What are Your Favorite Games?
With the Holiday season fast approaching, and the Fall weather in full swing
my family has been in “game mode” for some reason.
We just feel like playing games.
And I love it. There is something so bonding and worthwhile when you sit down at a table together to play a game. So many memories are made.
So I want to ask you…
What are your favorite family games?
I am looking for everything from good ol’ classics to the latest and greatest.
So I will start.
I don’t know how old this game is – but my brother and his wife introduced it to us.
It is called “Spot It”, and it comes in a little can like this.
Each card has these little pictures on it – and I don’t know how they did it, but each card has one match with every other card.
There are a few ways to play this game, but this is how we do it:
1- You put one card upside down in the center and then deal out the rest evenly with the players.
2- You then flip the center card over and you frantically try to find what matches on your card. When you find the match you yell it out “ladybug!” (or whatever your match is) and then set your card on top of the center card. Your card is now the new card everyone is trying to match. It is maddening because so often you just barely “spot” your match and then someone sets their card down and you now have to find a totally new match.
3- The first one out of cards wins.
Let me tell you why I like this game.
- First: it is addicting
- Second: all ages can play
- Third: each round lasts no more than a couple of minutes
- Fourth: because the rounds are so short, people can jump in and out of the game as different responsibilities pull them away. (This game went on for over an hour at my mom’s the other night. I think I played at three different intervals).
- Fifth: Its just some cards. Easy game to set up and clean up.
- Sixth: it is just plain fun
I’ve been looking for a gift for my brother’s family for Christmas. They are big game board people like us and I’ve never heard of this game, it sounds so fun, thank you!!!
We have several favorite games, Bonanza, Qwirkle, Settlers of Catan with the Cities and Knights expansion, Solitaire Frenzy and our new favorite Dicecapades.
wow I always like a game that the kids can play with the adults. this sounds fun. I will look for it when I go shopping.
We used to play the dictionary game when the boys lived at home.
You find a word in the dictionary, get the meaning and make up a meaning. you get really good at writing them so it sounds real.
then every one takes turns reading their word and the definition, the others try to decide which one is the correct definition.
Not only is it fun you learn new words and what they mean.
The one thing is you need a dictionary for each person. we used paperback and old and new. they all work good and you can buy dictionary’s at the thrift store for cheep
I hope you try it. the only thing is every one has to be able to read. little kids can play but it is best to team them with an adult.
before I send I have to tell you about another one that we loved.
fold a piece of paper in half and in half again. this is a drawing game. it usually needs 4 players. at least.
so now if you open the paper it has 3 creases and 4 sections.
on the top section you draw a head. make sure the neck extends just into the next section so the next person knows where to start.
then you fold the head back and pass the paper on.
the next person has to draw the body to the waist. extending the waist onto the crease and fold it back.
the next person drawn the legs, fold it back and the last person draws the feet.
so when everyone is done you unfold the paper and see what kind of monsters/creatures/people have been drawn. we would laugh so much.
this helps the younger ones know that you don’t have to be an artist to draw a funny picture. you may have to set a deadline for drawing, for those who get really involved with their art.
I hope this helps. I will defiantly look for the spot it game.
Thank you
Judy
I enjoy apples to organges. We play on holidays. My parents love it late 50’s, my husband 40, my teenagers 13 (twins) , and my grandma 85 play. our neighbors must wonder about us with all the yelling..IT is all in good fun…
We love the Ungame. There are several versions. We have the Family one. Basically it’s just questions and answers. There are rules about not interrupting. I don’t know why it is so much fun, it just is. I loved this game when I was a teenager. Now my kids (ages 4, 6, 9, 12) love it too. My husband and I have been known to play this game on a date. Very versatile.
Our family was recently introduced to Spot it as well and love it! I was browsing around Deseret Book the other day and saw they have that game and also a Junior edition using pictures of animals. It looked fun although even my four year old can play the original very well. We actually play with the Travel version that has pictures of things you’d see as you drive around. Another favorite of ours is The Game of Things; good for large groups.
