Fun family games are always a great idea under the Christmas tree! I’ve got a list for you – some tried and true classics, some of our family favorites and a few that I’m considering myself!
Lumpy Cubes
Ages: 6+
Skills: Memory, Reaction Time, Motor-Skills
Players: 1 to 4The game of quick, quirky, cube stacks! Lumpy Cubes is a quick-play stacking game designed to improve your memory, reaction time, and motor skills. This game is fun for all ages, especially when looking for friendly competition! The unique feature of this game is that each patterned challenge card has only one way to be correctly stacked. If you find it and stack it first you win!
Lumpy Cubes is still a favorite in our house. I’m terrible at it but G likes to play it with his friends.
Rabbit Pirates
Ages: 7+
Skills: Logic, Strategy
Players: 2 to 4Rabbit Pirates are in search of buried treasure. Help them shoot for the loot in this simple card game that suits all ages, from kids, teens, college students, parents, and grandparents. If you have ever played the card game of war, Rabbit Pirates will be your new family game night favorite. The object of the game is to play high valued cards to win bronze, silver, and gold treasure tokens.
Rabbit Pirates looks complicated but it’s really not. It is like 10% skill, 90% chance. Making it a game the whole family can play and even the younger kids have a shot at winning. G beats me, a lot.
Yahtzee
I know, Yahtzee has been around since before sliced bread probably. It needs no introduction or explanation. But it is LOVED in our house. I taught G how to play, probably when he was about 7 (it’s suggested for 8 and up) and he’s been hooked. As an adult, I don’t mind playing so it is a great game for the whole family!
Exit: The Game – Escape Rooms
Okay, y’all, these games are super fun if you like group think, escape room type games. I bought one last year and played it with my teenage nieces when the whole family was together for Christmas. We decided we wanted to make it a tradition.
We played Exit: The Sunken Treasure but there are several to choose from made by Thames and Kosmos! They do have difficulty rankings so look out for that!
Keep in mind these are intended to play ONCE as you have to use up (write on, tear, fold) clues in the game to escape.
ThinkFun Cat Crimes Brain Game and Brainteaser for Boys and Girls Age 8 and Up
Cat Crimes is one of ThinkFun’s most popular stem toys for boys and girls. It’s a cat themed logic game that comes with 60 challenges of increasing difficulty, from beginner to expert, and makes a great birthday or holiday present for kids who like puzzles, smart games and challenging activities. Cat Crimes is made with high quality components, and comes with a very clear and easy to understand instruction manual – you’ll be able to play within minutes of opening the box. Like all of ThinkFun’s games, Cat Crimes has an educational aspect – it’s built to develop critical thinking skills and ties into STEM subjects like math and formal logic. Playing through the increasingly difficult brain teaser style challenges will sharpen your mind by improving logical reasoning, spatial reasoning and planning skills, all through fun gameplay.
Qwixx – A Fast Family Dice Game
- This quick-playing dice game will have you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end!
- Qwixx is simple to play but each decision is crucial – the more numbers you cross off, the more points you score.
- With no downtime between turns you’ll have a chance to gain from each and every roll.
- Just one round of this thrilling game and you will be caught up in Qwixx-fever!
- Comes with 6 dice and 1 score pad. Playing time is 15 minutes.
Sushi Go! – The Pick and Pass Card Game
Pass the sushi! In this fast-playing card game, the goal is to grab the best combination of sushi dishes as they whiz by. Score points for making the most maki rolls or for collecting a full set of sashimi. Dip your favorite nigiri in wasabi to triple its value. But be sure to leave room for dessert or else you’ll eat into your score! Gather the most points and consider yourself the sushi master!
The Oregon Trail: Journey to Willamette Valley
The Oregon Trail is a BOARD GAME? Shut the front door! This is on MY Christmas list this year!
- It’s a race to willamette Valley as you join the wagon train and seek your Fortune in the West!
- Place tiles to discover the trails, rivers, forts, and towns that lie ahead
- Watch out for calamities along the way, and be prepared to hunt for food!
- A fun way to relive your fond memories of one of the world’s most beloved computer games
- For 2-4 players, ages 13 and up
Winning Moves No Stress Chess
G and I both learned how to play chess over the summer with a set similar to this that made it really easy to learn the piece moves and rules! Chess is a classic game that is great to learn for critical thinking skills.
Mind The Gap
A new generational-based trivia game from SolidRoots. Players have to work with friends and family from different generations to answer pop culture trivia questions from each generation from Boomer to Gen X to Millennial to Gen Z. In this unprecedented time of social distancing and self-quarantining, we wanted to create something that still brought the generations together. Be together. Have fun!
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