-Quarantine as a family during the Corona Virus means lots of together time- why not build relationships playing games? When our family gathers around the dinner table, we snack lots and have a stack of games on the table. However, with our wide range of kid-ages, finding a game that everyone can play and enjoy is a challenge. So today, Tiffaynee and I are sharing and reviewing our favorite family-friendly games that work for all ages and seasons of the year. Since we can’t review all of our favorite games, you can find our huge selection of favorite family-friendly games on our Amazon list here.
What I’ve enjoyed about this quarantine season where our extremely busy monthly calendar- suddenly cleared! No more everyday soccer commitments taking us out of the house and instead we are home together. I love the creativity coming from my kids. We’re being responsible, helpful (most of the time) and having slower conversations with one another.
However, the hardest part of being home all day long is… we can’t leave! So, what do you do all day at home? If you and your family are struggling with this solution- check out our FREE e-book here! It is filled with printables on structuring your home life, chore lists, one-on-one ideas, over 200 indoor activities and tons more… this e-book is filled with everything you mamas could need. And if there is something we missed- let us know! We will gladly add it. Us mamas striving to thrive during this quarantine season need to stick together!
Due to Quarantine we are pulling the games out of the closet and rediscovering favorite games. I can’t wait to share these with you! We play easy non-thinking games, fast games, children games and lastly we play strategic games where we spend the night plotting our next move. And no, I’m not talking about Risk. Here are some awesome games, perhaps some you have not heard of yet… the Must- Have Games to play with your family.
Family- Friendly Games:
Slamwich:
One year my four-year-old got this game for his birthday and we love the silly cards and the fast-paced game. The concept is simple- if two matching cards sandwich a different card- slam the deck of cards. But watch out for the darling ant or dog stealing the sandwich or someone can steal the collective deck of cards. The person with the most cards is the winner! Age: 3 and up.
Sleeping Queens:
With a family full of girls, we love all things Princess-y and this card game is the perfect combination of memory, imagination and creative mathematical learning. My six year old caught on to this game quickly, knowing only a king can wake up a sleeping queen. But, watch out for the dragon card that can steal a queen or the potions bottle card that puts a queen back to sleep! The person with the most Queen cards (equally to 50 points) wins! The art on these cards truly makes the game worth playing because they are so silly. We love this game. Age: 5 and up.
Hungry Hungry Hippos:
A classic (and very noisy) kid game that my kids love playing. I think the game should include a set of earplugs. 😉 Age: All
Pictopia:
We love Disney in our home. This is the perfect game for a mixed age group. Grandparents enjoyed learning fun Disney trivia while we allowed the little kids to show pictures, and we’d ask questions they knew answers to. Another great family game to play. Age: All with help.
The Joker Fun House:
This was a fantastic find at Ross.
Our family is big into superheroes and when I spotted a game all about Batman and his friends trying to defeat one villain- I had to grab it! This game is hilarious and my kids and our adult family enjoy playing this with the kids. Everyone chooses a superhero and uses their superpower to help them win the game, however one member of the group plays the Joker role who has his own simple rules to stop the heroes and escape- winning the game for himself. Our competitive family loves playing this game while taking on the role of hero and villain quite seriously. Ages: All
Duck, Duck, Mouse!:
This game is a crack up. When my kids are extra hyper, or when we’ve been stuck in the house for too long (quarantine anyone?) I pull out this game. The game comes with adorable Mickey ears for one person to hide throughout the house. Everyone sits in a circle and one at a time everyone flips over a card. Usually, they are Donald or Daisy Duck cards. But when someone flips over Mickey or Minnie Mouse card- they have to look at the color and find that colored ear in the house. Set the timer and the kids are off! The trick is to make it back to the circle with your correct colored ears or else the card goes back to the pile for someone else to find. And if you find another set of ears- leave them there! A super hard concept for little ones, but once played this game is a riot and a bonus- their endless energy is depleted in a smidge. Ages: All
Playing games with the kids is fun and all, but don’t forget the adults! When we have our kids settled for the night in bed, or when the kids are distracted with popcorn and a movie we pull out these big-kid games…
Big Kid Games:
Escape- the Curse of the Temple:
This is a face-paced game that requires music (as a timer) and quick thinking. Each member rolls the dice as fast as possible creating the correct combinations to open rooms, collect treasure and most importantly- escape the cursed temple with your treasure. This is a fun game our kids have played with us- my eight-year-old- does not enjoy the fast-paced music. But this game is defiantly more fun to strategically play with adults. Ages: 7 and Up
Shaboom!:
I bought this game to take camping- it ‘s several “mini-games” in one box. However, there are also lots of little pieces that would get lost camping! So buyer beware. The rules to play the mini-games are simple, my four-year-old can play- with simple modifications. However, to complete these mini-games is won if you are the fastest. Therefore this game can be played with everyone with modifications, but I would suggest playing the full-speed game start with the older crew kids. Ages 7 and Up.
The Wizard Always Wins:
What a fun game this is to play as a family! You have to think about your actions, but also pure chance plays a role in the game too. Every round, every player chooses a character and performs that action involving cards or tokens to fulfill the goal to match sets… Completing sets allows players to Level Up and put Gems into the all-powerful Bag of Fate. Get as many gems in the Bag of Fate as you can, become the Wizard and… you win! Ages: 7 and Up.
Ticket to Ride- Europe version:
What I love about this game is the geography, learning where the major cities are in the countries is fun. The mission of this game is to create connecting train stations from one city to the next. The catch? Everyone adds their train tracks during their turn. Watch others and be strategic with your train placements or you’ll have to rethink your plan or pay! The person with the most completed train routes and points- wins! We recently played this game with my seven-year-old and ten-year-old and they needed help finding places on the map, but overall could play without help. Ages: 7 and Up
Legendary:
A fantastic deck-building game involving superheroes. I realize at this point I sound super nerdy having a game that is centered around the Marvel Universe. But believe me, even the most non-nerdy superhero person will find this game cool. The point of this game: be a superhero, create a team of superheroes and defeat the villains terrorizing the citizens. The game is more complex and has lots of elements especially since every hero and villain has different powers. The best part of this game? No matter how knowledgeable or not knowledgeable you are about superhero’s you will have fun and learn lots foo. Plan to spend a few strategic hours playing this game because you don’t want the bad guys to win! We got this game a couple of years ago for Christmas and have quite the collection of expansions sets. Ages 10 and up.
Villainous:
If you like Disney- this game is for you! The Villainous starter pack comes with six Villain characters who all have their own set of rules and goals. Reach your goal before the next Villain, but watch out! There is no honor among Villains who are ruthless and will try to stop you from reaching your goal! I’ve got to admit- there is a learning curve with this game. It took several times of playing the same character before I truly understood my character and how to win, and stop others at the same time. Ages 15 and up.
Conclusion:
I wish we could review and highlight all of our favorite family-friendly games, but the truth is- there are too many! So, to save you some time… we’ve created this fantastic Amazon list of all of our favorite games here. What games do you like to play with your family? Share below so we can add more games to our game closet!
Happy Gaming!
[…] Sunday. Need some ideas? Mommy Convos’ favorite games are mentioned in these posts: here, here, and […]