With winter coming, more of our time will probably be spent inside. For my family, that means plenty of game nights. We’ll give just about any game a try, but these are the BEST family games – the ones we come back to time and time again. I often even bring several along when we travel!
The Best Family Card Games
A few years ago, we decided it was time to teach our kids to play Euchre. If you live in Indiana, knowing how to play is important. This card game shows up at every family gathering, many parties, etc. So, we felt it was time. We taught them the basics and then played a round every night for a few weeks until they understood some of the nuances.
The great thing about Euchre is all you need is a deck of cards. So, I keep a deck in the car, in my overnight bag, and several around the house. That way, we can play wherever we are. I can’t begin to explain it in a blog post, so here is a terrific YouTube video I found with the rules.
Five Crowns. A version of rummy, Five Crowns is a really fun family game. The rules are simple and pretty much everyone can play. Even small kids can “help.” We pull this one out often, and as it’s small, it also travels well.
Uno. Uno is the ideal card game to start younger kids with. I keep an Uno deck in the car and if we are waiting for dinner to be served at a restaurant or are visiting a brewery or winery with the kids, we’ll play a few rounds.
The Best Family Dice Games
Farkle. Oh, how we love to play Farkle. It is probably our favorite dice game. Although you can purchase a kit with a container to roll the dice in, I honestly just keep six dice and a scorecard in my purse. Then we can pull it out whenever we want to play. Kids and adults alike love this game, so there have been many rounds played while we are visiting with friends or family.
Yahtzee. One spring break we played Yahtzee every day – multiple times a day. By the pool. In the condo. At the beach. What I love about Yahtzee is that although it’s fun for all four of us to play, it’s also a terrific game for just two people. So if just one kid is at home, this is a game we’ll often pull out.
The Best Family Board Games
Although there are dozens of versions of Monopoly out there, we always go back to the classic. It’s a fun board game that every family should own. We tend to pull it out on lazy and cold winter afternoons. We pop bowls of popcorn and set it out on the floor next to the fire and play until we have a winner!
Another classic board game, Sorry is just plain fun! It can be a quick game or a long game – all depending upon how you play and how much luck you have. We have a few different versions, but the original is still our favorite.
So maybe Rack-o fits better under the category of card games, but since it comes in a box and contains more than just cards, I tend to think of it as a board game! Rack-O is the perfect game for a family of four. We taught our kids to play when they were pretty young (6 or 7) and continue to play it together on a regular basis now that they are teens.
So what is your favorite family game? We are ALWAYS willing to try a new one, so please share what you love to play!!!
Are you looking for other fun ways to spend time with your family? How about these perfect date nights (also great fun for families) or touring a chocolate shop!
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Great suggestions and some of my old favorites. But in particular, the picture of Yahtzee with Wine – – hahah – that would be one of my faves. Thanks!
Always fun! Especially if we can sit outside!!!
I love the new suggestions! I need to update our game closet!
I love board games! Racko is one of my favorites from childhood along with Sorry. We love Farkle and Yahtzee. too!
I never get tired of Racko!
It’s always fun to add new ones!
We love card games and all games really! This is great!
Thanks! It feels like it’ll be another winter of playing games with the family!
Fun!! I need to check some of these family games out. We love Sorry and Uno!
Both great games!
I love board games! One of our favorite board games especially with the extended family is True Colors. I also love Scrabble and Catch Phrase.
I haven’t played True Colors in a while, but I’m pretty sure we have it in the basement!
Board games never go out of style! I might have to convince my husband to play Yahtzee with me tonight haha
Sounds fun to me!
Ooo! You have a lot of our favorites on here! I’m glad I’m not the only one who keeps a deck of Uno in my purse! 🙂 It comes in handy for the whole family on road trips or long waits.
Right? Much more fun to play a card or dice game than sit around waiting!
Board games are so fun. I am a fan of Scrabble. Crime Against Humanity is great too.
Those are both fun ones!
I grew up playing card games after all holidays and I miss those days. I am trying to get my kids into games as well, they are just starting to get to the age where they are able to have longevity so I’m starting my quest to play longer games with them. Wish me luck.
Best of luck! It was a game-changer (pun intended) when our kids finally were old enough to play euchre. Before they got Yahtzee we used to play a simple Toy Story Yahtzee – it helped them get the gist of it and made it easier later!