Plan a family game night at home with these fun board games that kids will love and parents will actually enjoy. Family game nights are not only a blast but also have been proven to help kids build confidence, teach social skills, and is the perfect screen-free boredom buster for kids of all ages. There’s no better time than now to gather the family around the dining room table or sprawl out on the living room floor and enjoy an evening at home bonding, laughing and having fun. 

 

Social Distancing Note: All of the following board games can be purchased online and shipped. Some stores also offer free curbside pick-up which allows you to order online and pick up at the store without leaving your car. 

Make it a game night with Kids Against Maturity! The family-friendly card game is easy to play and brings on the laughs (and we can all use a good laugh these days). Enter to win Kids Against Maturity for your family.

 

Kids Against Maturity is easy to learn and simple to play. Each player gets 10 white answer cards and takes turns asking the blue question cards. Everyone answers each question with their funniest white card choice and places it face down. The player who asked the question chooses what they think is the funniest answer, and the person who placed down that card wins the hand. The player with the highest number of most amusing responses wins the game.

 

Toddlers (18 months – 3 years)

Even our littlest ones can enjoy board games. Toddler board games should be simple, silly and fun. Kick-off playtime with these age-appropriate toddler games that are easy to learn and easy to play. 

  • Acorn Soup // In this game, you and your child will help Squirrel make yummy soups by following the included recipe cards! Acorn Soup is designed so that young children will experience what it’s like to take turns, play within the rules (even loosely!), and possibly learn a new skill like rolling die.
  • Where’s Bear? The Hide and Find Stacking Block Game // Where’s Bear combines two favorite activities- stacking blocks and finding hidden objects- into a game! Parents and kids take turns hiding and finding Bear under the sturdy nesting boxes. Super simple and super fun!
  • Move & Groove // Move & Groove is the first dance game designed for toddlers! Designed for parent and child to play together, the dance moves build confidence while encouraging creativity, active play, and gross motor skills.
  • Seek-a-Boo! // Kids first seek and find memory game is perfect for toddlers 18 months and older. It’s a fun and exciting game that builds the littlest learner’s vocabulary and improves memory skills with repetition. 

 

Preschoolers (3 years – 5 years)

The best preschool board games are not only educational but also teach important skills such as turn-taking, decision-making skills, and problem-solving skills.

  • Go Fish // This classic children’s game is a great way for preschoolers to learn how to play cards – how to hold them, how to deal, how to read the numbers, and how to take turns.
  • Let’s Feed the Very Hungry Caterpillar Game // Transform your caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly! In this game of counting, collecting, and building, children move colorful, 3D sculpted caterpillars from fruit to fruit, collecting a unique butterfly puzzle piece each time they stop to “eat.”
  • The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel // Your forest pals are hungry and need your help. Help them find their acorns in this fun and addictive board game designed to teach young children about colors.
  • Three Little Piggies // Can you help these three smart pigs build their houses? Can you set them up so that the pigs can play outside? If you spot the wolf, can you help the pigs stay safe inside their houses?

 

Elementary (6+)

  • Spot It! // Think you’ve got what it takes to spot it? Spot It! is an ideal card game for players of all ages, adults and kids alike. The game is super fun, interactive and fast-paced, sure to get everyone involved in no time at all.
  • Blokus // This fun family strategy game has only one rule: each piece you play must touch another of the same color at the corners. Don’t let the simple rules fool you — Blokus board game is full of brain-teasing fun and fierce competition.
  • Suspend by Melissa & Doug // A family game of tricky hangs and steady hands! Try this hanging balance game and you’ll be hooked!
  • Qwirkle // Is it Dominoes? Is it Scramble? Well, it’s both! Mix, match, score and win because this award-winning game lets you create rows and columns of matching colors and shapes with its brightly colored wood tiles.

 

Games for the Entire Family

  • Sequence for Kids (3+) // This simple game is easy enough for preschoolers to play and entertaining enough for older kids making it the perfect game to play as an entire family. Play a card from your hand, place your chip on a corresponding character on the board. When you have 4 in a row, it’s a SEQUENCE and you win!
  • Last Mouse Lost (5+) // This two-person game is the ultimate logic game for siblings to play together. Players take turns pressing down any number of mice they wish in a single row. The player who presses down the last mouse loses the round. Parents will love this mess-free, quiet game that keeps kids entertained for hours!
  • Zingo (4+) // It’s Bingo with a Zing! Learn words through sight, Zingo is a super fun card game where you make use of various words that help your kids learn how to use, spell and read various words.
  • Hoot Owl Hoot (4+) // The perfect teamwork family game, Hoot Owl Hoot has players work together to help the owls fly back to their nest before the sun comes up; if they are successful everyone wins.

 

BONUS: Scrabble is a great way to help kids learn to spell but if your kids are too young to come up with words, have them tell you letters for you to create words. If they’re able to you can have them practice writing the word under your example with a dry erase marker. 

 

SHARE THIS:

ABOUT ASHLEY HUBBARD-PORTER

Ashley Porter is a Chicago native who now calls Birmingham home. Ashley and her husband Mike and son Jake love attending local festivals, exploring Detroit’s diverse food scene, and venturing outside of Metro Detroit to enjoy the natural beauty of Michigan. With a background in Early Childhood Education, Ashley loves connecting with and supporting families in her community, which is why she is so excited to be a part of LittleGuide Detroit.