards falling.
This game is simple, quick, and fun, but it’s also educational. While you play, you’ll help develop your child’s fine motor skills and spatial intelligence, plus encourage patience and strategic thinking as they plan ahead to keep the tower from tumbling down. The best kind of practice for budding young engineers and scientists!
But don’t worry – if you’re an adult playing with a child, the game is still challenging enough to keep you on your toes, too.
27. Catan Junior or Catan
Time to Play: 30 minutes for the kids’ edition; 60+ minutes for the regular version
Number of Players: 2-4 for the kids’ edition; 3-4 for the regular version
Minimum Age: Ages 5 and up do best with the kids’ edition; the regular version is best for ages 8 and up
Get It: Catan Junior or Catan
This is one of our favorite board games for the whole family. The gameplay is challenging enough that my husband and I don’t get bored, but still straightforward enough that the kids can figure it out.
Your child will learn strategic thinking and negotiation skills, all while having a blast. Forget Monopoly and play Catan instead!
Need More Ideas? 11 More Family Board Games for All Ages You’ll Love
If you’ve already played all the games recommended above and you want more ideas, check out the list of even more family board games for all ages below. Note: We don’t stock the following board games in our shop, so I’ve included links to Amazon for your convenience.
28. Uno†
Time to Play: 20-30 minutes
Number of Players: 2–10
Minimum Age: 3-year-olds can understand the matching part of the game; best for ages 4 and up
Get It: Uno
This is one of those classic family games for all ages, and for good reason. The box says this card game is for ages 7 and up, but we’ve had three preschoolers play it successfully. When you think about it, Uno is mostly a matching game. And preschoolers love matching games!
When each preschooler first started playing, they needed a little help understanding the “special” cards, but after playing it a few times, they learned the meaning of the different symbols. And soon, they knew exactly how to unleash the wrath of the Wild Draw Four card on their poor mother.
To simplify this game for little ones, you can skip keeping score at the end of each hand.
Bonus: If your kids love Uno, be sure to check out Giant Uno for an extra dose of giggles. It’s impossible not to laugh when you’re playing with those giant cards! (Fair warning: This is a popular gift around the holidays, so the price tends to go up as the available stock dwindles.)
“We also really like Uno! My 2-yr-old plays with us and loves it.” – Christie
29. Zingo
Time to Play: 5 minutes
Number of Players: 2–8
Minimum Age: Even some 2-year-olds can play this one!
Get It: Zingo
At first, this matching game might seem too simple to be one of your go-to games for the whole family. But what keeps it interesting for older kids and adults is the competitive twist – you have to be the first one to notice a match and snag it before someone else does.
That sounds like a simple enough task, but you’d be surprised how often our kids snake a match out from under our noses. (I’m blaming chronic parental sleep deprivation.)
“I can’t say enough good things about Zingo! From day one, all three kids loved it and understood the concept.” – Nina
30. Skip-Bo Junior or Skip-Bo
Time to Play: 10-15 minutes for the kids’ edition; 15-20 minutes for the regular version
Number of Players: 2-4 for the kids’ edition; 2-6 for the regular version
Minimum Age: Ages 4 and up do best with the kids’ edition; the regular version is best for ages 6 and up
Get It: Skip-Bo Junior or Skip-Bo
This fast-moving game is easy to learn and easy to play, plus it helps develop your child’s number sense. My kids will happily sit and play several rounds of this in a row!
If you’re not sure which edition would work best for your kids, some 4-year-olds do just fine with the regular version as long as you help them. With that said, the simpler cards with the junior edition are a great fit for younger kids, so we ended up getting that edition and then playing by the regular version’s rules.
31. Go Fish
Time to Play: 20 minutes
Number of Players: 2–6
Minimum Age: The matching concepts are a good fit for ages 3 and up
Get It: Go Fish Alphabet or Go Fish for Art (cards and companion book)
Playing this classic card game with your kids when you’re exhausted levels out the playing field. I don’t believe in letting my kids win, but our 11-year-old and 6-year-old beat me and my husband on a regular basis.
