The 9 Best Board Games for Family Game Night
These family board games encourage learning new vocabulary, imagination, bonding, and will keep the whole family entertained for hours.
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This drawing game is bound to get the group laughing at the ridiculous and unforeseen outcomes. Think Pictionary meets Telephone. Each player begins by sketching a Telestrations word dictated by the roll of a die (or you can use your imagination). The next person has to guess what the drawing is depicting, and then the next has to draw the new word they see (and so on).
This is similar to Charades or Pictionary in that you have to guess what the other players are saying through hilarious mouthpieces everyone has to wear—but there’s a catch (which we won’t give away). There are many different versions of Speak Out, such as a Kids vs. Parents edition, that make playing even more fun for everyone. Challenge your kids to a winner-take-all game and make the prize something irresistible, such as the chance to have pizza for every meal the next day!
In this racing game, everyone gets a group of certain-colored pieces, and you have to race around the board to get back to your starting position as you “pop” a plastic bubble to roll the dice. Since you can knock each others’ pieces off the board if you roll and land on top of them, this can get intense—you can get your kids or partner in “trouble”! Trouble is as fun as the next game on this list, which is a classic...
Another game where you can knock your family down—literally, down slides that can send anyone back to the start of the game—Chutes and Ladders is a classic. There’s a fair amount of risk involved, and plenty of tension as you climb ladders and fall down chutes. The best thing about Chutes and Ladders is that it’s anyone’s game, and the game can change dramatically with just one player’s turn. Break it out when you’re looking for some drama!
Though not technically a board game, Jenga is still one of the best games out there, especially for families. Pulling the individual blocks out of the increasingly tall and unstable tower requires strategy, precision, and a little bit of courage. You can make it extra fun by ordering a giant-sized game, which will get taller than the tallest member of your family, or by writing challenges or dares on each block. (Spice that up for virtual game night with your adult friends by turning it into a drinking game.) No matter how you play Jenga, it will definitely make family game night interesting!
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