Favorite Family Games

We talk all the time about how much both our families have loved board games over the years. From the suspenseful roll of the dice to the cunning maneuvers and friendly banter, board games create an environment where families can connect and create cherished memories. We will be kicking off the year playing games with our families and today we are going to share 25 of our all time favorite family games. From your youngest to your oldest, we’re sharing games that everyone in your family will love.

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Show Notes

Board games have long been a beloved pastime for families around the world. The allure of board games lies not only in the thrill of competition but also in the shared moments of laughter and bonding that naturally happens when families play together.

Whether it’s the joy of victory or the camaraderie of shared defeat, board games serve as a catalyst for fun-filled family moments, fostering communication, problem-solving skills, and endless amusement for everyone involved. Choosing the top 25 favorite board games for homeschool families was really hard! We both really love board games and have both been part of a board game club for years where we met every week at a coffee shop or someone’s house while we played every board game imaginable! And choices can be totally subjective, as preferences can vary based on your kid’s interests, their ages, and what learning goals you have.

Sometimes you want games that sneak in a little education for everyone. We did another episode about our favorite math games, for instance. And for years, I carried Story Cubes and Bananagrams around in my purse because these were easy language arts games to bust out when we were at restaurants or waiting at appointments.

Top Math Games

Call me the Board Game Grinch if you must, but I believe life’s too short for tedious games that make you want to gouge out your eyeballs. If you enjoy such games, you have more patience than I do, and I respect that. However, playing a game with your child while gritting your teeth doesn’t benefit anyone. When you genuinely have fun, your kids notice and enjoy the game more, and if you’re bored, they’ll pick up on that as well. We all want to have fun – not just our kids! So we’ve put together this list of board games and card games that are favorites for us and super popular with homeschooling families for their educational value, varied ages, and entertainment.

Let’s start with some classics! There are several games that have stood the test of time and are widely regarded as classics due to their enduring popularity, entertainment value, and ability to bring families together. (6:08)

1. Monopoly

Monopoly is a property trading game that involves strategy, negotiation, and financial management. This is a game that I am not allowed to play at my house. If you aren’t prepared to lose all your friends and family in a game of monopoly, you aren’t playing hard enough.

2. Clue

Clue is a deduction game where players solve a murder mystery by gathering clues and making educated guesses. I love this simple detective game. The randomness of the clues does change the game play up enough to make it replayable and it’s fun for all ages. It’s light on strategy while still being challenging. Maybe some people think that murder should not be in a kids game, but I can tell you that children learn about these things even if you don’t teach them about it. Clue is actually a great structured way to teach them that crime and murder are wrong and that there is a detective process for catching the culprits. A bonus is that after playing the game you can watch the movie.

3. Chess and Checkers

Chess is a strategic board game that involves planning, foresight, and tactics using different pieces with distinct movements. Checkers is a classic strategy game where players aim to capture their opponent’s pieces by diagonal movement on the board.

4. Uno

Uno has been the go-to card game of choice for families and friends around the world for 50 years. This fast-paced card game where players match colors or numbers while strategically using action cards to disrupt opponents is a favorite whether you’re playing with your grandma or your preschooler and anyone in between.

5. Sorry! and Parcheesi

Sorry! and Parcheesi are both games of luck and strategy where players race to move their pieces around the board and send opponents’ pieces back to the start.

6. Risk

Risk is a game of global domination involving strategy, negotiation, and conquest. We have a collectors version that we found dirt cheap at a garage sale. My kids were obsessed with this game for years. Our version is a vintage version and some of the countries no longer exist, and it really makes for great topics of conversation. My kids learn geography and history at the same time!

7. Apples to Apples

Apples to Apples is a fun, family-friendly party game involving word comparisons and creative thinking.

8. Yahtzee

Yahtzee is a dice rolling game that involves scoring points by rolling specific combinations. We love this classic game and it’s perfect for all ages. Young ones learn simple math and older ones get really competitive.

9. Scrabble and Boggle

Scrabble and Boggle – Scrabble: A word game that challenges players to create words using letter tiles and strategic placement on the board. Boggle – A word search game using a grid of lettered dice where players find words within a limited time. Boggle Jr. is a favorite that helped me teach my oldest how to read and Scrabble Jr. is also a favorite for learning letter and sound recognition!

10. Connect Four and Jenga

Connect Four and Jenga are both popular tabletop games- you find these a lot in restaurants. Connect 4: A two-player game where opponents aim to create a row of four colored discs in a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal line. Jenga – A tower-building game where players take turns removing wooden blocks without causing the tower to collapse.