We have a couple sets of this game – one alphabet set that helps our preschooler work on letter recognition, and another set featuring the artwork of Van Gogh and other artists. Our kids get exposed to art, and we get to hear our preschooler say “Van Gogh,” which is pretty much the cutest thing ever. (If you like the idea of the art edition of Go Fish, they also have a set with modern artists and another for impressionists.)
32. Dominoes
Time to Play: 30 minutes
Number of Players: 2–10
Minimum Age: Some 4-year-olds can play with help; best for ages 5 and up
Get It: Dominoes
When we first started playing dominoes as a family, we would each take turns adding to the same line. This kept the game simple and helped our preschooler focus on the pattern recognition.
But once she got comfortable with that, we graduated to the Mexican Train game. Dominoes is one of those classic board games for all ages that we find ourselves going back to again and again!
33. Labyrinth
Time to Play: 20 minutes
Number of Players: 2-4 players
Minimum Age: Some 4-year-olds can play this with help; best for ages 5 and up
Get It: Labyrinth
In this game, you’re in a maze looking for treasure – but the maze pieces move with every turn. The gameplay forces your kids to think ahead about the future impact of their decisions, which is perfect for developing their executive functioning skills.
When it comes to board games for all ages, it’s important that younger kids don’t feel completely hopeless at their chances of winning. And in this game, younger kids get really excited when they outwit their older siblings…or parents!
34. Otrio
Time to Play: 20-30 minutes
Number of Players: 2-4 players
Minimum Age: Some 5-year-olds can play this with help; best for ages 6 and up
Get It: Otrio
If your kids have figured out how to win at tic-tac-toe every time, this is the perfect game for a fresh challenge. It’s like 3D tic-tac-toe on steroids and actually keeps me and my husband on our toes, too.
Gobblet Gobblers uses a similar tic-tac-toe concept and it’s a favorite in our house, but you can only play that with two people. So when two of our kids want to play independently, they pull out Gobblet Gobblers. But when we want to play with more people, we turn to Otrio for a fun family challenge.
We also love the travel edition of Otrio for throwing in our suitcase before a family vacation!
35. Yahtzee
Time to Play: 30 minutes
Number of Players: 2-10 players
Minimum Age: Some 5-year-olds can play this with help; best for ages 6 and up
Get It: Yahtzee
This is a classic dice game that most of us are familiar with from when we were kids. Even with the wide variety of board games for the whole family available today, Yahtzee still makes it into our family’s regular rotation.
Younger kids enjoy making a loud racket when shaking the dice, and the math aspect is a fun challenge for older kids.
“We’ve recently rediscovered Yahtzee! My 1-year-old loves to shake and roll the dice. And my 6-year-old is responsible for the counting and math.” – Erin
36. Exploding Kittens
Time to Play: 15 minutes
Number of Players: 2-5 players
Minimum Age: Some 5-year-olds can play this with help; best for ages 6 and up
Get It: Exploding Kittens
This card game has racked up thousands upon thousands of 5-star reviews online, and it’s well deserved.
The premise is pretty silly to start with. You take turns drawing cards until someone draws an exploding kitten and loses the game. On top of that, many of the cards are off-the-wall ridiculous and a fair number of them rely on gross-out humor like the “rainbow-ralphing cat” card or the “deploy the thousand-year back hair” card. In other words, perfect for kids!
For the best game experience, play this with kids who can read the card descriptions independently.
37. Jenga or Suspend Junior
Time to Play: 20 minutes (Jenga) or 15 minutes (Suspend Junior)
Number of Players: 1–8 (Jenga) or 1-4 (Suspend Junior)
Minimum Age: 5 and up (Jenga) or 4 and up (Suspend Junior)
Get It: Jenga or Suspend Junior
We typically play family games when our youngest is asleep, so Jenga isn’t a great fit because the falling tower would wake him up.
If you’re in the same boat, check out Suspend Junior as a fun alternative to Jenga. In this balancing game, the falling pieces don’t make nearly the same racket as a falling Jenga tower.
The rules are simple, but winning is not. The kids regularly beat us at this one. When you’re ready for more of a challenge, you can get the regular version of Suspend.
38. Dutch Blitz
Time to Play: 15 minutes
Number of Players: 2-4 players
Minimum Age: Some 6-year-olds can play this with help; best for ages 7 and up
Get It: Dutch Blitz
This deceptively simple card game can turn cutthroat fast. It’s kind of like a multi-player version of competitive speed solitaire.
