50 Favorite Games The Whole Family Will Love

If you love family game night, then check out our 50 favorite games the whole family will love!

 

We are a family of game lovers. Family game night is a staple in our home, but the fun doesn’t stop there. We also incorporate games into our homeschool!

Why?

Games are fun, educational, provide hours of entertainment, help build relationships, and make family memories.

Games have become an important part of our homeschool curriculum. They provide opportunities for teachable moments including early literacy skills, math skills, verbal communication skills, cooperation skills, and learning to handle wins and losses. There is also the improved critical thinking and problem-solving skills that go hand in hand with gameplay.

Plus, did I mention games are fun?

50 Favorite Games The Whole Family Will Love

Thanks to my friend Cait over at My Little Poppies Gameschool Challenge and all of her tips and suggestions our love of games…and our game stash…has grown exponentially!

The following is a list of our 50 favorite games. I’ve included the recommended ages and some basic descriptions to help you get an idea of what might fit your family’s needs.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure statement for more information.

Favorite Games: Science and Nature

Wildcraft! An Herbal Adventure Game is fantastic for ages 4 and Up. This is a cooperative game that explores herbs. Players must travel up the mountain to Huckleberry Patch and back down to Grandma’s before nightfall.

Hit the Habitat Trail is for ages 8 and Up, though our 4-year-old manages very well answering the questions. Travel through different habitats while learning about animals and their environments and collecting “Habitat” cards along the way. The person to collect the most “Habitat” cards at the end of the trail wins!

Evolution Board Game is for ages 10 and up, but our 9 year old played it with ease. This is a strategic game in which you create and adapt your own species in an ecosystem with hungry predators and limited resources.

Bird Bingo is bingo but with birds!

Bug Bingo is bingo but with BUGS!!! My kids love it!

Fossil On is a game and a rock and mineral collection! 5 levels of play for up to 6 players that is challenging and fun.

Elementeo Chemistry Card Game is for ages 8 and Up. Play with elements and oxidized states as you make your way across the board.

Dr. Eureka is for ages 8 and Up. Pick a challenge card, 3 test tubes, and 6 colorful balls. Now try to solve the scientific formula without dropping your materials!

Cardline Animals is for ages 7 and Up. Test your logic and memory by trying to place each animal card in order either by size, weight or lifespan!

Totally Gross: The Game of Science is for ages 8 and Up. The whole family will get plenty of laughs while answering these silly science questions.

Favorite Card Games

Sushi Go is fun for Pre-School age and Up. The goal is to play the best combination of sushi dishes that give you the most points. Tip: Dip your favorite nigiri in wasabi to triple its value!

Sleeping Queens is for ages 8 and up, but our 4-year-old plays with a bit of help. In this game, all of the queens have fallen under a sleeping spell and it’s your job to wake them up! A little strategy and a little luck will help you wake the most queens.

UNO is for ages 7 and Up but our 4-year-old has no problems playing. This is a classic family fun game.

Rat-A-Cat is for ages 6 and Up. Lowest score wins the game!

There’s A Moose in the House is for ages 8 and Up. Keep the moose out of your house and send them to your opponents in this hilarious game.

Gubs is for ages 10 and Up. My 4-year-old and I play as a team with this game against her brother and other family members and she enjoys it. In this game, you must build the mightiest Gub colony as you fend off a myriad of traps, lures, and other surprise events.

Hanabi is for ages 8 and Up. Work together to make sure the celebration fireworks go off in the right order.

Favorite Games: Encourage Imagination

Dixit is for ages 6 and Up, but our 4-year-old plays it very well. This is a highly imaginative game in which you must use a word or phrase to describe the image on your card without giving away what it is. You want your description to be good enough to get at least one vote but not so good that everyone guesses it.

Enchanted Forest Game is for ages 4 and Up. Be the first player to find the treasure the king seeks and the kingdom is yours!

Story Cubes is for ages 8 and Up, but our 4-year-old enjoys making up parts of the story with them too. She is particularly fond of the Enchanted Cubes, while our son adores the Prehistoria Cubes.

Favorite Games: Math, Logic, & Reasoning

4-Way Countdown is for ages 6 and Up, but our 4-year-old can play with help. Use your math skills (addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division) to make all 10 numbers to win.

Prime Climb is for ages 10 years and Up, but if a child knows how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide, then they can play this game. Our son LOVES it!

