It’s Game Night: Our Favorite Family Games

It has begun.  Summer vacation, yes, but also a big first floor renovation!

This has been a long time coming and I couldn’t be more excited. For now, though, it means the five of us are basically living in the basement.  Yes, it’s a large basement and we have a full kitchen down there, but still, that’s a lot of family time and close quarters.  Also, all this rain we’re having is making outdoor time quite difficult.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, I see a lot of movie nights and family game nights in our future for the next however many weeks this renovation takes!

Family game night is one of our favorite things anyway! Santa and the Easter Bunny always bring us new games every year and they end up being some of the kids’ (and mommy and daddy’s) favorite gifts!

While we’re all headed into the season of family fun time, I thought I’d share some of our favorite games with you! You know, for rainy days, camping trips, road trips and plane rides! Click the game name for a link! (affiliate links)

Color Brain:

Tiny man got this game from the Easter Bunny this year and it has instantly become our current family favorite.  It’s simple enough for the little ones to play (says 8+, but Grady is 4 and has a blast playing) and it keeps your brain working hard enough to keep the adults entertained, too!

Sequence:

This is an oldie, but a goodie. It has been a family favorite for years. It was actually one of our favorite games to play even before we had kids!! There is a big kid version that uses playing cards and a little kid version that uses animals.

Skip Bo:

Another oldie, but a must have! Along with Uno and Phase 10! These game come with us on any trip we take!

Spot It:

This was a Santa special this last Christmas and another current favorite. Again, it’s super simple for little ones to play along and it’s fast moving to keep all ages engaged.  There’s quite a few different versions, too such as a junior with animals and a road trip version!

Exploding Kittens:

This might be one of the weirdest games you’ll ever play, but the kids get a total kick out of it.  Again, it says ages 7+, but our 4 y/o might be the best Exploding Kittens player of all of us! This was another Santa special and the Easter Bunny came through with a fun expansion pack which gives you lots more cards and takes the game to a whole new level of strange.

 

Pop the Pig:

How about one for the little kids?! This game is all tiny man wanted for Christmas. Seriously, the ONLY thing he wanted! It’s cute and simple and does help with number recognition and counting!

Hedbanz:

I have to admit, my girlfriends and I like to play this game, too. I don’t know why it’s so entertaining to watch someone struggle so hard to figure out something so simple! I would say the age recommendation of 7+ is probably pretty accurate. Our  4y/o doesn’t quite follow the concept. He’ll usually just look around at everyone else’s cards on their hands and ask if that’s what he is, lol!

Scavenger Hunt:

This is such a basic concept and one that I remember playing at so many birthday parties growing up! Now, they turned this concept into a super fun indoor/outdoor and even travel game! You don’t have to go door-to-door, the outdoor things are all objects that are found outside and all you do is take a picture of it with your phone when you find it!

Set:

This one is for the older kids and adults! If you like a good brain teaser challenge, you’ll love this game. I played it all the time when I was a kid and it’s still one of my favorites! You lay out a group of cards and have to find a 3 card “set” based on a number a variables such as color, shape and pattern. It’s not as easy as it might sound! There is a junior version for the younger kids that we don’t have, but might need to get!

Quadrillion:

This is another one for the older kids. Can you tell we like brain teasers?! This one can be really challenging, but if you have a math/logic lover in your house they’ll be playing this for hours! There  is also a travel version that could help those road/plane trips go faster!

Now I need to know, what are your family’s favorite games?! I especially need some travel game recommendations for a LONG flight!