Our Favorite Games For Family Game Night

Life gets busy so our family makes sure to put time on the calendar for family fun. Every Friday is game and/or movie night. Whether we choose to find a kid-friendly flick or take turns choosing a game to play, family fun Fridays is something our whole family looks forward to. I wanted to share ten of our favorite games that both the kids (ages six and seven) and mom & dad enjoy. To make things easier I’ve added links to purchase the items on Amazon. They are affiliate links so if you choose to buy from the link our family gets a bit of the profit to buy more games :)

Trivial Pursuit Family Edition Game

This is a new game the boys got for Christmas that has been played on most of our game nights. This game has two decks of cards, one for children and one for adults. We play this in teams with one adult paired with a child against the other two and we usually use the deck for kids. I think the deck for children is for kids a couple years older than my two but there are numerous questions that are perfect for their age.

Spin Master Games Disney Hedbanz Board Game

This is a fun game where everyone tries to guess what character they are wearing on their headband. This is perfect for those Disney loving families!

Hasbro Pie Face! Game

This was the hot game to find during the holidays and we were lucky to snag one. The boys love playing this with whipped cream and it’s one game that the whole family laughs through. It’s also the perfect game to pull out when you don’t have much time to play since it’s a pretty short game.

Uno Card Game

This is one of our favorite card games. It’s pretty easy for kids to learn and play. It’s also very portable which is great for family trips like campouts.

Chutes and Ladders

This game is easy enough that the kids can play by themselves but fun enough for the whole family to enjoy. Just a heads up that this may be difficult at points for some children to handle since they may have to go backwards while playing. Lucas really struggles with this because he doesn’t understand that part completely but it’s a good lesson because things don’t always go perfectly in life. Regardless, he likes playing the game still.

The Game of Life Game

I loved playing this game when I was younger and am glad that my children like it as well. This game requires a bit more help from parents since there is a lot of reading. There is also a version for kids that may be better for younger children.

Mancala – Real Wood Folding Set

I recently introduced the boys to this game on a mini-vacation and they really liked playing it. It’s a very simple game to learn and the marbles can be used to make their own games, something Lucas really loved doing.

Three more games we recently played and enjoyed (but I don’t have pictures of) include: Engineering Ants (a STEM game!), Scrambled States (great for learning the states) and Gravity Maze (perfect for working as a family to solve a problem).

Which game does your family like to play on family game night?

 

Fun With Hasbro Games


Courtesy of Hasbro Games:

We’re kicking off the month of September with some exciting news! To help you and your family prepare for National Family Game Night on Wednesday, September 28, we’re launching the first-ever GREAT GAMES TRADE-IN! And to make room for brand spankin’ new games, we’ve teamed up with Recyclebank to help families across the country responsibly dispose of their old, worn-out!

GREAT GAMES TRADE-IN

Is your game of Sorry! looking, well, a little sorry? Or maybe the Cavity Sam in your game of Operation looks like he needs to take a trip to the ER. Whether you’re missing some money in your Monopoly game or letter tiles from the Scrabble game, it may be time to replace that worn and well-loved game with a brand new one. Luckily for you and your family, the Great Games Trade-In is here to make recycling and upgrading games as easy as can be! Throughout the month of September, visit FamilyGameNight.com to print up to $83 in coupons, as well as prepaid shipping labels to easily recycle your old games. You’ll learn how to recycle your old, worn-out games with Recyclebank to make plenty of room in your freshly cleaned game closet for brand spankin’ new games! The 22 Great Games Trade-In coupon offers can be redeemed at mass merchandise retailers nationwide through October 9. And with all of these savings, you’ll even have extra spending money for treats and decorations for your big National Family Game Night celebration!

NATIONAL FAMILY GAME NIGHT

Want to put those brand new games from the Great Games Trade-In to use? National Family Game Night is the perfect occasion! On September 28, we invite you to join families across the nation to unplug and unwind as you spend quality time together playing a new game. Between the pressures and demands of work, school and activities, it can be hard to find time to reconnect as a family. Hasbro wants to help everyone in America create this special and important time, and is supplying great savings on new games to ensure this year’s National Family Game Night is a success in every home!

GAME CLOSET ORGANIZATION TIPS

All you really need for a successful Family Game Night are good friends and family and your favorite games! But if getting to your games or finding the one everyone is dying to play is derailing the fun in your house, it might be time for a game closet makeover. Alison Deyette, a lifestyle expert and author of the blog “Ali on the Go,” shares a few tips to ensure you’re prepared for Family Game Night fun time and time again.

1.     Store Games in an Easily Accessible Location: Keep all your games in one place, such as a closet or storage ottoman. If you don’t have the closet space for a designated area for family games, consider storing your games near the TV in an ottoman with a lift-off top, or in a large trunk or storage bin. That way, it’s easy to get to a game when the family is looking for something to do together, or when your favorite show is over.

2.     Assign Shelves in the Game Closet: Designate each shelf in the family game closet for a particular game category. With separate shelves for word games, party games and active games without a box, everyone knows where each game goes and clean up is quick and easy! Consider keeping games for the little ones on lower shelves so they can grab them on their own for spontaneous play at any time.

3.     Store Games Side by Side: To ensure games are easy to see and grab from the shelf, store board game boxes side by side vertically, similarly to books on a bookshelf. This way, every game is easily accessible and you don’t have to worry about trying to pry one game from the middle or bottom of a stack.

4.     Find a Place for Small Game Pieces: Want to ensure you never lose those Scrabble tiles or Monopoly houses again? Use plastic tote boxes to store smaller playing items like these, as well as dice, timers and pawns. You can also use a fishing tackle box to keep all the tiny pieces separated and safe between Family Game Nights.

5.     Create a Binder to Store Game Directions: Place the directions from each game in a clear sheet protector. Alphabetize the sheets by the name of the game so directions are easy to find when you need a reminder about who goes first in The Game of Life or how much money each player starts with in Monopoly.

6.     Find Time in Your Busy Schedule for Family Game Night: Plan ahead to make sure you’re completely organized before everyone sits down at the table for Family Game Night. Make all of the treats the day before and place everything in personalized goodie bags to ensure each guest is accounted for. Also, determine which games you’re going to play ahead of time and set everything out the night before to increase everyone’s excitement for the big night!

(Disclosure: This is NOT a compensated post, I just wanted to share it.)