While you don’t need to know how to read to play the game, younger kids may struggle with the speed of game play. If you’re willing to slow it down a bit to accommodate a younger child, any kid who can recognize number sequences can play this game.
But the real adrenaline rush comes when you’re all moving at top speed, trying to get rid of your cards first!
“Dutch Blitz is a family favorite at our house…we’ve been playing this since [our kids] were 6.” – Megan
Want More?
For even more games that are perfect for different age groups, check out:
- Ages 18 months to 3 years: The Best Toddler Board Games
- Ages 3 to 5 years: The Best Preschool Board Games
- Ages 5 to 6 years: The Best Board Games for Kindergartners
- Ages 13 and up: The Best Board Games for Teens
If you’re looking for the best games for a big group, here are our top picks for family game night.
Before you go, get my FREE cheat sheet: 75 Positive Phrases Every Child Needs to Hear
Your Turn
What are your favorite card games and board games for all ages? Share in a comment below!
I can’t say enough good things about Zingo! From day one, all three kids loved it and understood the concept. We love Jenga and Dominoes too, even if it means simply using them to build structure ;) And one of the games we’ve been playing recently is Life, though a modified version. We sort of make up our own rules, but they like spinning the wheel and counting the spaces they get to move.
I’m a big fan of games from Educational Insights and Peaceable Kingdom for preschoolers. Most of them are cooperative, so it has helped us ease into games without too many sibling rivalry fights or meltdowns over winning. And they can play them without an adult.
Try Dobble. A fast-paced matching card game with pictures. Great for all ages. It’s a winner!
Great list! For smaller ones, we also really like Ghost Blitz, Elemenis, and Rat-a-Tat-Cat. then moving up, Takenoko is good for all ages, Splendor, Incan Gold (great for learning math), Fluxx and now Exploding Kittens (the version ok for kids ;) )
We LOVE Rat-a-Tat Cat. And I will only play games I enjoy too!
Here are a few that I enjoy playing with my 4 through 9 year olds: Carcassonne – you draw and place tiles, place meeples to control cities or roads, or monasteries. Staxis – starts out as a simple structure made of 5 sticks, each turn has you balance more sticks on the structure. Tsuro of the Seas – place tiles that extend your route, can be played with dragons that can eat your ship, or just try to stay on the board. Jamaica- you’re a pirate in a race around the island. Be the one at the end with the most points to win, manage resources (food, gold, and gun powder) and win battles against other pirates. Truly unique mechanics, and the box insert fits everything nice and neat. Forbidden Island – you work together to collect cards to find treasure, but you also have to keep the island from sinking until you can get off. Flash Point – work together as fire fighters, keep the blaze out of control while you also rescue people/pets from the building before it collapses.
Great list! We’ve played a few of these, and we need to try some more of them!
My kids are 8, 5, and just-turned-2. We got Suspend for Christmas. My kids get frustrated with it. I didn’t know there was a Junior version….it would’ve been better to start with that.
Another game we got for Christmas is Chickyboom. That one is fun for the whole family….my youngest loves it too….she makes the funniest face when when everything topples! And I happened to catch it on video when she was so into it she fell off her chair! My little chicky went boom while playing Chickyboom! https://youtu.be/8vP_X-_aYWY
We picked up some Noodleboro games @ Walmart on clearence for $2 a piece, we really love them! Listening Pizza, Sharing Fair, & Manners Picnic they come with a little book & cd. Noodleboro Fun Park Sharing Game is our favorite! Quick to play, easy to understand, great reminder of basic toddler concepts, these have been well played in our house!!
Our very Next favorite is UNO!
