One of the things that I have made an effort to gift to my kids in the past couple of years is some sort of family game. It encourages us to have a family game night or game day together and hopefully instills the whole gracious losing dynamic. Sharing some of our favourite games to share with your family.
Game Gifts
Sleeping Queens – We make sure to take this with us to the cottage and it is always a hit. Not super complicated so good for a wide range of ages.
Exploding Kittens – This is the only one on the list that we haven’t played yet. It is part of what I am giving the kids this year. Shhh don’t tell them! They don’t read this so we should be safe. My brother highly recommended it and there are lots of expansion packs to keep adding onto the fun.
Playing Cards – ok I know this seems a bit boring compared to the rest but a basic deck of playing cards always comes in handy. Stick it in someone’s stocking and you are set for when you head out on vacation or just on a rainy day.
UNO – I have so many fond memories of playing UNO for hours with my cousins as kids. I don’t think I am alone! This is a must for every family fun day. Did you know that UNO has come out saying that you can compound your pick up 2 cards?! I think we will still play it that way anyways.
Mexican Train – This is one of our latest favourites. It is one of those games that can go on for a while and is more interactive than you would think. The premium acrylic set is a luxury gift but you can get the more generic set here.
Qwirkle – this game is so much more fun than I originally thought it would be. Can go on for a while and scoring can be a bit complicated. But you can make it easier with whoever goes out first wins.
Clue – we love mysteries at our house and Clue is a fun family game. Much less frustration and tears than say Monopoly.
Puzzles – Since covid began I have gotten into the habit of buying a 1000 piece puzzle for us to do as a family. Sure my husband and I do more than our fair share but we do spend quite a bit of time as a team getting the puzzle completed over the holidays. This group project always provides so much satisfaction when we complete it!
5 Minute Mysteries – While my kids prefer Clue we still have lots of fun with this mystery game as well. You have to find clues and deduce who the culprit is. We always ignore the time factor but you can make it harder by sticking to the clock.
Does your family have a favourite game?