Can you believe we’re halfway through October already? The weather is starting to turn and it’s the perfect time of year to invite some friends over, make some popcorn, and have a fun game night in front of a toasty fire!
I shared this post this past spring on Amber’s blog, When Is Nap Time?, but I thought now would be the perfect time to share it here! Plus, this can get you thinking if you’re ready to start Christmas shopping, games are always a great idea!
//Favorite Family Games//
These are the games that our kids love playing with us, and are “simple” enough for both my five year old and three year old to play. They’re great because they also reinforce things they’re learning, like colors and shapes.
- Memory Game: We just recently started playing this game with our kids and they have loved it. I don’t mind playing it either because it’s a good brain exercise!
- Candy Land: Who doesn’t love Candy Land? This is a great game for ones that are too young to read, and provides great practice for learning colors.We have the Disney Parks version, which adds an extra fun element for my little ones.
- Lucky Ducks: My son got this as a birthday present a few years ago and it has become a much-requested game in our household! It’s a really good one for teaching children about taking turns, as the ducks never stop moving, which is really tempting for tiny, grabby hands.
//Favorite Couples Games//
Most of these are games that just two people can play, which is nice because sometimes that’s hard to find, and there’s only so many times you can play Battleship. If we can wrangle some other couples over for a game night, they’re great with other people too.
- Tapple: This one is great because anywhere from 2-8 players can get in on the fun and it’s fast paced. If you like Scattergories, you’ll enjoy this game.
- Mexican Train Game: If you haven’t heard of this, it’s basically just a variation of dominoes. Another one that can accommodate up to 8 players.
- Ticket to Ride: This is a fun game to play that involves strategy, and a little luck. There are also different versions and expansions kits you can buy if you get really into it.
- Settlers of Catan: I had to mention Settlers, of course. This can be a longer game, especially if you’re playing with people that wait until it’s their turn to decide what the flip they’re doing (ugh), but still fun and involves lots of strategy, building alliances, and sometimes gaining up on other people. Depending on who you’re playing with, it can get pretty cutthroat.
We like card games here, one reason being because we don’t necessarily all have to be sitting around a table to play, we can play on the couch or the family room floor. It’s also usually easy to play with a big group of people, especially if you get more then one game deck .
- Phase 10: With this game, it really is all about luck of the draw. We have two decks so we’re able to play with a lot of people! This game is also nice, because if you ever want to play and don’t have a Phase 10 deck, you can play with a regular deck of cards (look the phases up online), or a Rook deck. You can also easily adjust the length of play time by only playing the odd or even phases.
- Rook cards: There is an actual Rook card game, but we play lots of different games with these cards (like Phase 10 in a pinch). One we play a lot is what we call ‘Heck of a Game’, but is really called ‘Oh Hell’.
- Dominion: When my husband first described this game to me I was like, “that does not sound like fun.” Luckily, I gave it a chance and I was hooked. As you play this game you are essentially building a deck of cards that is you dominion. That deck is comprised of all your resources and victory points (like Settlers), and the things you can do. It took a little bit for me to learn, but once you play it a couple times game play can go quickly.
- Munchkin: This is another game that has a lot of different versions and expansions you can purchase for it. Like Settlers, you can team up and play against other players, but you don’t have to. In my opinion, it isn’t as ruthless and you get a kick our of reading all the funny descriptions on the cards.
- Pandemic: This game is fun because you’re playing cooperatively with the other players, not against them.
- Pass the Popcorn: If you’re good a movie trivia, then you’ll love this game. I’m not and I still really enjoy it. I also like that this is another one you don’t have to all be sitting around a table to play.
- Scrabble: I’m sure you’ve heard of Scrabble, but I have to bring it up because it holds a special place in my heart, my husband and I played it on our first date. I mean, that’s not all we did. We went out to dinner and frozen yogurt too, because we’re awesome like that.
What are some of your favorite games to play?