Family game nights are awesome, but they aren’t always practical.
With school, sports, and other schedule filling activities, planning out an entire night to play games can be overwhelming. It can also mean it never happens.
Games have a great way of connecting us, they give kids a safe place to practice winning (and losing) gracefully, they teach patience and sometimes even math or reading.
Plus, playing family games is a great way to just have fun… together. That’s why games at our house are a priority.
Right now our busy schedules don’t allow for a set game time, that means we need to be ready with the best games for families to play together that match the amount of time we have. Luckily our game closet is well stocked.
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Best Games for Families to Play Together
So, how much time do you have? I have the best games for your family to play…
best family games for 5 – 10 minutes
Sometimes you find 5 minutes in the day and nothing to fill it with. Maybe waiting for someone to arrive or the moments between activities. That’s when it’s awesome to have a good quick game on hand.
- Spot It
- Tic Tac Toe (This link takes you to Tic Tac Toe using sight words. You could also use letter or shapes.)
- Tenzi
- Art Dice (TinkerLab)
best family games for 15 minutes
The games on this list are perfect for kids with a shorter attention span. They can be played once through pretty quickly… but if time allows it… you can play again and again.
best family games for 30 minutes
30 minute games are great for relaxing between school and homework or connecting after dinner.
- Make ‘N’ Break
- HedBanz
- Lego Game
- Mexican Train Dominoes
- Spoons (Coffee Cups and Crayons)
- Uno
- Sorry
best family games for 1 hour or more
When you are looking for a way to fill an afternoon or evening, these games are perfect!
- 10,000 (We alter this a bit and play 5,000 when we want to get a quick game it.)
- Monopoly
- Phase 10 Twist
- Labyrinth
- Clue
- The Game of Life
- Catan (We came across this game a year or so ago. EVERYONE loves it. It’s great for adults only and great for adults playing with kids. We decided to go with the original version (there is a Catan: Junior) and have been very happy with that decision. There are expansion packs you can buy (and an Catan 5-6 Player Extension that makes this four player game a six player game). I see this being a game that is worth investing in. It will grow with us and be a game we play for years to come.)
What do you think the best games for families to play together are? How long do they take to play?
Karen says
February 26, 2014 at 1:46 amScrabble is another all time favourite, although like monopoly, you need to allow at least an hour to play.
Mum of One says
May 16, 2014 at 12:07 pmWhat a great list! Gosh, so long since I played Guess Who. Thank you for linking it up to the Monday #pinitparty. Have pinned 🙂
Carisa Smith says
June 5, 2014 at 8:34 amMy husband (and his family) love games and now I do too! Our all time favorite is dominoes, but we just found this new one Qwirkle that is super fun. It’s all about shapes and colors and great for kids!!! Great post! Love your blog!
Jillian says
June 6, 2014 at 2:55 pmQwirkle looks awesome Carisa!
Stephanie Pass says
June 6, 2014 at 3:41 amWhat great ideas! We are a game playing family and I always need new ideas for games for us.
Jill says
August 23, 2014 at 8:08 amMy 11 year old daughter and I play Yahtzee all the time. Adding up the dice really helps with her math skills!
Marilyn says
January 27, 2016 at 4:02 pmWe love playing Qwirkle. Quality made. Requires only knowing shapes and colors so young ones can play. But challenging that groups of my adult friends play. Fairly expensive, but found one at Goodwill for $.99!
Jillian says
February 2, 2016 at 10:29 amI love finding awesome games used! Garage sale finds have often become our favorites.
Jeremy says
April 3, 2017 at 1:47 amIf you like Catan, check out Carcassonne and if you like party games check out code names.