Family Games

BEST GAME EVER - SPOONS!!!!!

It can also be called pig or tongue. It is very simple - each person gets 4 cards, and you put spoons in the middle of the table with one less than is playing. Kind of like musical chairs - one less chair. You keep passing cards from the deck until someone has 4 of a kind (or three of a kind if you want the game to go faster). Everyone grabs a spoon. The last person gets the letter "S" (like playing HORSE or PIG in basketball). The first one to spell "SPOON" is out.

We usually have so much fun playing that we don't remember who has what letters.

As a kid, my aunts and uncles played a couple of times. I think at one point we had a very large table of 11 playing.

Have fun!

http://boardgames.about.com/od/cardgames/a/spoons.htm

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I don't know if you've ever heard of this game. It's an old one, but so much fun at our family get-togethers. Especially for kids! It's called Funny Bones. It's very simple for any children to understand. If you would like to know more just e-mail me! But, it is very fun and can get you rolling!!

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Apples to Apples is a great family game for all ages. We enjoy hours of fun with 3 generations of our family and I am looking forward to having my kids participate when they are a little older!

Your kids are the perfect ages! Enjoy!!!!

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Sorry......Parcheese........War (cards).......Go Fish..... Pit......Aggrevation......Blokus.......SNAP......Jenga....
Kerplunk.......Memory.......Old Maid.........

We have a 6 year old and she plays ALL of these. Are also appropriate for the 8 & 9 year olds.

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Memory Madness - we play this one without the game board.

Quarto

Trumpet

Rack-O

Twister Moves

Who Nu by Cranium

Set

Apples to Apples - we have the original version adn the Bible Edition.

Parchesi

Sequence

Farkel

Dominoes

SkipBo

We have many card games - I try to collect more each time I see a good one! If you need MORE ideas, let me know --- those above are some that came to mind first.

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I know this may sound crazy, but my dad taught me Euchre when I was 6. With my brother and sister and me, he finally had a fourth to play (my mom hated to play cards). We played until we were all adults.

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We have 8- and 4-year old boys, and we like to play Zooreka as a family; we've also played Sorry together. Some other games that I think your whole family could play are Canasta, Skip-bo, and Scrabble (maybe the junior edition for that one). Have you done puzzles together?

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We like a couple of card games "Phase 10" Ten different levels to go through like 3 of a kind and a run of four or 7 of all the same color. "Skip-Bo" Another card game mostly just counting. Dominos, and Sorry all those would be great family fun.

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Hi A.,

It's great you have a game night! and, as someone said, the games matter less than the togetherness.

Have you tried Mille Bornes? my kids like that (they are now 13 and 17 but we played it at younger ages too). It is intended for no more than 4 players but you could try it with 5, or do teams.

Other possibilities might be rummy, Scrabble (wish I could get my kids to play it), Life, Boggle, Kings in the Corner (might be tricky with 5 people but worth a shot) or a version of double solitaire where there was only one set-up (if you want details email me privately and I will try to remember it--it has been a long time since I played it). There is also supposedly a version of Scrabble using math equations--you must make a math equation out of what is in your hand and on the board--tiles have +, -, = , numbers etc.

When I was growing up I remember a game called Uncle Wiggily--we played that a lot. Don't know if they still make it or not. It was pretty straightforward.

Hang-man is good too, you can make it easier by saying that the word is from a certain category, e.g. American states, colors, foods, etc.

Don't forget the games like Topple, pick-up sticks, etc where you have to balance things or keep them from falling. Different kind of thinking!

hope this helps!

K. Z.

1 mom found this helpful

We played scrabble with our girls (11,9,5) it was a blast. We decided to start a theme night for it. All cartoon names or words that start with certain letters. You don't always have to stick to the rules. Pictionary is also a lot of fun.

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We play a fun game that is frugal and costs nothing really!
It can be a short game or last as long as you like.
You'll need some index card or cut up some paper squares...whatever not really important what it's made out of.
If your 6 year old can't read yet you can draw pictures.
Let's say example you draw a horse..a pig..a house..a ball...you shuffle all the cards up and each person draws a card and tapes it to the other person's forehead. Each player does not know what is taped to his forehead so mum's the word. You take turns giving clues to each other as to what is in the picture on their forehead. We set the timer for 3 mins and if you guess you get a point if you don't no point...it's a fun silly game and the kids like it because mom and dad look just as goofy with paper taped to their forehead.
Love that you have a family day that's fantastic I wish more families myself included did that!

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A.,
Like others our family enjoys Set, Apples to Apples (age appropriate edition), classic Waterworks and Labyrinth (the card game). We also play Blokus (a visual strategy game) and now my 7 year old is really into Bananagrams - it's a type of free-form Scrabble where you can change the words as you go. Set, Travel Blokus and any version of the Jenga-type game are great when you just need to entertain a couple of people at a time.
And don't forget a good puzzle. If you put it on one of those roll-up puzzle storage mats you can take it on and off the kitchen table whenever you want to play or eat without moving the pieces.
Fun!
S.