So glad the Candyland and Chutes and Ladders, and even Sorry days are over. I’ve been able to turn my 9 year old into a fierce gin rummy player, and am getting her into poker as well. She loves 5 card draw, haven’t gotten her into Texas Hold’em yet. That being said, there are still some classic board games I love: Stratego, and Clue, especially. I also love Payday, less intricate and can be played in a shorter amount of time than Monopoly or Life, yet still teaches kids money and math skills. I also like Alien Autopsy, it’s like Operation except you’re removing novel organs from an alien, and there is a little bit more involved of a board game around getting a chance to remove an organ. We’ve discovered a new adventure board game called Forbidden Island by Gamewright, and it is great because unlike most games it teaches cooperation instead of competition – all the players must work together, using their different player skills, in order to get all the treasures before the island sinks. Either everyone wins or everyone loses. It is my new favorite game to play with my daughter! There is also a great game called Dread Pirate, and has beautiful and high quality game equipment.
We like to make games work for us! My 5 year old and I play cadoo. She can’t read well yet so if there’s no one around to read a card that has a prescribed answer on it then she just makes up her own which works well. We have also modified the electronic version of of cludo, I photo copied all the suspects, objects and locations on to 3 pieces of paper so she covers each one with a token when she has seen them.
We also love the Bettle game,my 2 yer old can just build a bug while we play by the rules.
I have been trying to incorporate game nights into our weekends. We have had so much fun with Beat the Parents and Big Pictures Apples to Apples. We have 3 kids ages 8,7 & 4 and they were all able to play both games! We played for hours and had tons of fun!
I teach in a K-6 Resource Room and recently introduced my upper grade kiddos to “Clumsy Thief” and “Clumsy Thief in a Candy Shop”. They LOVE these games and ask daily if they can play! Such fun all while learning great math skills. We are also great fans of Blokus and Go Fish matching to 5, 10, or 15.
My dad always played dominoes by multiples: you choose what your multiple is for the round then each person counts up all the open ends and tells their score (ie: 2s so if you count 10 on open ends, you’d get 5points if it hits 11, Nada. 5s you’d get 2 points, again, an 11 would be zero) so you’re working on planning the best move, addition (for all those open ends) & multiplication/division to get your scores.
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Yahtzee is another one that helps with math especially addition.
We love Yeti in My Spaghetti. :) Low competition and just a fun game! Another is Blockhead just played with any set of blocks that have different shapes — not just cubes.
Hey Kelly, I’m so glad I stumbled upon this list. I always prefer hearing recommendations on games. This is such a great list! I’m definitely going to have to buy a few of them for our family game nights.
My 8 year old just got into Clue and loves the logic of it. Another fun activity (not really a game) is Story Cubes. When my son was younger, he loved to roll the die and create silly and outrageous stories. They are great for getting their creative minds working.
As a teacher, I’ve even used them in my classroom for kids who really struggle with creating a fictional story.
We used to love Cranium Cadoo in our house, but we also loved another game by the maker of Cranium which was Zooreka.
My kids are 20 and 24 now, and we still love our game nights. Loaded Questions is a favorite of ours now.
My husband’s aunt ‘s step granddaughter invented Sleeping Queens! We had one off the first versions ! Love it’!
Monopoly Junior!!!
Thanks for the suggestions Kelly. My almost 6 year olds are definitely on a different playing level than our two year old who very much wants to play with them, but sees pieces as something that belong in her dollhouse instead of on a game table. I walk past the games section at Target and never know what would be a good fit. We’re going to give one or two of these a shot and hope for some game-night magic!
We play Castle Panic and Carcassonne with our boys, and they LOVE them both. They are 3 and 6. Sometimes, our 3 year old is on a team, but he can usually play by himself for both games. Bohnanza is another we play this way.
We have discovered Monopoly Deal! it’s a card version of the classic game and easy for ages 4 and up. The game is quick and compact and challenging for everyone. A fantastic buy!!
Now that my children are 8 and 11 years old, we often play Dixit and Ticket to Ride (the regular version). We love them both! We also enjoy Potion Explosion (I think this is the name you know, here in Italy it’s “Pozioni esploosive”), then we like Camel Up, Machi Koro, and Sushi Dice.
Preferred card game: Dobble and UNO, or we play a traditional Italian card game for children like Rubamazzo, Piscialetto et al.
Thanks for this useful post.
you’ll love ‘Enchanted Forest’ and Carcassonne
Spot it! And Spot it! Junior!
We love Spot It so much!!
Silly Street! Grown ups can play and make it a little easier as needed, and it got a lot of giggles when we played. The winner of the game gets to lead a dance party (which I found softened the blow of losing with ones who are just starting to learn board games). Very fun!
