These family games are perfect for a family game night or if you need a fantastic family board game.
Whether you like card games, board games, dice games, or any other kind of game, we’ve got you covered with the best family games that both kids and adults love and want to play over and over!
If your family has preschool-aged children, we have some fantastic preschool games that you’ll love playing with them too.
Card Games
Exploding Kittens is the perfect game for any family who loves lots of laughter and is entertained from a card called a Rainbow-Ralphing Cat (and a whole slew of others with similar names). 
This game is super fun and hilarious, and you’ll see how quickly your kids want you to get the dread exploding kitten card. This is our “go-to” game for family vacations, family game night, and any time we just want something super fun and silly.
Sleeping Queens is truly one of those rare family games that kids can play independently but adults also love! There’s some simple math involved, but even young kids can play with assistance. The instructions can seem a bit complicated at first, but hang in there – it’s so worth it and so fun! Hint: The Heart Queen and Rose Queen are the queens to keep your eyes out for!
It’s in the Bag is a perfect example of how great games don’t have to be complicated. Opposing teams pull cards and then define a word in three different ways: describing it, defining it with one other word, and then acting it out. It’s so simple but so fun!! The best part is seeing the creative antics the other team comes up with. This one is definitely accessible for all different ages (as long as someone is there to help with the reading) and a perfect family game!
It’s hard not to love UNO! Everyone in the family can play, as there’s no reading required. The concept is simple: match either the color or the number on the shown card with a card from your hand. Whoever runs out of cards first wins! Some rounds end very quickly, or sometimes they turn into a marathon – I had a game with my kids the other day that lasted 90 minutes. The best part is, we were still all having fun at the end!
Charades that’s geared for kids but still super fun for the whole family! The cards have picture clues, so it’s great for even pre-readers and enforces early reading skills. The whole family will be laughing together as you try to act out the words on the cards!
I confess: I never thought I’d be into Pokemon. But here we are, and I really love it!! More to the point, I love how much my kids love it and how much critical thinking and math they do when we play! Younger kids might need some coaching through the process but will quickly get the hang of it and love the characters and the battles. This training card pack was a lifesaver when we first started and includes everything you need to learn the basics of the game.
Dice Games
Warning: this game can be addictive! It’s super easy to play: each player gets 10 dice and tries to roll the dice as quickly as possible to get all the dice on the same number. Something about the fast pace makes it instantly fun and competitive!! As an added bonus, there’s included instructions for 8 other ways to play, or use your imagination to come up with endless activities with the dice!
Dancing Eggs cracks me up every time! You take turns rolling a dice to collect rubber eggs in various ways. You then need to hold the eggs in various places on your body (elbows, chin, armpits, etc.) Eventually, someone rolls a picture of a person running around a table, so you all have to get up and do it! The first person back to their seat gets another egg. The game is over when someone drops an egg. It’s super simple and super hilarious!
I thought this game would be too simple for my kids, (ages 5 and 7) but they love it and I find myself having fun too! (Maybe because underwear is involved. Underwear is always funny.) Roll the colored dice to help the raccoon bandits get dressed. It’s a game of pure chance, which I think is nice because it gives even my youngest a fighting chance to win sometimes!
It says right on the box that it’s a “fast family dice game,” and that’s a perfect description! It’s kinda like Yahtzee, but somehow more fun and with more success scoring on every turn. This game is kinda my mom cheat – it’s a great game for those times when you want to do something fun with the kids, but you don’t have a lot of time or energy for something complicated.
Board Games
This is one of my favorite family games!! The instructions are easy and short and learning to play is very straightforward. Find the simplest path through the ever-changing labyrinth to pick up your prescribed objects and then get back to the start. A game itself lasts 20-30 minutes, which means that it’s long enough to keep adults interested without losing the interest of the younger ones. This is an amazing critical thinking game!
Snowstorm is a sweet cooperative game that’s a perfect family game! Players help the families in the town complete errands by driving their cars, going to the places on their list, and returning safely home. Road conditions deteriorate, so we help by plowing and spreading sand. The weather keeps changing, so we have to adapt as we go. Each game is a new fun challenge!
Another favorite family board game! We started playing this when my youngest was two-years-old, and my kids still love it. Everyone works together to build a block tower before the nefarious stack smasher comes along. There are three different levels of play, so it truly grows with your kids.
My kids call this “the train game,” and it is a blast! If you love the original Ticket to Ride board game, you’ll definitely enjoy playing this with your kids too! The goal is to get your six tickets before the rest of the players. Children are also learning about geography and strategy while they play!
Similar to the original Sushi Go, 
this is an adorable card game with endless play combinations that keep it interesting over time! The “Party” version includes some extra cards and a game board to help keep track of things. Adults love it, and kids (with a little adult help, if very young) love it too! Pro tip: if it’s a little confusing at first, play a practice round with only nigiri cards to see how the play works.
Other Family Games
The box says that it’s for ages 6+, but younger kids can grasp the concept too! I love how simple the game is, that it’s ready to play right out the box, and that game play can vary – you can play for minutes or an hour! There’s a reason Connect 4 is one the family games that’s still a classic!
I loved this game when I was a kid! Each player chooses a “mystery character” and uses a series of questions to figure out their opponent’s mystery character. I love seeing my kids’ brains work as they try to figure out the best questions to ask to find the character.
Zingo! is a super fun learning game that children of all ages love. Plus, it’s our very favorite game right now! Children don’t even need to read to play. But it absolutely helps with important reading skills like visual discrimination. The concept is much like Bingo, where players have to fill their card with the matching item the “Zinger” spits out, but it’s pictures and words instead of numbers.
Players race against each other to use all their tiles to make words in a crossword grid. It’s fast, competitive, and fun!!
I LOVE scrabble, so I was really excited when my kids started to read and could play with me! This is the perfect introduction, and with this board, I could have started them way earlier than I did! There are two sides to the board, including one with picture clues and color-coded letters that’s perfect for pre-readers! It uses goofy character tokens and helps you match the letters to what’s on the board. Then flip over the board to start creating your own words in a more traditional Scrabble game.
- Valentine’s Day Letter Formation Mats - February 4, 2024
- January Preschool Themes You’re Going to Love! - January 1, 2024
- December Preschool Themes You’re Going to Love! - December 1, 2023
Leave a Reply