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When I was growing up, we'd plat Tripoli at my grandma's house because it was more than 4 people playing. It's a hybrid of poker and War. We'd use pennies sometimes and poker chips other times. You have to know your math if you want to win your pots, and it's fast-paced. TONS of fun! You should try stuff like Pictionary too.

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What about something like win, lose or draw! Fun, interactive and high energy.

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I have always loved Yahtzee. My kids love it, too. Taboo, Jr. was pretty popular, Life, Sorry, Skipbo, Charades is a blast with little one, just keep it to one word things. If a game is too hard for some of our younger ones, we just play in teams - Mom's Team and Dad's Team.

I think it's great that you spend this time together. No matter what you play, your kids will love the memories they have.

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My daughter just received Apples to Apples for her 9th birthday. We played it with our 9 and 5 yo and had a blast. We laughed about some of the answers for days later. The 5 yo needed help reading some of the cards but he still loved picking his own answers. I think they would have fun even tho it's rated for 9+.

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I see that you've gotten many respondses, but didn't see this one:
Flux
There are many versions but Family Flux is my fav.
It's hard to explain and as the directions say you've gotta just start playing.
The "rules"change constantly, so at any moment someone can win, depeding on what the "goal" is and what "keepers" you have played. Any number can play, anyone can join at anytime, not much reading (except the Action Cards).
In family flux some cards reward you if you are a parent, grandparent, kid. I haven't seen it at walmart or target. Probably kid specialty or game shops. (there is one on Hamilton Ave called Yottaquest, if you live in Cincy area. They have thousands of games-games is what they do. I ALWAYS find something new & different there)

My next suggustion, which you've had lots of, is Apples to Apples--there are 3 versions--one is for ages 7 and up--
Pit is another I just thought of--my oldest got us started on that about 2 years ago.
We still play all of these and my boys are 11, 15, 17 and 25--yes the oldest plays too, when he's here.

Have fun & enjoy your family fun nights!

1 mom found this helpful

You probably will not find this at your local Toys'r'us, Target, etc. but a great game for the whole family is Transamerica. You can find it at many independent toy stores, most game stores and online very easily and it is a wonderful game. One that you and your husband can enjoy as well as the kids.

Other good games would be Settlers of Catan, Eurorails, Ticket to Ride, Carcasonne, Rail Baron. Some of these may be harder for a 6 year old, but we've found they learn them very quickly! As long as the 6-year old does not have to employ the same level of strategy as the others and still enjoys the game. And they are all very enjoyable for adults as well.

My five year old loves playing Transamerica, Bohnanza (for over a year), Trouble, Sorry.

Games are such a great way to interact with your children and they don't even realize all they are learning as they strategize on how to eliminate Dad from the Monopoly board!

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My family always played Rummikub when I was growing up and it's made a come-back. My kids LOVE it (ages 3 and 5 -- the toddler is too young). Even my 3 year old can play with just a little help. We play it everytime we visit my parents or my sister and her family (neice/nephew are 10 and 13 and love it, too). Very easy but fun and requires a little thinking -- which isn't a bad thing. :)

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Sorry was always a favorite at our house. Also, the card game called "Set" which is good for all ages--you find three cards that go together; it's amazing how fast kids can see the sets once they understand the rules.

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Check out www.boardgamegeek.com. It lists all sorts of games, and you should be able to find some fun family games on there!

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Yahtzee, Bingo, Scrabble, backgammon, clue, trouble, scattergories, pictionary, trivial pursuit, life, Othello,Jenga -they have a normal version and a uno version, boggle.

Good Luck.
J. R.

The games in the Cranium line are all really fun.

Trouble, Sorry, a card game called Phase 10 (may have to help the younger one the first couple times, but it's a great game), Monopoly Jr. (doesn't last as long and isn't as boring as regular Monopoly), Perfection (kids LOVE this one), Clue Jr., Connect 4, Go Fish, Old Maid, Mouse Trap. Hope those ideas help.

Our family loves apples to apples. We just buddy up for the younger ones that can't read and the game really provokes great conversation. Life is also a game we all enjoy.

Life! Yahtzee (not spelled right)!

How about Bingo, Operation or Candy Land (one of these days we will buy the candy that is on the game board and then eat our way through the game- haha).

If you don't want to pay a lot of money for games, don't forget to check out Goodwill (but be careful and make sure all of the pieces are there) or maybe craigslist.com or ebay might have some games.

Have fun!
C.

We love to play Pictionary. We usually have the older kids pair-up with the younger kids to keep it 'even'. I've heard the Scene It games are a lot of fun, too, but I've never played them.

Jenga! Jenga! Jenga!

I have many fond memories of playing this game as a child with my family.