Want to hear a new one! Enchanted Forest, it is the best! So good for memory (especially for me) our kids 6 & 3 love it. We also love SET Junior and Skipbo.
Catan Junior is so much fun! Our kids (6 and 3) love it.
I still have my enchanted forest from when I was a kid! I still remember how much I loved it (about 30yrs ago now) and I can’t wait until my kids are old enough to play!
We have friends who recently outgrew this problem, too. Their youngest (beginning age 4) really enjoyed both Dominion and Carcassonne, though it helps if you can set up Carcassonne before he/she gets there.
One of our favorites for our 3 & 8 yo is Spuzzle.
We love Spot It. Our 5 and 7 year olds love it! No reading skills needed. And it travels well.
Great post, thank you for the awesome list of ideas! I’ve come back several times to check this list and add to our Christmas list. I’ve also shared with my readers and on my personal fb page. Thank you for a great list of great games for the kiddos!!!
Dutch Blitz is a family favorite at our house…we’ve been playing this since they were 6. It’s like Skipbo (another great card game) but faster passed.
I have taught preschool for three decades, and playing card games and board games for enrichment has been a staple in my classrooms. Most games can be adapted for younger kids as others have noted. Uno and Sequence for Kids remain favorites with my grandkids and they are way beyond preschool. The only 2 games I refuse to play are Candyland and Chutes and Ladders.
One type of games we have 10+ that aren’t on the list are the cooperative games out of Canada from Family Pastimes. Wonderful games especially for helping those kids that feel the need to always win. There is a place in life for always being number one, but board games do not have to be that place. It can be just as satisfying to win the game working as a team and these games prove it. I believe it is important that an adult play these games to serve as a role model. I tried an enrichment after school day with elementary students who just didn’t get the idea and I couldn’t sit and play with several different games at once. I recommend Max as a starter for the preschool set. My grandkids still like to play that game. Secret Door, Harley and Round Up are other faves. I enjoyed reading the comments on this piece. Long live board games!
We play a lot of the games you’ve recommended. It’s always good to come here to get new ideas. Carcassonne is a favorite at my house! We also like Zooloretto. Little kids don’t always have great strategy skills, but they still like collecting the animals to build their zoo.
We really enjoy the dice game Tenzi.
My kids are also 3 and 9, so I’m very grateful for these game suggestions. One game we’ve played together recently is Whoonu. My 9-year-old got it for his birthday. It’s a simple game of guessing each other’s favorite things. My 3-year-old has to partner with someone who can read the cards for her, but she still likes playing. The rules are simple and it only takes a few minutes to play a round.
I like to old school it with SORRY.
Thanks for the list! The game we have enjoyed playing most with our 4yr old daughter is Sequence for Kids. We loved it so much that she wanted to purchase one for her friend for Christmas. :)
Surely you must not be familiar with Goblet Gobblers! Far and away our family’s favorite game!
Does anyone have any experience with QBitz (regular or junior)?
Be prepared to lose to your children in QBitz! My daughter has been playing this since she was 6 or 7 and can beat everyone who challenges her. QBitz Regular is slightly easier for all ages than QBitz Extreme (with the neon colors and curvy shapes). Kids who are not necessarily interested in games of strategy may really like the visual component to QBitz.
My 9 year old LOVES Q-bits. I hate it. Not because it’s a bad game (it’s actually awesome) I just have lousy spatial perception or something. I can’t for the life of me figure out how to make the cubes form the right picture. My son, on the other hand is a wiz at it, and helps me complete mine too. Of course he also loves jigsaw puzzles, 3D puzzles and anything he has to “build” to play with. If those things are up your alley, you’ll probably like Q bitz
I highly recommend Dragonwood. Our youngest has been playing since he was 5. And sometimes we adults play it without the kids!
Please tell me you know the game Dutch Blitz? It’s a Mennonite fast paced card game and it’s very addictive! I am always the green water pump!
Great reviews of great games! And I love the card holder, plus your suggestions for how to play with little kids!
Labyrinth is a fun game, sliding tiles to arrange the path to your next treasure.