My kids and I love to play Sleeping Queens. It was developed by a grade schooler, so young ones can play it. It is also a pretty fast game so we don’t spend hours playing one round.
our favorite game right now is Ticket to Ride, it is ages 8-99 but my 7 year old caught on pretty quick.
We are huge game fans at our house so my list is long!
Qwirkle, Settlers of Catan, Sequence, Wacky Six, Ticket to Ride, Curses, Enchanted Forest (a huge fav since i was a kid…but i found it online! Its a kind of memory game…we love it!) Card game “scum”, and Pit.
I have teenagers so most of these games are for older kids except Enchanted Forest. Sequence comes in a kid version.
I found this game called To Bethlehem two years ago and it has quickly become a fun Christmas tradition in our family. The point is to get to Bethlehem to worship the baby Jesus and on the way crazy things can happen like, covering your head with a towel because it is hot or sit on someone’s lap until the next turn because you are tired. There are also Around the Campfire cards that have questions or activities you must do. One time my parents got a surprise when they answered the phone to our family singing a Christmas carol and then quickly hanging up. We always let everyone have a chance to answer the questions because they are fun and let us get to know each other better. Here is the website where I found the game:
http://familymanweb.com/to-bethlehem-the-christmas-game-for-the-entire-family/
SWIPE, super fun game! Comes in a case the size of a large deck of cards. It is played with chips and dice and all my kids can play, ages ranging from 3-11. The rounds r played fast so people can also jump in and out as needed. And u can play one round or a bunch(although we have never stopped at one). Everyone starts with 2 dice and 5 chips. When u roll the dice a picture on the dice tells you to take a chip from the center or from another player, you can also take a dice frim another player, because the more dice u have the more chips u can get. The player with the most chips wins! It is fairly inexpensive also, if I remember right it was under $8.
Our family also really likes The Game of Life. Its a favorite when we are camping and have a longer time to sit down for a bit!
PASS is a really fun LDS game that can be played in different ways depending on the ages of the kids and how ling of a game you want to play. I found mine at Deseret or Seagull book. Also fairly inexpensive.
There is a board game more for older children and adults that is played with little trains and train cars and the board has railroad tracks. If u know the name? I can’t think of it for the life of me. It is really fun we played it with the neighbors and I don’t no what it’s called.
I started a tradition a couple years ago that we get a new family game to play together every year!
Happy Gaming!
Kaye Y
Take It Easy–my family and I discovered this game this summer.
Qwirkle is a longtime favorite as is Rummikub. There are 2 different Qwirkle games. We are really liking qwirkle cubes over the original qwirkle lately.
Qwiddler is a fun word card game.
Guillotine card game.
5 Crowns
We love qwirkle here too! My husband and I play (and sometimes our 7 yr old son) and then our girls (3 and 5) like to watch and draw the tiles.
We also looooved outburst but the newest edition is getting a little old and that makes it really tough.
We also know quite a few card games that we enjoy. But it would be hard to explain all the rules in a comment lol!
Oh and for big groups bang is an awesome game!!!! Prob my favorite!
BLINK is the best game ever. Any one can play and it is over in the blink of an eye.
I just taught my first graders how to play the other day and I am going to have to buy a few more decks to keep them happy during indoor recesses.
I have also been known to stay up in the wee hours of the morning playing Blink with the other leaders at girls’ camp. (We are worse than the girls! 😉 )
My husband thinks I’m nuts, but it really is the BEST!
My husband and I MUST play “Ark of the Covenant” everyday or the day is not complete! It sounds religious and is sold at Deseret Book, but it is definitely NOT. It is a “nice” game, quality-wise, like Settlers of Catan but can be completed in 20 to 30 minutes and is totally enjoyable with only two players. It is a knock off of the 2001 Game of the Year called “Carcassonne.”
Thanks for instigating this “game review”…..great for Christmas shopping!
Happy holidays!
Here are a few of our favorites.
Farkle, or Farkel, the dice game, that has also been called or is similar to 1000/5000/10000, Cosmic Wimpout, Greed, Hot Dice,[1] Squelch,[2] Zilch, Zonk, or Darsh to name but a few.
