We are starting up a new tradition in our house — Family Game Night! Forget the apps and electronics, we are going with the games that are good ol’ fashioned fun for the family with the best kids board games! And as an added bonus, our girls love having special nights set aside for just us. But if you’ve been to the game aisle lately at Target or Walmart, you can see…there are a lot of choices! So I’m sharing a few of our favorites to give you an idea of what might work for your family, and most of them are under $10 on Amazon too.
Best Games for 3 & Under
{…and of course, the older ones enjoy these too!}
Don’t Break the Ice {$9.99} :: Remember this one? You put the ice cubes in the skating rink and knock out the pieces one by one. My 3 year old loves doing the hitting, and our 6 year old is really good at putting the pieces back into the rink.
Ants in the Pants {$9.99} :: You flick the colored ants into the big pants. So fun!
Hi Ho Cherry-O! {$7.99} :: I came across this game for $1 in a thrift store. It had all the pieces, so I grabbed it! Both girls LOVE it. You simply collect little cherries from your very own tree.
The Learning Journey Games :: I always love when I find learning activities that are disguised as fun games, and these are a hit for the whole family.
Puzzle Story Game :: This one is not actually a “game” I guess, but we have had fun using puzzles to make games at our house. I take the chunky puzzle pieces and dump them all out. Then, I make up a story and as the girls hear a word that correlates with a puzzle piece, they have to grab the it and put it back on the puzzle board. For instance, “The crab was on the beach.” and when they hear “crab” – they have to quickly pick it up and find where it belongs. Even made up games are such fun!
Best Games for 4 – 6 Year Olds
Candy Land {$7.78} :: Classic choice here! Come on, you didn’t think I would leave this one out?! My kids love it, and I love the nostalgia of it.
Chutes and Ladders {$6.33} :: Another classic option, and I love that it teaches rewards and consequences along the way.
Memory Games :: My family enjoys two types of memory games… First, the standard ones with little squares you lay out and flip over {you know, they come in all your favorite characters as well as some classic options}. And, a fun “travel” Melissa and Doug Memory Game {$9.90}. There are pages you insert in the top and you flip over the little discs to reveal the picture. It’s a fun game for on the road AND for at home!
Rhyming Words {$14.95} :: This game is great for early readers and teaches rhyming through both words and pictures. My 6 year old is learning sight words and is very into reading these days, so it is absolutely perfect for her!
Pinkalicious {$23.33} :: Do you know this girl? Pinkalicious is a character from a series of children’s books, and she loves all things pink! This game is cute and a learning tool. The goal is to “fill up” your cupcake platter. You earn cupcakes by turning over cards that include drawing, rhyming words, acting out something, or answering a question.
Best Games for 6 – 8 Year Olds
Connect 4 {$7.99} :: This classic game could be for the younger kids too, but my 6 year old is just now starting to enjoy it. You remember it, right? You must be the first player to connect four of the same colored discs.
Rack-O {$11.99} :: This is a fun number order card game. Take turns switching out cards and be the first player to get your cards in order from lowest to highest.
Scrabble Junior {$13.59} :: Kids are learning words and spelling at this age non-stop, so what better way to help them in school? Scrabble Junior has sample words on the board to give them a little extra help.
Very Silly Sentences {$6.81} :: Each puzzle piece has a word, and you use the pieces to create sentences and make up stories. So fun! My first grader LOVES it!
I know there are lots more options out there, so what games would you add to this list???
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