I still have my Labyrinth game from childhood and I can’t wait to introduce my kids to it.
Ah! Uno! that old lovely friend.
Thanx for reminding. Now my preschooler will share my love for the game.
We *love* Yeti in My Spaghetti! And also Rivers, Roads, and Rails. We also really like Uno. My 2 yr old plays with us and loves it. We just got Buggaloop for Christmas and it took a few plays to get used to but my 5 year old loves it.
Great article. Our family, ages 13, 9, 5, and 3 love Tsuro. It is easy enough for all and still very fun for adults. I highly recommend it.
Pass the Pigs is a favorite of ours – our 6yo and 4yo love to play it with dad after their 1yo brother goes to bed.
We love games in this family! Our new favorite is Too Many Monkeys! It is a blast and there are rounds which means that everyone normally will win at least one round which cuts down on the crying because someone lost! Super simple to play and teaches the beginning of place value!
Our whole family loves a game called Viva Topo! Affectionately called “the Cheese Game” in our house, where we proclaim a Cheese Champion. This title is proudly held until the next game is played. I’ve only every seen it online, but it’s worth looking for.
My grandson (age 5) got Bugs in the Kitchen for Christmas, and I enjoy playing it as much as he does! Another game he loves is Trouble, and he started playing that at age 3, and he’s very quick with the counting now.
We love the Apples to Apples games and have gained a large variety of them . Our children are nine years apart and it’s perfect for many ages – especially the Picture Apples to Apples and the Disney Apples to Apples . We also host exchange students from around the world. The Picture Apples to Apples is especially enjoyable for them because they understand the pictures and also get to work on learning English while playing the game .
Spot it, Pit, Slapzi, Tenzi, Quixx, Color Stix
Our family loves Otrio. It’s like tic tac toe on steroids! Even kids as young as 3 can play, but adults love it equally as much.
Our family loves game night and with a 4 year old, 2 year old, and 4 month old are always trying to find games we can all enjoy and play together. Can’t wait to add Soo many of these to our game collection! One game not mentioned that we love is Eye Found It, Disney addition.
We scored the game Balance Beans as a cheap Amazon Lightning deal. Turns out it’s an excellent family game! My almost four-year-old loves it, the 18 month old enjoys playing with the beans, and the adults race to see who can get their car done the fastest! Its a hoot!
I completely agree! We played many of the games you mentioned – loved Sequence especially. Also SkipBo and checkers. Best newer game for families with all ages is Telestrations. We played with ages 6 through adult and never stopped laughing.
We’ve recently rediscovered Yahtzee! My 1 year old loves to shake and roll the dice. And my 6 year old is responsible for the counting and math.
We LOVE Catan! Best game for the whole family. We also love Dutch Blitz – like a group game of solitaire.
Our son is 4. We love the Peaceable Kingdom games, and he LOVES Pengoloo and Feed the Kitty. Zingo is always a favorite!
I definitely agree that family games should be fun for everyone! We have five kids, and that is one of the rules of our Friday Family Fun Night. We’ve played many of these games with our kids (and I am now excited to try out Sleeping Queens and look into Lattice, thank you!). We play a lot of co-op games with our kids — Hoot Owl Hoot and Outfoxed are really fun! We also taught them Forbidden Island and Forbidden Desert and Castle Panic. Co-op games are great for teaching kids slowly, as open hands and working together are good. We also play Apples to Apples Jr, with readers on their own team and nonreaders teamed up with a parent.
We play a lot of these already! Great suggestions! We got Left Right Center for Christmas and our 4-year-Old loves it! It’s a great one to keep in the car for when you’re at a restaurant!
We just got Lattice for Christmas and it is fantastic! Our granddaughter loves it! Other favorites of ours are Farkle and Apples to Apples in the kids or junior versions.
So many great games here! Castle Panic and Go Nuts for Donuts are AWESOME. Also Mega Monopoly (games are clocked at 2-ishhours tops).
You missed our very favorite. Otrio. Amazing. Buy it at target. Best game I have ever played. My 4 year old can beat the whole family.
