The BEST family board games
If your family likes to laugh and have fun together then plan to have a family game night. There are board games suitable for kids of all ages, just remember to choose the right ones so everyone can enjoy the game together. Here is our pick of 15 of the BEST family board games that kids and adults can enjoy.
1. The classic OPERATION game
Operation is a family favourite game with funny ailments that the kids love to “operate” and make Sam better. You need to use the tweezers to take out one of the ailment parts, like a wishbone, or Adam’s apple and avoid making Sam buzz.
2. Settlers of Catan
Players compete to build the best and biggest settlement in the land. The game is a combination of strategy and as it is modular the game is different each time you play it. The kids and adults will enjoy managing their resources to try and build the best settlement in the land. The game is suitable for up to 4 players, but you can also buy an extension for 2 more players to add on to the game so you can play with up to 6 people. We played this at a friends house, and our kids enjoyed it so much we then bought one to play at our home.
3. Guess Who?
Younger kids love playing this guessing game. You narrow down your guesses with yes or no questions such as “Do you have hair?” or “Are you wearing glasses”. Not only do kids find it fun, but it helps with logic, expression and grouping like things.
Guess Who? is recommended for ages 6 years plus.
4. Twister
Twister is a classic game of colours, stretching and positional words for 2 to 4 players to enjoy. It’s an easy game to play without many rules, so adults don’t need to lead the game. Younger kids who do not know left from right may find this game a little bit fustrating, although you can always put a sticker on the younger kids left had to help remind them which is their left and which is their right hand. It’s also a good game to play on a family game night as all ages can enjoy this.
5. Scrabble
Scrabble is a classic board game, where you need to spell out words using the letter tiles with various score values. The object of the game is to get the highest score, or if you are playing with younger children you may change this to who can use of all of their tiles first.
6. Pictionary
All ages can enjoy this class family game of quick sketches and hilarious guesses. You don’t have to be a good artist to have fun either. The game is recommended for ages 8 years plus, but we find if you help younger players they can also enjoy the game.
7. Jenga
The kids can either play Jenga alone or you can all play it as a family. You need to pull a block out and hope that the tower dosen’t fall down. There are lots of different sizes of Jenga games, from a small indoor set to a giant outdoor set.
8. Googly Eyes family game
Put on the zany, vision-altering google eye glasses and start to draw while your team tries to guess what you’re drawing. The crazy glasses come with three sets of lenses that range from mild changes to really hard to see through, so no one can see (or draw) straight. Players take turns drawing and guessing, so everyone gets a chance to wear the glasses.
You don’t need to be an artist, and the rules are simple. Just roll the dice and move to the space you land on, which tells you which color lenses to use (easy, medium, or hard). Then pick a card, set the timer, and start drawing. If your team guesses correctly you get to roll and move again; if not, then you stay where you are on the board. You need at least 4 people to play, to make 2 teams of 2 people. The game is recommended for ages 7 years and up, although with help younger kids can join in.
9. The Game of Life board game
In The Game of Life players can make their own exciting choices as they move through the twists and turns of life. You start the game and experience unexpected surprises related to family, career, dream vacations, and other milestones of life before you retire. You might go to university, have children, change jobs later in life, buy a house or more. The player with the most money at the end of the game wins. The game is recommended for ages 8 years and up but we think kids can play this from a younger age when the adults help the younger players.
10. Rummikub
Rummikub is a fun game to play where you need to use all of your tiles in “runs” or “groups” to accumulate the highest score. This game is suitable for kids aged 7 years and upwords. This is one of our family favourite games both for the adults and the kids.
11. Cluedo board game
Kids love solving the mystery Cluedo game. Reclusive millionaire Samuel Black’s been murdered in his mansion! Now, it’s up to you to crack the case! Question everything to unravel the mystery. Who did it? Where? And with what weapon? Ransack the mansion for clues, ask cunning detective questions and leave no card unturned. Solve the murder first to win! This game has a fun twist on the classic mystery game as it features new characters and a two-player version (which is great for when you want the kids to play without you!) The game is recommended for children 8 years plus and adults. For younger kids there is a Cludeo Junior board game
12. Monopoly board game
Monopoly is a classic family game that our kids love to play. It is a property trading game where players buy, and sell their way to riches or poverty.
Monopoly is a classic family board game, but there are lots of different editions and sets you can buy including: Monopoly Fortnite Edition, Monopoly Here & Now NZ Edition, Monopoly Fast & Furious Edition, Monopoly Wellington Edition, Ms Monopoly, Monopoly Gamer Edition, Monopoly LOL Surprise, Monopoly Speed, Monopoly Lord of the Rings Edition, Monopoly Roald Dahl Edition, Monopoly DC Comics Originals Edition, Monopoly Toy Story Edition and more special editions.
For younger kids we like the Monopoly Junior Electronic Banking game which is lots of fun, dosen’t take too long to play and the kids enjoy swiping the bank card instead of using pretend money. The junior game is suitable for young children from 5 years old and up.
13. Qwirkle game
Qwirkle is easy to play as you only matching colours and shapes, but you will need strategy to win. The kids like that you don’t need a board and you can play this game anywhere that has a large flat surface. You earn points by building rows and columns of blocks that share a common shape or colour. The player with the most points wins. The game is suitable for ages 3 years and up.
14.Shopping list game
Shopping list is a memory game by Orchard Toys for the younger players in your family, as it recommended for kids aged 3 to 7 years old. You only need 2 players but this game can go up to 4 players. You need to fill your trolley up with all of the items on your shopping list to win. It’s a fun game to learn turn taking and memory skills.
15. Hedbanz game
The kids in our family really enjoy the Hedbanz game and it always results in lots of laughter. It is a timed (1 minute) guess game of “What am I”. The player wearing the headband cannot see what card is on their head, and the other players can only answer the questions with “yes” or “no”. If you have little kids playing you can always give them hints to help, such as you are a type of animal.
You can buy family board games online in New Zealand for delivery to Auckland and other New Zealand addresses at:
The Market themarket.com
Mighty Ape www.mightyape.co.nz
Whitcoulls www.whitcoulls.co.nz
Toyco www.toyco.co.nz
Farmers www.farmers.co.nz
The Warehouse www.thewarehouse.co.nz
Steve says
Thank you for this information, I appreciate your effort, please keep us update.