Quirkle is for ages 6 and Up, but our 4-year-old has no trouble playing. This is a strategy game in which you must match tiles to win points.

Blockus is for ages 7 and Up. Our 4-year-old was able to play with a small amount of help. This is an easy to learn game that even received a MENSA award for promoting healthy brain activity. The goal of this game is for players to fit all of their pieces onto the board.

Sumoku is for ages 8 and Up. This is a crossword style number game. Players add up their numbers to a multiple of the number on the dice.

Zeus on the Loose is for ages 8 and Up, but our 4-year-old plays with a bit of help.

Yahtzee is for ages 8 and Up, but I think younger children could play. This is a great classic game.

Chess is another classics game full of strategy. Our son has been playing since he was 5 years old.

Gravity Maze is for ages 8 and up. This is a great logic puzzle game that gets increasingly harder as you progress.

Rummikub is for ages 8 and Up. This is Rummy but with tiles!

Rubiks Cube is the classic cube puzzle.

Favorite Games: History & Geography

7 Wonders is for ages 10 and Up, but our 9-year-old managed it just fine. In this game, you must gather resources, affirm your military might, build your civilization and build one of the ancient 7 wonders of the ancient world.

Ticket To Ride is for ages 8 and Up. This is a cross-country train adventure in which players collect and play matching train cards to claim railway routes connecting cities throughout North America.

Timeline: American History is for ages 8 and up. Players have a hand of cards and take turns trying to place them within the growing timeline of historical events.

 

The Scrambled States of America is for ages 8 and Up. U.S. geography has never been more fun! Players learn names, capitals, nicknames, and shapes through riddles and challenges.

Flag Frenzy is for ages 6 and Up. This is a great geography flag game.

Favorite Game: Literacy and Words

Scrabble Boggle is for ages 8 and Up, but if a child is reading and writing well, then they should be fine. Otherwise, check out Boggle Jr. You’ve got three minutes to find and write down the most words. The longer the word the more points you’ll score!

Scrabble is for ages 8 and Up. This is another fantastic classic game.

Bananagrams is for ages 7 and Up. It is perfect for helping your kids with Spelling.

Quiddler is for ages 8 and Up. It is a wonderful game in which you use your cards to make words. The most words and the longest word get extra points!

Mad Libs is for ages 10 and Up. Players use the word cards with the sentence cards to make the most appropriately inappropriate sentences possible.

 

Favorite Games: Family Games

Tokaido is for ages 8 and Up. In this game, all players are traveling Japan’s east road. The quest is to become the most initiated traveler by experiencing the all the road has to offer. Meet new people, collect beautiful items, taste fine food, and visit wild places during the course of your journey.

 

Dragonwood is for ages 8 and Up. It’s a great starter game for kids who may not be ready for Munchkin or Dungeons and Dragons. But it’s also fabulous in its own right. This is an easy game to learn. The object is to have the most points by the end. You gain points by defeating adversaries such as trolls, giant spiders, and giggling goblins!

Catan is for ages 10 and Up, but our 8-year-old managed nicely. In this game, you must settle the island of Catan by trading, using resources, and building roads. But beware, this game can get intense…think Monopoly!

 

Forbidden Island is for ages 10 and Up. Work together to secure all of the island treasures and make it off the island before it sinks!

Castle Panic is for ages 10 and Up. Work together and don’t panic as your castle is assaulted by goblins and trolls!

Zingo is for ages 4 and Up. This is a classic game of bingo that the whole family will love!

Peaceable Kingdom: Race to the Treasure is for ages 5 and Up, but our 4-year-old plays with just a bit of help. This is a cooperative game in which everyone works together to beat the Ogre to the treasure.

Outfoxed is for ages 5 and Up but our 4-year-old loves it. Work together to solve Mrs. Plumperts missing pie case before the fox escapes!

Hiss is for ages 4 and Up. Match colors and make snakes from heads to tails. Finish a snake and add it to your snake pit! The player with the most snakes wins!

If you love games, then you may enjoy:

• The Art of Strewing Games in Your Homeschool

• The Art of Strewing Math in Your Homeschool

• Playing with Language Games Your Kids will Love

• Exploring Art: Art Books and Games for Kids

• 50 Favorite Games The Whole Family Will Love

• Brownies, Books, and Games in the New Year

• Learning Math with our Favorite Games and Apps

Now it’s your turn. Tell me some of your favorite family games!