Years ago there was a game called Flinch. The object is to get rid of your Flinch pile of 10 cards while creating card piles from 1 to 15. They stopped making Flinch and it’s hard to find now, but if my kids get a chance they will play Flinch over UNO any day — and they love a good game of UNO. If they ever bring Flinch back, I know what I’m buying each of my young adults for Christmas, ‘ cus they’re sure not getting my Flinch deck.
My kids (ages 4 and 7 1/2) are fans of Yeti in My Spaghetti and Spot It, which is my go to for long waits at Doctor appts or restaurants! They love Quick Cups and Thumbs Up too. Cootie is still a favorite also, but I think we are just about aging out of that one. I’m starting to teach my 7 yr old Shut the Box and Bananagrams also. They are great games to practice her spelling words and math from school also!
When I was a child in the 70s we loved the game Husker Du. It is a memory game. I now teach kindergarten. I found a Husker Du game at a resale shop & my kiddos LOVE it. I still enjoy playing it. I’ve found it on websites but it’s pretty pricey. VERY FUN though for all ages.
We love Silly Street! Move your game piece through the “street” and draw cards that have instructions like “make up a song” or “take off like a rocket.” It’s our go-to gift for birthday parties now.
I truly used to hide when my kids asked to play games until we found SimplyFun games. I love their games for many reasons but tops for me is all the games are designed to be played in about 30 mins or less. Plus they replace lost game pieces for FREE. Our current favorites are Marble Matrix, Grill Party, Owl Solve That, Kilter, The Climbing Knights, Pelican Cove, Walk The Dogs, Let’s Drive & Dreaming Dragon.
I play games with my 6-year-old, and Carcassonne and Forbidden Island are GREAT games! For Forbidden Island, it’s cooperatively all of you against the island and everyone plays the part of flooding the island. We start with the water level one imaginary mark below the usual ‘novice’ level when the kids play with us. So fun!
We have three kids: 10, 8, and 4, so we have a hard time with finding games we can all play together. We like the game Carcassonne a lot! We skip the keeping score part when play with our preschooler, but not with our other two. And Labyrinth too, and we make it easier by letting everyone stay where they are instead of going back home after each. Thanks for the great list! I’m always on the hunt for new GOOD games!
We love Spot It and also the game Fishstix! Sneaky Snacky Squirrel is a hit for our 3 year old!
Ker-Plunk! I loved it as a kid, my own kids loved it, so I wanted it for my grandson. They still make it, but fans of the original (and others) complain that it’s cheaply-made, the sticks are too weak to hold the marbles in the tube, and thus the game is over too fast. But if an original version were made again, I’d be all over it. Pick-up-type sticks are suspended through tiny holes across a tall tube. Marbles are added on top of those. You turn the tube to your numbered space, and take turns removing one stick at a time. The player with the fewest marbles at the end wins. It can be scaled up for strategy, but even toddlers can play it. Needless to say, this won’t work for your after-bedtime games — eventually someone removes the one that sends all the rest of the marbles (noisily) into the catch.
And hey — Hi-Ho Cherry-O was great in its original iteration (for the youngest ones, anyway) — but now it also suffers from cheapness, which makes it duller than it has to be.
Thanks for the suggestions!
A must have game for every home perfect for ALL ages…Spot It! It’s a matching game on a whole new level. My husband and I love this game as much as the kids!
The next best game Tenzi. It’s a dice rolling game that even a preschooler can understand.
Thanks for this post. I am going to buy sleeping queens today!
What about Twister? It’s quite an active “boardgame” – has your family tried it?
Outfoxed is cooperative so it’s fun for everyone and easy enough for even preschoolers to participate!
Thank you for all the suggestion. I can confirm the power of board games. It’s our bonding time where we all have fun together. Sushi Go is one of our favorites when we are short on time!
You might want to check out ghost (not the same as ghost blitz). It’s really easy to understand, doesn’t take much space ( you could even bring it to restaurants) , each round takes less than 15 min, and it’s quite simple since it’s matching colors and counting up to 8.
Wishing your family happy holidays!
Our favourite game for waiting rooms or single person play is Dobble! (Also called Spot It! in the U.S.)
Hi! I’m Caroline from Brazil and I am adicted to family games. I would add to your list “Aquarius”, “Ludo” and “triomino”. Thank You!!!
