Ben grew up in a board game house. Every single family gathering, every single holiday, heck, probably every single day, they played a game. It was their thing to do. I have to admit, I wasn’t a huge fan right when I entered the family. Not sure why. Actually, I know exactly why. It is because Ben’s family doesn’t just play a board game, they play a LOUD, ROWDY board game. Now adays…they don’t scare me. And, we have kids now that just love a good old family game night!
With a 7 and 5 year old (and 2 year old), here are some of our favorites for this age group. These are the ones we play…all.the.time.
This is a favorite of the kids and it was a favorite of Ben’s when he was growing up. His parents always play it with them when they come and everyone has a blast! There are many different versions, one for adults and one for even younger children. It is a card game of comparisons with the idea of comparing apples to apples. I LOVE the vocabulary words (all good) that are introduced and the idea the kids are constantly thinking about how to describe certain things. Oh, and it is hilarious! Tons of giggles resonate from the room every time they play. 
Come on, we ALL played this as kids! It is the newest one added to our bunch but has become the weeknight family game night favorite quickly. I love how classic it remains. One exception is the addition of Fire and Ice Power ups but they completely make sense and are small and non-obtrusive. It is a compact game that helps with counting and just good game manners. We love playing teams too!
Our very very good friends Nicole and Dave are board game fanatics. They love them. One time when Dave was visiting he brought over this game with the kids and played it. It was the Junior version of a game that he had been playing for a long time. Think of it as a tetris of sorts but on a board and without the idea that your board will fill up. Okay, that was a terrible analogy. But, it is a really cool strategy based game meant for little ones!
Another classic, this one has different themed versions now. The one that we play is actually Star Wars. There isn’t any difference in the game play, just in the look and the kids love it! The thing I love about this one is that the die are contained and you can’t lose them!! It is an easy game to learn and I even find C and G playing it together on their own sometimes (fabulous!).
This is hands down the game that is filled with the most laughter in our house. It is hilarious. It is also a game where the kids have a total advantage against the parents! Watching G try to guess that he is Sully as C is giving him a clue by walking around pretending that she is a monster. Perfect!
I used to play this game at my grandparents house with them when I would stay there. I have vivid memories of my grandfather letting me win. There is no letting anyone win in this house! This is the first game I remember really introducing to the kids and it was the one where we introduced the idea that playing a game isn’t about winning but rather about having fun. Man, it was hard for them to understand that concept when they kept getting booted back to the gumdrop or lollipop! I feel like Candy Land never goes out of style!
Great post! Love lots of these games. We just got Headbanz - what a fun family game. I want the Disney edition now though! We love games too Spot It is really fun as well.
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Thanks Colleen! You will LOVE the Disney version. It is so funny to hear how they describe the characters!
I remember playing trouble with my grandmother when I was a kid. Super fond memories!
kim @ DESIGN + LIFE + KIDS recently posted…{ fashion } alt summit green party
Those memories are the best:)
We love Superhero chutes and ladders!
Heather S. recently posted…The Circus is Coming to Town {Giveaway}
Ahhh, Chutes and Ladders…another timeless game:)
I think I need that Headbandz game! love games that inspire group laughter!!
Lindsey recently posted…Sometimes…
You SO need that game!
We love Blokus! And we just played Trouble at a friends house… apparently I need to buy that!
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You should definitley buy Trouble, it is a nice old time classic!
I love head bandz it is a game for all we played it for hours last year down the shore.
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It really is so increcibly funny!
We LOVE playing games…actually we are playing SORRY tonight!
Have fun!!
We grew up playing board games all the time. Some of my favorites then were Parcheesi, Sorry, and Monopoly. Now I like Settlers of Catan and Phase 10 isn’t too bad although it is technically a card game.
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Ahhh! I forgot about Parcheesi! We used to play that all the time when we were kids. That may be the next one we get:) I haven’t heard of Settlers of Catan before so I’ll have to check that one out!
We’re a board game house too. We’re getting into chess now and it’s a fun one to pursue with kids. Thanks for giving us some new titles to check out.
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We have yet to try chess. Honestly, we should. I am pretty sure it is right up C’s alley!
I thought that this might be something you’re interested in or perhaps your readership might be interested in. I’ve made a board game for families about building robots and it’s currently on Kickstarter. I’m trying to find a better audience so I’m reaching out to you in hopes of finding people who love robots as much as I do.
Here’s a link:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/456398278/robots-on-the-line-a-robot-building-board-game
There are a couple of videos that give a little background and show how the game is played.
Let me know what you think.
Thanks for your consideration!
Phil Hunter