Top 10 Board Games for Families
Photo Courtesy of Wix
My family loved to play board games while I was growing up. We would play games all the time, even when we went camping! So, here are my board game suggestions to add to your family game night!
1. Tsuro: The Game of The Path
Tsuro is a surprisingly easy game to play! Just follow the path. The last person left on the board wins!
2. Dominoes
There are lots of games you can play with a set of dominoes, and there are books available that have rules for a range of games played with dominoes. Think of it as having a deck of playing cards, there are unlimited possibilities!
Here are 2 options:
This game is a classic and one that I remember fondly from my childhood. This game has players moving their pawns around the board trying to get them back to their “home base.” But if you land on someone else’s pawn, you send them back to the start! Sorry! This game will keep everyone engaged!
Photo Courtesy of Wix
Ticket to Ride features a board that looks like a map of the United States. The goal of the game is to build trains connecting the different cities to earn the most points. This game is a little more difficult, just be sure to read the rules thoroughly before playing!
5. Settlers of Catan
This is one of my all-time favorite board games. In Settlers of Catan, you build roads, cities, and settlements to earn points. The first player to ten points wins! This is a little harder than the other games here, so I would only recommend playing this with kids that are a little older, over 10. I have also added a link to the Catan Junior board game, for ages 6 and up!
Here are 2 options:
6. UNO
UNO is a card game. The concept is simple: on your turn, you can lay down a card on the pile the table shares IF you have a card in your hand that matches the number, symbol, OR color of the last card played on the pile. If you can’t play a card on your turn, you must draw a card. The first player to run out of cards in their hand wins!
Here are a couple of options:
I used to play Yahtzee with my parents while we ate dinner! To play, you take turns rolling a set of dice. You use the numbers you roll to strategically fill out your scorecard. At the end of the game, the player with the most points wins! This game can be played with as many players as you want, you can even play by yourself!
Photo Courtesy of Wix
Skip-Bo is a card game that involves playing cards on different piles to make sequences in order from 1 to 12. If you like Uno, you’ll probably like this game as well!
This is another card game, and it’s similar to Phase 10 and Gin Rummy. You play the game over multiple hands, keeping track of everyone’s score. At the end of the game, the player with the most points wins.
This is a pick-and-pass style card game! Players pass cards around the table and strategically pick ones to keep in order to earn points. The game is played over multiple hands, and the player with the most points at the end of the game wins!
Pick out one of these games the next time you want to add something new to family game night!
Scot Oppenlander is a senior at Brigham Young University-Idaho studying communication with a journalism emphasis. He is about to begin the last semester of his Bachelor's degree, and he is currently applying to law school.