With the holidays coming, it is a great time to add to your board game collection so you have something to do when you have more time on your hands. For us, board games are a great way to engage with teenagers who are generally face first in electronics. We have a whole closet full of games and after a bit of background, I have some winners for you to check out.
- What types of games are there?
- Classic board game: More traditional games that you probably played during your childhood. Well suited for players of all ages and range in ability making them great family games.
- Educational board game: A great option for younger children and entertaining in a way that feels more like fun than learning.
- Strategy & War board game: More complex games that are generally about making critical decisions.
- Party board game. Easy to understand and allow large groups of people to play together in a casual and generally less competitive way.
- What age are the kids? Make sure that you look at the recommendations for the game but also know that most kids that are over 7 can generally join in on games that are listed as for older kids. Often the ability to read is what opens the door to some of the more complex games so keep that in mind based on your child’s reading level.
- How long will the game take? It is important to have a mix of games with some being longer strategy-type games that can take over an hour (my kids’ favorites) and some shorter games that take around 10 minutes that allow people to join and drop out easily.
- How complex is the game? As with the length of the game, make sure that you have a mix here. Some people like very casual games that allow you to socialize while playing while others are in it for the strategy and competition and prefer a mental challenge.
- How about puzzles? Having a puzzle in the works on a table is a great way for people to drop by and contribute for a few minutes. Find puzzles that topics that people are interested in or funny scenes. Unless you are hardcore, stay away from the 1000+ piece puzzles that have space themes or other similar situations where there are lots of full black pieces – trust me from experience on this one!
Classic Board Games
A classic with an adorable update that most little kids will love!
Another classic with a fun update to keep the kids interested.
Another must if you have pre-teens. Kids ages 7 and up can enjoy playing this classic game of naval combat. I had an electronic version that allowed you to play the computer and cannot tell you how many times I played this.
Not my favorite but I am definitely in the minority here. Make words in a cross word fashion and try to get rid of all your tiles.
I much prefer this to scrabble as it is faster paced. You find the most words to win and there is a big and even bigger version of the game if you want to have even more letters to choose from.
A long-standing favorite in our house that I played with my grandma and my kids play with their grandparents. Similar to gin rummy with cards but much more fun with lots of ways to move the tiles around and be the first to go out.
Educational Board Games
Game for kids starting at 3 years old! Children lead their Ladybug home to the Rose Garden while avoiding the Praying Mantis and collecting aphids to feed the Lazy Ants! Adorable graphics, enchanting story and easy play make it a fun game.
Over 50 million sold and major award winner. Perfect for pre-readers and early readers, builds language and matching skills in preschool kids through fun, fast-paced play. Zingo is as popular in the classroom with teachers as it is in the home with families!
Great family game for kids starting at about 5. Ask up to 10 questions to guess the animal on the Game Card! Is it a carnivore? Is it a domestic animal? Does it live in groups? Think hard, ask intelligent questions, use your clue cards wisely, and the be the first player to win 7 Game Cards!
Great game of that teaches deductive reasoning that my kids loved when there were around 5 and enjoyable for parents as well as the kid which is tricky to find.
Great Jr. version of the classic game that my kids also really enjoyed. Kids as young as 3 can play Boggle Jr. by matching the big letter cubes to picture/word cards in 2 multi-level games
Race to fit all the shapes into their molds before the timer sounds. If you’re not fast enough the pieces will pop right out of the box! Great for dexterity in the 3 year old crew and just fun even for older kids.
Strategy and War Board Games
Another must if you have pre-teens. Kids ages 7 and up can enjoy playing this classic game of naval combat. I had an electronic version that allowed you to play the computer and cannot tell you how many times I played this.
Great family strategy game. Quick to learn and one that my kids liked as pre-teens and will still play today. Players take turns placing their 21 pieces on the board: each piece must touch another of the same color and you try to block your opponents. You can play with 2, but especially fun with 3-4 players.
Favorite of my teen boys. You control a civilization and looks to spread across a modular hex board which creates a fresh game every time. Also great expansion packs available. 3-4 player s and takes around 60 minutes to play.
A must in every game closet. Move troops in and engage in battle to conquer enemy territories. Defeat all enemy troops in a territory and get closer to global conquest.
There is an adult and junior game for Ticket to Ride which is a great family game where you race to achieve various goals associated with building a railroad.
A bit involved to learn at first but was a favorite of my teenage son and that made it golden. You are a monarch, like your parents before you, a ruler of a small pleasant kingdom of rivers and evergreens. You want to grow your kingdom faster than the competition.
Party Board Games
5 stars with over 5k reviews, need I say more. The ultimate party game for kids and adults. Draw what you see then guess what you saw for hilarious and unpredictable outcomes. It’s miscommunication at its best!
Taboo game with electronic buzzer: if a player says a forbidden word on the card, they’ll get interrupted by the buzzer, and lose a turn. FAST paced, fun game for large or small groups (minimum 4 players).
A fantastic family game that is fast-paced and very easy to learn. Just select a card that best matches a card played by the Judge. Especially great for multi-generational play.
This one gets played often and we love it even if my husband nearly always wins. Each round starts with a word and phrase. For instance, the card says “bottles” and “things made out of glass.” You have two minutes to list as many things made out of glass as you can that start with the letters in the word “bottles.”
Just bought this one which was Amazon game of the year in 2016. Pick a card, read it out loud, and then quickly write down 2 answers you think other players will also write. Laugh or cry as you discover whether you were able to match any answers with other players. Find out whose mind is in sync with yours. It may not be who you expect!
Just one is a cooperative party game in which you play together to discover as many mystery words as possible. Find the best clue to help your teammate. Be unique, as all identical clues will be Cancelled!
Puzzles
These cartoon puzzles are always a hit with everyone in our house – not too challenging but fun images. Just search cartoon puzzle on Amazon to find many other themes.
Silly dog faces – what’s not to love!
This Seahawks puzzle will be happening at casa Ybarra this holiday! Not a Seahawks fan, don’t worry, your NFL team likely has one as well.
A beautiful scene but be warned it is 1000 pieces!
Because Christmas, enough said.
This one is for my father-in-law who loves the national parks and puzzles.