As a family, we have started making family game time more of a priority. It has helped us to turn off the technology and just laugh with each other. Even though I have a reputation as the Incredible Hulk when playing games we tend to have a lot of fun. Because of our love of games, I thought it would be fun to put together this great list for you. Check out the list of my favorite games for families.
Fun Games for Kids
Index
Young kids
Strategy
Quick games
No items needed
Card games
Young Kids
Apples to Apples – This game is so much fun because it can go many different ways. You can play a serious game where you stick strictly to the cards or you can try to be as silly and goofy as possible. This game gives the chance to laugh and enjoy each other. We also love this game because it can be a great game to work on vocabulary.
Candy Land – I have always loved Candy Land but I despised the cards. This new version has a spinner that changes the whole game. We really enjoy this one and we love the fact that we never know if we really might win or lose. This is a great game for working on colors.
Cheese Dip – This is perfect for the preschooler in your life. Cheese dip would also be perfect for the struggling speller. You can read more in my Cheese Dip Review. This game is a lot of fun and perfect for younger learners.
Cranium – I love this game because it appeals to every type of person in my household. We have creative people. We also have analytical people. The way this game is designed gives each type of person a chance to be the victor. Make sure to plan for a few laughs as there is a charades component. My favorite is always the play-dough building portion.
HedBanz Game – We love this game. Using only Yes or No questions you have to figure out what is on your head. This is really great for teaching a child to think logically about finding the answer.
Jenga – This is a fun game and your child can learn truths about structures and what can keep it standing. It’s also a really fun one to play as a family and laugh with.
Operation – This game is a classic but it’s a great one to have on this list. Not only does it promise a fun game night, it is also a great fine motor skill activity. This is also a great one for dealing with frustration in the right way. Heaven knows that I lose my patience when that little buzzer buzzes.
Penguins Parade – This is a great one person game for logic. We play the travel version in the car and have a lot of fun with it. You can read more in my Penguins Parade Review.
Bananagrams – 
Snipe Hunt – According to Surviving a Teacher’s Salary “Playing snipes indoors kept the kids incredibly busy! It was fun to watch the kids come together as teams and work frantically for literally hours searching and hiding snipes! We swapped teams around since we had a few younger players.”
Sneaky Squirrel – According to Surviving a Teacher’s Salary – “My son has asked for this game almost every single day since we received it. He even makes his friends and his babysitter play with him! Even the 5th grader that played with us loved it! This game is really a lot of fun for both kids and adults! It helps children to work with different instructions, taking turns, color matching, strategy, and fine motor skills.”
Strategy
Settlers of Catan
Ticket to Ride
Chickapig is a game of strategy that is fun for kids of many ages. It will involve strategy so you will want to play with a child who can think a few steps ahead. This game is often regarded as a good way to prepare for playing chess in the future.
Disney Villainous
This game is a fantastic strategy game but it has a bit of a larger learning curve. Make sure to find a great quality YouTube video to help you learn to play it the correct way.
Codenames –
This game can be fun to play with the family as you work together using some clever hints to help find out as many answers as possible before being found a spy.
Munchkin –
Have fun with older kids as you arm yourself for battle and go up against the family in this fun game. Having a hard time learning it? YouTube has some great tutorials.
Games we haven’t tried yet:
These are games that look great but I have no personal experience with. Let me know if they are any good, please.
Azul
Mysterium
Pandemic
Photosynthesis
Santorini
Trekking the National Parks
Quick games
Penguins Parade – This is a great one person game for logic. We play the travel version in the car and have a lot of fun with it. You can read more in my Penguins Parade Review.
HedBanz Game – We love this game. Using only Yes or No questions you have to figure out what is on your head. This is really great for teaching a child to think logically about finding the answer.
SushiGo – This is a really great game for families to play together! It involves a small bit of strategy but it is pretty easy to pick up. We love this one because it also includes some basic math as you add points.
Trash Pandas
This game is incredibly easy to learn and is fun for all ages. This simple game of chance challenges kids to get the most garbage for points before everyone else does.
4 in a Row
This old school favorite is a quick game that is sure to make kids smile! Have fun with playing this family game in one competition or take on multiple rounds as a family competition.
5 Second Rule
This game can go as fast or slow as you want it to. If you want a shorter game, play fewer rounds. This game is sure to get the family laughing as kids can come up with hysterical answers.
Games we haven’t tried yet:
These are games that look great but I have no personal experience with. Let me know if they are any good, please.
No items needed
Charades – It’s time to unleash your energy on round after round of charades! Even better, kids of all ages can have fun with this one.
Imagination Adventure – When my kids were small they would play imagination adventure. I would tell them a place, a character, and a simple story starter and they had to build an imaginary game from it. Some of their most epic games came from this.
Red Light Green Light
Red Rover
Simon Says
Mirror – Challenge someone else in the family to mirror everything you do. This can get quite hysterical.
Card games
Phase 10 – This game is my absolute favorite. I grew up playing this with my grandma. We would stay up until all hours of the night talking and playing Phase 10. This game is going to be better for kids a bit older. It involves some advanced strategy and you will need children a bit older to plan ahead and understand the sequence of game play.
Uno – This is a favorite of mine. I love that the rules are fairly simple and then gameplay can go for quite a while. This is a lot of fun to play with your kids because there is a good chance things will get really competitive. For a variation, try Uno Flip.
SushiGo – This is a really great game for families to play together! It involves a small bit of strategy but it is pretty easy to pick up. We love this one because it also includes some basic math as you add points.
Skip-Bo
This game will always be a favorite of mine! I love the simplicity of it and the fact that it can keep kids and parents entertained for a while with minimal fighting.
Trash Pandas
This game is incredibly easy to learn and is fun for all ages. This simple game of chance challenges kids to get the most garbage for points before everyone else does.
Happy Salmon –
According to Surviving a Teacher’s Salary, “Watch out – it can get pretty noisy and pretty crazy fast! This is the perfect game for all ages in a family because the fish images show you what to do – even if you can’t read!”
Games we haven’t tried yet:
These are games that look great but I have no personal experience with. Let me know if they are any good, please.
Taco Vs Burrito
Scrabble Slam
Farkle Flip
Pit
What is your favorite game? I would love suggestions for games that I should play with the kids.
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