This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links below, I may receive compensation.
I’ve talked quite a bit about how much we enjoy games in our family — Landon and I play Wingspan multiple times each weekend, and we also love games that our five and seven year old can play with us. In fact, when I contemplated the question: “What is considered normal in your household?”, I was struck by the fact that “playing games” was one of the first few answers I tossed out. Game-playing even made its way into the design of our front living room. When we mentioned how often we enjoy Wingspan over coffee or cocktails on the weekend, our designer suggested incorporating a small game table into one of the corners. Right now, it has a half-completed puzzle on it, but I think I might buy a beautiful chess/checkers set to leave out on its surface moving forward. I love the classic look of this set.
Aside from being enjoyable in their own right, I’ve found that games are a great way to embrace playfulness, connect with my husband and children in a different way (i.e., it’s exciting for my kids to “compete” with me!), engage in something not involving screens, and model strategizing and resilience. I also like that it implicitly invites rest, as there are many instances where we are waiting for our turns. Funny how something as simple as a game can become a tool to express family values. I feel the same way about meals and mealtimes — another canvas for value-expression.
Anyway, while we were away with friends last weekend, my children discovered (and loved!) Checkers, and our friends mentioned that Monopoly Jr is big in their household — and we’d never played it before. I’ve asked this a few times here and there, but want to make a big open ask at the bottom of this post —
What are your favorite family games?
Family Games for Kids 5-8.
JENGA // TACO CAT // EYE FOUND IT // CHARADES
The games we play most frequently in our home —
02. Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza — a wildly popular favorite.
03. Klask — a little pricier but worth it!
04. Great for restaurants/doctor’s offices: Spot it! and Disney Eye Found it.
05. Hurry Up Chicken Butt — especially good for a big group of kids / play date situation.
07. War — they each received a set of Disney playing cards in their stocking (on theme for this year) and they love to play this!
08. Slamwich.
09. Jenga!
10. Beat the Parents — we’ve not yet tried this but it’s on our list next!
By the way – we just picked up these card holders for little hands. My son has trouble with some of the games because he can’t display them all efficiently!
Game Recommendations for Slightly Older Kids.
BATTLESHIP // MONOPOLY JUNIOR // GUESS WHO? // MONOPOLY DEAL // BLOKUS
A few recent discoveries and recommendations for Magpie readers and friends:
01. Monopoly Junior.
02. Blokus.
03. Monopoly Deal.
04. Battleship.
05. Guess Who? — card game edition.
Decorative and Giftable Games.
BOOKSHELF GAMES // DOMINOES // PLAYING CARDS // MONOPOLY // SCRABBLE
In putting this post together, I also came across some gorgeous decorative versions of some classic games — these would be great if you, too, have decided to incorporate gaming into a high-traffic area. Some of these are pretty enough to leave on a shelf or coffee table, and/or would make a great family gift:
01. Pretty Scrabble.
02. Decorative playing cards — from Anthro, Dear Annabelle, or Rifle Paper Co.
03. Monopoly — “bookshelf edition.” Or see this option from Food 52.
04. Lucite tic tac toe or this brass set.
06. Another pretty Monopoly option!
Our Favorite Two-Player Games for Adults.
These are more adult-oriented, but older kids can definitely partake if patient — a few of our other favorite two-player games: Azul, Patchwork, Jaipur.
P.S. Other things I’ve bought for my family.
P.P.S. On dating my husband.
P.P.P.S. Spring dresses.