If you like Blink and want adult crazier version go for Jungle Speed. Just make sure everyone has short nails. 😉 Your keen eye and swift hand will win the day, if you can stop laughing long enough to catch your breath. Jungle Speed seems simple enough, and everyone can be playing minutes after you deal out the cards. Flip the cards, spot the matching symbols and grab the totem, but grab faster than your friends, or you’ll be stuck with their cards. Dump your whole hand to win – if you can! Jungle Speed is easy to learn and fast to play, with excitement and fun for families and friends of all ages. Spotting the matching symbols is challenging enough, but the entire game can change if you see one of the special cards appear. Then you’ll find yourself looking for colors instead of symbols, grabbing for the totem out of turn, or otherwise scrambling to stay a step ahead of everyone else. Whether you find yourself surrounded by adult friends or trying to entertain a roomful of youngsters, Jungle Speed has enough thrills and hijinks to keep everyone laughing and having a blast, game after game.
Quelf is a great silly game that gets everyone even sillier. A camera/camcorder is recommended to have on hand. Quelf is the game that gives random a new name! Use your creativity an imagination to answer crazy questions and perform ridiculous stunts. There’s only one rule – OBEY THE CARD! If a player obeys their card they get to move ahead. Be the first person to cross the finish line and you win! Enjoy a non-stop hilarious adventure with Quelf! Quelf Jr. is simpler and quicker version.
Left, Right, Center is a great and quick dice game with chips the whole family can play.
Headbanz is fun too.
I love Five Crowns. Five Crowns is a fast-paced ingenious card game. Its double deck contains 5 suits (the stars are new), but it has no aces or twos. This unique deck gives you many more options for arranging your hand into sets and sequences–the challenge is to see them make the right combinations, be the first to go out, then watch the others scramble as they get one last chance to cut their losses. Five Crowns, with its beautiful cards, is easy to learn. It starts with 3 cards and 3’s are wild. The next hand has 4 cards and 4’s are wild, and so on. You’ll need luck and skill throughout the game because even in the last hand a worthy opponent can come from behind and win. Remember, “the game isn’t over ’til the Kings go wild.”
If your family likes to sing then Encore is fun. It’s similar to Scattergories only singing.
We also like Swipe, Spot it and Rummikub
card games: “No Thanks” “spot it”, “great dalmuti”, “ligretto”, “pit” “blink”, and “slamwich”; board games: “acquire”, “payday” and “curses”
We love board games like Ticket to Ride (or Trek to Zion, which is similar) and Settlers of Catan, but we are really into cooperative games lately. Our two favorite are Forbidden Island (little kids can play too) and Pandemic (teenagers and adults). Cooperative games are so much fun since everyone is working together to beat the game. We love them!
I recently played Spot It with my son’s class and it is now on my wish list. Love the simple fun of games like that. Another game you may like is Set, it is another visual card game that is addicting…
Telestrations is a fun game. It’s like telephone except you draw your guesses and then people have to guess the word and then draw it out and it just gets passed around until you’re done. Its really silly!
We like a lot of classic games like Scrabble, Scattegories, and Clue. We also like Pass the Pigs. There are so many games available on the iPad that we enjoy playing together too. Yahtzee, Uno and the Game of Life are some our favs.
We love Settlers of Catan, Apples to Apples, Rummikub, Blokus, and Wits & Wagers.
Wits and Wagers involves questions about different topic – “How heavy is the Statue of Liberty?” Each player writes a guess & the answers are put in order. People put chips on a board to guess which answer is correct. We have played this game with people of all ages & it’s always a hint. Everyone always gets to guess an answer & wager on what is correct. (Yes, it is pseudo-gambling. We have decided that it’s not a problem for us.)
Our family loves the card game SWAP. It’s a swift, swapping, switching and slapping (yes, slapping…HAND slapping) card game. SWAP is a lot like Uno, but we like it better.
Our family loves Wits and Wagers, The Great Dalmuti, Guillotine, Bang, Perpetual Commotion, Dominion, Shadow Over Camelot, and Scrabble, among others. We love playing games together on Sunday.