Apple’s to Apples
What a great list! I love so many of the games you recommend! My family’s favorite game EVER is Dixit. It’s perfect for a wide range of ages! We also love Blokus. Rhino Hero is a lot of fun and works well for kids of varying ages, like a lot of the HABA games.
Also, Ice Cool is definitely a family favorite! I usually don’t play with the hall monitor rule for very young kids, but you can add it as they get older.
Was looking for game ideas to play with my 10 year old nephew and 5 year old niece, this list is great!! Some classics I didn’t even think of and some new ones I’d love for us to try…now which one to buy first?
One of our favorite family games is Zombie Dice. It plays quick and is exciting enough to captivate both parents, our 12 year old, and our 5 year old. We play every night while eating dinner!
We also love Long Cow, and The Oregon Trail Card Game (it is cooperative play so our 5 year old can be involved and the older players can strategize, although he is quickly catching on to the strategy side).
….did you just watch me through a magic mirror? Because your opening pretty much just described exactly why I googled and ended up here. And your article is PERFECT because it’s the exact conundrum I have: four kids, ages 3 – 11, plus not wanting to be bored myself. I’ve been waiting for the youngest to turn 3 to really dive into board games, thank you for this perfect starting list!!!
Loved your list from last year. For Christmas based on your recommendations, I gave the kids Sleeping Queens and Ticket to Ride First Journey, and we’ve been playing them ALL YEAR! Can’t wait to add a few more of your recommendations this Christmas!
This is my favorite time of year, when your new game list comes out! I got many off the list last year for our 4 year old and they were all hits! We’ll all be excited to add more this year and love our game playing family!
Carcassonne is a great game for kids AND adults! Depending on the age of the kids, you can leave out some rules (like farmers).
We picked a Christmas tag for 16-year old boy from a local shelter who asked for a board game. Which game would you pick for someone like this? Don’t know him or his family.
We’re we to make a list of our favorites they would dovetail very closely with tour list. One addition we would like to suggest: Goat Lords! A more colorful spin in cover your assets. Both my five year olds love Goat Lords!!
Great list! Thank you for sharing. Carcassonne is my family’s go-to favorite! Shadows in the Forest is another great game that our kids love.
Love this list. I have added new games to my to be bought list. I work at an after school program for kids K through 6th grade and we enjoy spending our afternoons playing games.
Taco Takeover is a fun game to play. It helps if the child can read to order. It is a non turn taking game and is fast. You also start the game by counting to 3 in Spanish and when you complete your order you say Ole. My kids love this game although it can get a bit loud.
Also Bonk is another fun game that requires cooperation. Although this game has small parts and may not be good for younger children. (only available at Target or Target.com)
Shut the box is a fun game that reinforces math facts and is fun to play.
Bellz is a quick game with colored jingle bells and a magnetic wand.
Zombie Run is a fun card game that my kids enjoy playing too.
Scrambled States and Scrambled States 2 are both card games that include learning by having fun. A plus to any game.
My 5 and 7 yo love Quixx. It’s dice game that requires some strategy. Great for counting up to 12, fast and everyone can win (kids and parents alike). A big hit!
I think a great addition to your list would be Uno Flip!
Being a game player, I just love this article. I was looking for the trending games and i got your article.
I read this whole article and i am impressed by your writing. It includes the all best board games. I will share this blog with my siblings. Thanks for sharing this great stuff!
Cover your assets. Literally all ages
Catan
Perpetual commotion
Ticket to ride
Our boys adore Castle Panic and Carcassonne, which we play together. They are 3 and 6 years old. Our 3-year-old occasionally plays on a team, but he can generally play both games by himself. Another game we play in this manner is Bohnanza.
Love Ticket to Ride. Brilliant board game. Also Azul, suprisingly brilliant. Reef is great too.
I love these recommendations–I have several, but it’s fun to get new ideas too.
I would add to the Uno game idea because there are a lot of fun Uno options out there, like Uno Flip (one of my favorites). But our family’s favorite way to play Uno is Uno Attack! Kids love the option of pressing the button and seeing whether the machine spits out none, a few, or lots of cards! I would recommend trying these as fun alternatives to the regular Uno game.
This is truly the best list of board games I have found for families with smaller children. Thanks!