Favorite Family Board Games

We went to TRU this weekend and took a look at the board games aisle. Our children are now 3 years old so I figured we should start looking at age appropriate board games for us to play with them.

I'm familiar with Chutes and Ladders, Hi-Ho Cherry-O, Candyland, Cooties, and Memory. We just bought Zingowhich is a game similar to Bingo, but with pictures (I highly recommend it). DH also bought Operation, but I think they are way too young for that now. (He thinks it will help their hand-eye coordination) We also bought Twister, but since the mat is made for children 6 years and older...I made our own mat that is 3 year old friendly. They love it!

I was just wondering what are some of your favorite board games to play with your children?

 

We have always loved Jenga. As well as all the one's you mentioned. At 3 my son also got a great game, not sure what it was called, maybe the snake game and it was really fun. I'll have to look at the box when I get home. But there are cards with snake heads, tails and bodies that are all different colors and you put them together to build snakes. Whoever finishes the snake gets to keep it. It is great for learning to match colors.

 

Sorry for sure!

 

In general, I would recommend any of the Cranium games, that are age appropriate. My sone received Cariboo when he was 3, and he still enjoys it at 6. It is a game that can be played with one or more people, and comes with a beginner and advanced version, as they grow. There is also a junior operation game for 4+. My 5 year old still can't really do the 6+ version.

CandyLand is great, but we find chutes and Ladders can take too long to play and the attention span wanes.

Trouble is another one that mine enjoy.

Have fun, and expect to play with modified rules that the kids will make up.

T

 

As a day care teacher I've taught many 3 year olds how to play UNO. There are some great UNO Jrs out there. You can also buy some card holders. I got a box of 4 by Leapfrog at Walmart.

Other little kid favourites are Guess Who. Connect 4. Snakes and Ladders. Memory. I didn't learn how to play Hi Ho Cherry-o until just this year. I'm not really a fan but it is a good counting game.

Oh yeah. I've had children get day care games at home and play with their parents with odd rules only to hear "It's how Kendra plays".

 

We love Sorry! I played it a lot as a kid with my own parents, and it's fun for all of us -- not as painful as some of the real kiddie games can be. We also love Uno, dominoes and Yahtzee.

Not sure if 3-year-olds are quite ready for Sorry, though. At that age, Nadia loved Cariboo, Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, and Hullabaloo.

 

My kids love Cariboo, my girls also have been playing since around 3 and are almost 7 now.
Chutes and Ladders in not one of the favorites here. They get board of it easily.

Some others mine like: UNO, Sorry, sequence for kids (or the adult version), lucky ducks (more for my son), duck duck goose, the Lady Bug Game, and silly faces (they're like stickers that you use over and over to make faces).

 

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I forgot about Sorry! I'll have to check out these Cranium games. I didn't realize they had so many for young children!

 

Not a board game, but my little ones loved Don't Spill the Beans. Another family favorite is Perfection or Scramble (which is great! It's basically Perfection with two playing bases and the timer is in the middle, great so the twins can play together.) SO fun!

 

Not really a board game but we just bought Rush Hour Jr and all three of my kids (7,4 and 4) love playing it and my husband and I do too. I am actually looking for the non Jr version for DH and I right now but haven't found it.

 

FANTASTIC game. I have Jr and a couple grown up ones with the extention packs. I also have Rush Hour Safari and Rush Hour Rail Road. Its fun to play the real way and younger kids who don't really get it like to just put the pieces on and off the board. Look in a game store or teacher store. I've found its a game you either love or hate. I bought a couple in thrift stores.

Between books and games look for "Look and Find" books. http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Nemo-Look-Publications-International/dp/0785382372 Last year at day care everyone was into them. They have them for everything from Princesses to Nascar. Last time I was in Aldi they had a few.

 

Me neither! I'm thinking that might go under the Christmas tree Candy Land is my favorite children's game, but I haven't tried it out with the twins yet, I'm thinking they may still be a little young still. I haven't played it yet, but I did see a "goodnight moon" game based on the book. I think it was ages 3 and up. I think there are also some games based on the Eric Carle books too. Those look pretty neat!

 

Well, our babes aren't here yet, and we don't frequently play with little ones.

We are very fond of GameWright games, though. Moose in the house is great, and I think could be played with anyone who knew colors. There's also Hiss, which is of a similar level. But they're still entertaining enough that I've played them with a group of 25 year olds, so, take that as you will.

For grown-ups, we like Carcasonne.

 

My kids have the Eric Carle ABC Game and Scrabble Jr - the Dora version.

for adults we like Puerto Rico and Settlers of Catan

 

we have the animal hide and seek game and a wow wow wubzie game. They love the wubzie one. you draw cards and you try to match what pic is on the card to your main pic. when you get 4 you ring the bell and win

 

We have this awesome Whinnie the Pooh game, but I don't know if it's available in the US. It came with 4 sets of instructions, so far we've only played the one for youngest kids, which envolves everyone playing against "the pirates" so everyone either wins or loses as a team.

And I'm not trying to brag or anything, but my brother had the game Mancala as part of his stroke recovery, and the girls started sitting on mine and his laps while I played it with him. Soon they wanted to move the marbles for us, and when we came back to Mexico, I bought one to bring with us. Now at nearly 5 they can play it themselves, and have beaten me out right once. I started playing Candyland and the Whinnie the Pooh Game I mentioned above with them at 3 and it was very frustraiting until 4 (I actually wished I'd waited) but in the last year, they have really bloomed and now can play strategy games and I think these things really help them a lot. So for those of you who have just two or three year olds. If they aren't quite ready at the age it says on the box, don't worry, they'll get there if you give them time.

 

Here are the ones we're playing (in order of his favorites):

Cariboo

Zingo

Candyland

Chutes and Ladders

I Spy Eagle Eye (they make a Jr. version, too)

Little Pet Shop

Green Eggs and Ham

Farm Animal Farmyard (or something like that)

Monopoly Jr.

 

These are all great suggestions. Thanks! Going to start our Christmas list!

 

Good to hear the lists!!!

I have to admit that I don't really enjoy playing Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders with the kids! :blush: I'm going to look at some of your suggestions and see if I can find something that MOMMY will actually WANT to play with them. (Ducking now!)

 

Another vote for Cariboo. We started out just taking turns opening boxes looking for balls, but pretty quickly the girls were willing/able to use the cards and just open matching boxes. This game has been HOURS of entertainment for them. We also like Silly Faces and Memory-type games, though for now we are still in a face-up, matching cards kind of way. Candyland was not a hit when we tried just after their 3rd birthday. I'll probably wait a few more months to try that one again.

 

I'm so glad you post this topic! I was wondering what good game to play for 3 yrs and up. It'll be a perfect birthday and christmas gift to get this Fall for my twins. Thanks for all of the wonderful suggestion! Keep bringing any more board games I may never heard of

 

What games besides family ones do you like?

 

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I love Uno. Great game

 

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