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We like to play board games. Our family has some new favorites and some old classics that I’d like to recommend. Please recommend your favorites as well!
My highest recommendation goes to Bananagrams: Also, Best Word Game. Bananagrams is basically a set of Scrabble tiles in a bright yellow fabric banana. If you don’t like word games, you won’t like Bananagrams. If you do enjoy word games, this will probably quickly become one of your all-time favorites.
Why Bananagrams is so great: You can play with only 2 people or a larger group. You don’t have to wait for other people to take their turns; everyone plays simultaneously. Both luck (the draw of the tiles) and skill (not just vocabulary but also skill in using tiny words to connect bigger ones) are part of the game. Although I do not consistently win at Bananagrams (I am not interested in memorizing all the possible two letter words, unlike some people I know–Pdad!), I enjoy it because it is fun and quick and you do it with words. The package claims that Bananagrams can be played with children as young as 7, but I think most 7 year olds would find it difficult.
Pmom’s favorites
1. Bananagrams
2. Taboo
3. Conspiracy
5. Monopoly
6. Pit
Pdad’s favorites
1. Bananagrams
2. Balderdash
3. Pit
4. Rummikub
Pmom’s favorites to play with children
1.Sorry!
3. Cooties
4.Go Fish
6.Zingo
Pdad’s favorites to play with children
1. Stratego
3. Sherlock
4. Zingo
5. Jenga
Amelia’s favorites (10 yr old girl)
(Amelia had trouble with the rank ordering so she has a first favorite group and a second favorite group).
1. Bananagrams
1. Chess
2. Stratego
2.Rummikub
2.Scrabble
Duncan’s favorites (5 year old boy)
1. Candyland
5. Perfection
6. Operation
Best Larger Group Games:
Best Games for Two
Best new games
Classics that haven’t lost their luster
Comments
6 Responses to “Board Games”
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What an awesome list! I’m going to remember this for my Christmas shopping — games are a favorite of mine to give, as they seem to last longer than many of the toys my children are interested in. We need to make time to play games more often than we do — aren’t they great for childrens’ brain development? P.S. We kind of hate playing Candyland (the parents, I mean) and Matt has been known to secretly “stack the deck” so you don’t end up back at the beginning right when you thought someone was finally going to win.
I love to play Apples for Apples with my brother in law who is a literalist and can’t fathom why the funniest, most illogical answer is always selected. All my kids play the Italian game, Bang, and and the German game, Cacassonne. Having watched them, I can’t see what the attraction is.
Liz–As you can see, Candyland didn’t make my list of games to play with children or Pdad’s. Is there any adult who enjoys this game? I never thought of stacking the deck! I was surprised when Duncan told me to list Candyland as his number one favorite game. I had been wondering if I could give it away. I guess not.
I was a little disappointed when I noticed that there was so little overlap between my favorite games to play with children and Duncan’s list of favorite games. I wonder whether a 5 year old’s list of favorites is accurate. Does he really know what he likes or are these just the ones that happened to catch his attention? I’m not sure. Also, I wonder if I offer to play my favorite games with him more if he will come to like them the best, or if this really means I should just buck up and get out the Candyland! I’m playing with him for him after all.
Mark–I conclude from your comment that you would probably enjoy playing Apples to Apples with me! I think I have something in common with your brother-in-law. I am not a fan of Apples to Apples. I have never heard of Bang or Cacassonne.
I’m afraid I still can’t understand the appeal of Monopoly. I don’t think I finished 95% of the games of Monopoly I ever played.
One of my top favorites is still the classic Clue. It’s a great way to teach kids logical and strategic thinking. Parley got the Harry Potter version last Christmas and it’s just as fun as the original, with a few extra secret passages thrown in. Of course, half the fun of the original clue was the possibility that YOU were actually the murderer without knowing, a chance that is eliminated in the newer versions.
Also love Stratego and Settlers of Catan. There was some train game we played with Andrew’s family that went on for hours, what was that? Liz? Do you remember?
I understand all too well what you Candyland naysayers mean. Try this alternative:
Let each player draw two cards, and choose which one they want to use. It makes the game go so much faster, and there is no “I almost won and then I lost” heartbreak. If we didn’t play by those rules, I would never play… which is why I don’t play chutes and ladders.
I’d add Mouse Trap to the list of fun little kid games–sure, there is very little strategy, but you get to build something cool!
Uno Attack is good for any age… a nice dose of randomness that the original didn’t have — even very young kids can play this well, and still have it be fun for grown ups.
In the category of two player games for players 8 or above I’d recommend:
Mancala
Backgammon
Khet – who wouldn’t want to play a game that involved mirrors and lasers?
We love Blokus for adults and kids.