Any of the Cranium games are a BLAST. Some are geared towards older kids and adults and many are for all ages. Two of our kids favorite Cranium games is Who Nu and Ziggity, which is a card game (we have to help our younger child with these). We also like Apples to Apples Jr. and Stare (can be ordered from Amazon).

Our whole family loves the game Scattegories. It is really family friendly and we play it every Holiday when we all get together. Careers is okay, my children liked Clue and the game of Life. Trival Pursuit can be fun be it is hard for me a lot of the time. I don't know if it is still available but we used to play Mille Bornes too, it is a card game.
Rummy can be good but you need to play double deck.
Hope this helps you some.
Enjoy!!!!

why not play scrabble as teams. Adults againist the kids. Or Dad and one or two of the kids and mom with the other. Good way to use spelling skills. Parchezzi was the one we played the whole time I was growing up. It was or at least seemed to me more easy than some of the others. What about checker matches. Teachs to think ahead. I wish more familys did game night like in the old days. I'm 52 by the way.My oldest son and his family do this once a week no matter how busy the week is. Sit down dinner at the table and games or a family movie. The boys love it as I am sure your kids do too. I have fond memories of playing games at night. My parents especially my mother were busy people. They rarely sat down at night.

Have you tried mancala? It's an african game, you can buy it at Target, inexpensive, easy, fun and fast!

A.~

My kids are 9, 9 and 6 and we love games as well :) The kids and I all really like Cadoo and Whoonu, both by the makers of Cranium. Enjoy!

Do they still make Life? Or Sorry? Those were always favorites when I was a kid. Any of the kids games in the board game section would be good. Scene It is awesome, I've never played the one for kids, but I bet it would be fun. I think it's totally awesome that you have a family game night!

We have 2 versions of Scene It(Nickoldeon and Disney) and we have a blast, it's a board game with DVD clips all in one.
We've also tried Yahtzee. The kids like rolling the dice and trying to get certain numbers, but they don't yet grasp the "full house/straight" concept. We play Twister, which has proved to me that I'm not as young and flexible as I use to be:) And I just recently bought a Halloween version of Jenga, it has been soooo much fun! Have fun with it!

My 6 and 8 yr old boys like to play Cadoo (another cranium game). Something we have to help the youngest with reading cards but it is a lot of fun.

You have gotten many good suggestions. A few in our pile are Aggravation, Operation, Battleship, Trouble, Connect Four, Sorry, SkipBo and Phase Ten. Scene It Disney is good and I am looking forward to trying Trivial Pursuit Nickelodeon Edition.

A big favorite in my house growing up was "Sorry!". I have introduced my 6 year old to it and he loves it!

We love playing games and have a ton! Some of my 8 1/2 year olds favorites are UNO, Clue, Battleship. They're oldies but goodies. We started with Clue Jr. and have now graduated to the regular Clue that we all grew up with. Trouble and Sorry are also fun. When we've been shopping for games we go as a family and browse the board game isle then pick something that we think all of us would enjoy.

We love to play Scene It disney edition. Its fun for my daughter 7 1/2 and we really enjoy it also!

My kids (11, 9, 7) love Apples to Apples Jr. Everyone gets I think 5 or 7 cards with words and definitions and then a main card is put down and then you try to match up one in your hand with the main card. It could be funny or serious and then a judge (we rotate) picks one. He doesn't know who throws what. It's also good because they learn words/definitions without knowing they are learning.

Pictionary is great. You will find that while your little ones are as good at drawing they are much better at guessing so it is great for all ages.

How about dominos? There are huge sets available now (good for many players). Mexican train dominos is a fun version.

There are so many great family games out there. . . you might try Sorry, 4-player Mancala, learning some card games like Crazy 8's or Hearts, Clue, Blink, Pit, Upwards, Apples to Apples (Jr. version available), Sequence, Family Trivial Pursuit (questions for kids and adults), etc. Target, Toys R Us, and Walmart are obvious places to look for games, but don't forget to look around online or check local "education" stores for ideas as well! As a parent and former teacher, I love a lot of the games available at mindwareonline.com.

Good luck finding something. Family game night is a great tradition.

There is a great game called apples to apples and I believe there is a jr version that would work for the younger kids. We have played it at friends houses with our families and it was really fun!

A.

I didn't see this listed in any of the responses. We used to love to play Life. We also played Bingo. We had a Bingo game set that included the ball that the person calling out the number cranks and a plastic piece with the letters/numbers falls out. It also had a wooden board with pegs and numbers for you to put the plastic piece on after the letters/numbers are called. I played that with my neighbors girls (6,7) here while back and they loved it. They enjoyed cranking the ball to get the plastic piece out and then finding the peg it went on as much as actually playing the game. They keep asking when we can play again! Hope that helps! Have fun!!

There is a game I've played for years. The game is Sequence. We like to play in teams but then only four can play.

I love mexican train dominos. It is a spin off of regular dominos but much more fun. Not to hard for the young ones to figure out. I have played it with adults and my 7 & 9 year old nephews. I found it last at Target. good luck and have fun!