Every parent has those few family games (or five…) that make them just want to give up (on playing, maybe even parenting? No? Just me?). For me, without a doubt, that game is Chutes and Ladders. I get why it’s fun for the kids, but good. gracious. It’s so long, always ends in disappointment, and my six-year-old is the only one who has the patience for it. If you’re like me and you value your sanity, you’ve been looking for some fun family games to play that don’t make you want to flip the board. Here are our current favorites – the best of the best that I’ll willingly play every time and the whole family can enjoy.
Happy Salmon
This game is hilarious. It’s pure chaos, but for our house that’s pretty much the norm. Each player gets a stack of cards and has to get other players to perform the action on their cards to get rid of them. The player who goes through their entire stack first wins. It’s fast-paced and so much fun. The only down side is that you need at least three people to play (more is better). I’d say this game is best for ages 5 and up, but even younger kids can play if they can differentiate between the pictures on the cards.
Clue Jr.
I loved Clue growing up, but I didn’t get to play a lot because it requires three players. Side note: I also love the movie to this day. If only Clue Jr. existed when I was a kid I would have been able to play so much more! The idea is the same as the classic version, but the “crime” is less sinister. One of the characters has broken a toy (the horror!) at a certain time and you have to figure out how. Graham loves this game so much he plays it by himself (and it actually works well for that!)
Trouble
Who didn’t love this game as a kid? The new “warp” spaces are awesome and make the game go pretty quickly. This game is probably best for ages 5 and up as well, but Foster plays sometimes and he’s only 3!
Qwirkle
Jon and I played this game when we were in Colorado at an Air BnB and we were hooked. We decided to teach Graham to play and now he loves it too! It’s definitely not a game you could play with a 4 year old, and even Graham (6) needs help sometimes, but I’d say if you’ve got a kid 8+ you’re golden.
I’m always looking for new games that the kids will love and I will enjoy playing with them. What are your favorites?
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