Waterproof Cards: You also can’t go wrong with just a simple deck of cards. I always keep a deck of cards in my car and it’s simple entertainment no matter where we are. Games like hearts, spades, poker, spoons, GO FIsh- there’s a million things you can do with a deck of cards. These waterproof ones are perfect for kids and clean easily. I’ve had the same deck for years!

11. Catan (formerly The Settlers of Catan)

Catan is a cross between Monopoly and Risk. The directions were long and my initial thought before playing was too hard. Once I played, it really is easy to play and I love that you can employ different strategies every time. It teaches your kids resource management and strategy. I also love the Catan Expansion Packs, too.

12. Ticket to Ride

Ticket to Ride helps with geography and strategy. There are different versions- American, European, etc. Ticket to Ride Junior version is fantastic because it takes 30 minutes to play.

13. Pandemic

Pandemic is one of the most popular modern cooperative games and love Cooperative Board Games. We’ve yet to play a pandemic game that we haven’t enjoyed. This game teaches cooperation and problem-solving well, everyone works together during a global health crisis.

14. Carcassonne

Carcassonne focuses on spatial reasoning and tile placement. This game is easy and clear and I like that they start off with a simple set of tiles and rules, then allow you to add more tiles and rules with the included mini expansions.

15. CodeNames

Code Names can enhance your kid’s vocabulary and critical thinking skills through word association. This is definitely on my list to play over holiday break with my kids! I have not played this one with my kids, but we had a couple of ladies game nights and this game was so fun. We laughed our butts off! I really want to play it again and I love that you can play with a lot of people.

16. Forbidden Island and Forbidden Desert

Forbidden Island and Forbidden Desert are cooperative games that promote teamwork and critical decision-making.

17. 7 Wonders

7 Wonders is easy to learn how to play but takes some practice to be good at it. In the game, you are building your city around the wonder you are given to construct. So, you even get some history lessons while learning strategy.

18. Sushi Go!

Sushi Go! is so fun! My entire family loves sushi so it was so funny when we found this game! Each player is attempting to make the best overall Sushi dishes to serve their patrons in order to become the best sushi restaurant in town! Your kids will learn probability and strategy in this fun card game and it’s so easy to play.

19. Timeline

Timeline is a game that has taught me so much! I have several versions of this from TV & Music, Inventions, American History.

20. Exploding Kittens

Exploding Kittens is a light, humorous game known for its quirky artwork. There’s strategy and luck involved. It is a fast paced, strategic game for 2 to 5 players. The objective is to be the last player remaining who hasn’t drawn an exploding kitten. It sounds a lot worse than it is! My kids love this game! It’s one of their favorites.

21. Zingo

Zingo is the greatest game for the little ones in your family! It is BINGOesque but so much more fun. Our kids loved it when they were preschool age, but older kids are happy to play too. I also love this game because 2 people can have fun playing but more are welcome.

22. Cover Your Assets

We have played Cover Your Assets as a family so many times and it never gets old (or less stressful!). You try to get pairs of assets (stocks, jewelry, houses, etc) and then steal others’ assets while protecting your own. This is one of the games that we featured and our favorite math games post. It’s super easy to learn and has a short play time. Your whole family will love this—young kids all the way to teenagers.

23. Rack-O

Our whole family loves Rack-O. There is a little strategy, but not so much that it ruins the fun for younger players. It also teaches great sequencing skills. It’s really nice that it’s a very quick game so if you don’t have a lot of time, this is a go-to easy game that anybody can play.

24. Rummikub

Rummikub is FUN–it’s pretty easy to learn and once you play one round you’ll want to play it over and over again. One funny thing about this game though is there are two “joker” tiles that are totally creepy looking. The game is played with 2-4 players. Each player draws 14 tiles and the goal of the game is to get rid of all your tiles by making groups or runs. This is my go to game that I love to play with my friends when I’ve had a few beers. A lot of conversation tends to happen while somebody is playing their tiles and it makes for a really social game. But don’t let that sway you. My kids love this game too and we love to play as a family. It is an incredibly addicting, and challenging game to play with kids.

25. Trekking the World

Some people are a little intimidated by Trekking the World, but don’t be! It is so worth it. After playing it for 10 minutes, you soon figure the game out and it’s so fun. We as a family have loved Ticket to Ride for years and this is similar but better. There are more ways to score points and the scoring system itself is easier to navigate. Every time we get a different winner and the game is never played the same twice. Added bonus is that your kids will learn geography while playing. I guarantee, your entire family will love this game!

All of these games offer a mix of educational value, strategic thinking, creativity, and fun. Homeschooling can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also be stressful and when your family is feeling a disconnect, games have a magical power for bringing everyone back together with smiles and laughter. We hope you found some new games to add to your list, and we would love to hear some of your favorites too!