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It’s that gift-giving time of year. I love giving gifts, but the decision fatigue that comes with the holiday season is for real. If you aren’t sure what to gift kids on your list this year, consider some board games for kids that they will love to play.
Family Game Night
Family game night is a tradition that my family started in 2020, when, ya know, there was not much else to do. It gave us something to look forward to every week and it’s something we still love to do.
Start your own family game night tradition with some of our family’s favorite board games.
Using Board Games in your Homeschool
Board games are an excellent way to break of the monotony of homeschool work. Board games teach critical thinking and strategy skills that actually train the brain for academic subjects. I have no problem tricking my kids into learning by using fun things like board games. You can have fun, and totally count playing time as school.
Favorite Board Games for Kids by Age
These are some of our all-time favorite games for kids throughout all of their ages and stages. Board games make excellent Christmas gifts and my kids get a new game every year.
Board Games for Kids Ages 3-6
Here are some of our favorites for around ages 3-6.
Candy Land
This one is such a classic and my kids had hours and days of fun with this game when they were little. This is the perfect starter game for kids to start learning to play board games.
Hi-Ho Cherry O
This was a favorite of my youngest for a long time. Just make sure your young kids can handle small pieces as this game has a lot of little cherries to pick off the trees.
Shark Bite
This is a favorite that even the big kids like to play. Whenever we have a family get together at my house, this is a game that the younger nephews and nieces love to play.
Board Games for Kids Ages 6-10
Operation
Even though my kids are a little too old for this game, we still love it. Our family enjoys highly competetive family games of Operation.
Guess Who?
I remeber playing this game when I was a kid, and my kids definitely enjoyed this one for many years. The best part of this game is that it’s only two players, so kids can play it on their own without needing to get a group of willing participants.
Ticket to Ride First Journey
This is a simpler, quicker version of the popular Ticket to Ride series. Our whole family has enjoyed this game. The thing I love about this one is that it truly can be enjoyed by the whole family. It is simple enough for younger kids, but not baby-ish or boring for older teens and adults.
Board Games for Kids Over Age 10
This is the age category my kids fit into, so these are all games that we currently love to play. This is one thing that I love about having older kids. Us parents can actually play and enjoy the games with them. And of course, we show them no mercy. Have I mentioned that we get a little competetive with our board gaming?
Catan
No saving the best for last with this one. Catan is by far our favorite as a family. The kids will play this one together on their own, and this is often our pick for family game night. We also own several expansion packs so we can play different variations.
Monopoly
Who doesn’t love Monopoly? This one is a classic and you can spend hours playing but not finishing the game. I highly recommend setting a time limit for this one, and whoever has the most assets wins.
Throw Throw Burrito
As the name implies, this is a game where you get to throw stuffed burritos at your opponent. I actually think all family disagreements should be settled by burrito duals. My oldest has been so inspired by this game that he wants to create a version with realy burritos. I’m not a fan of the idea, but I will make sure to post on YouTube if it ends up happening.