Three Family Games You Love to Play
Family gatherings approach, with awkward conversations and blissful moments coming in equal measures. It also means it’s time to break out the games! It simply wouldn’t be a holiday in my family without the sound of plastic cups slamming down on hardwood boards and moans of “Aarrggh! You’re so mean!” and whispers of, “Hey, you should probably knock her off. She’s got two in home.”
So for those of you who are game players and those of who would like to take a crack at it, take a moment to share your top three family games (of any sort, variety, or type).
For me, the first one, at least, is a gimme:
1. Aggravation. This marble race board game gives everyone a chance to be viciously cruel and as well as uncharacteristically merciful. It’s how I learned to be good sport, and how I learned that shortcuts often have strings attached. (And for the record, the cardboard version in the store is way less fun than playing on a hand-carved wooden 4-player board.)
2. Uno. It’s fast, it’s easy to learn, and you can play in giant groups (no matter what the box says). One of my favorite pics from childhood is me playing Uno with my mom. I have a gleeful smile on my face. Look closely at the cards, and you can see that I just made my mom draw four. Sweet, sweet victory! [Nerdy Confession #4: I own *NSync Uno...]
3. Guillotine. Strategy, intrigue, and cold-blooded murder set in the French Revolution. What better way for families to bond?
Honorable mention:
- Fluxx. Just when you think you’ve got what you need to win, someone changes the rules and sends you back to the beginning. This one gets a special nod for letting players go in and out of the game at will without disturbing gameplay.
- Barbie: Queen of the Prom. This 1961 game is a hoot (reproduction copies are the way to go), and gets appropriately cutthroat. Bonus points to all male players who fight for Ken.
Okay, I really want to hear what kinds of games are your favorites, so please advance to Go and leave your comments in the Free Parking zone! 
photo credit: BigTallGuy
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This post has 21 comments
December 17th, 2008
we like charades and dictionary. honorable mention to apples to apples.
neimanmarxists last blog post..A History of Our Budget, Part II: Going For Broke
December 17th, 2008
Great post! I love games. At the top of the list for group games:
Apples to Apples
Pictionary
Rook
Sequence
Thanks!
Nickis last blog post..When Penny-Pinching Has Pushed You Too Far
December 17th, 2008
My favorite is one that requires no board and not much more than paper and pencils. It’s been boxed under various names with props you don’t need and was also John Kennedy’s favorite.
Categories
*You can use scrabble letters to draw for the part that letters are needed, but slips of paper with the alphabet work just as well.
Each person playing draws one letter of the alphabet (up to five is usually a good number) and also chooses a category of knowledge, such a “parts of a sewing machine”, or “Girl’s names”, or anything at all (my son always beat me with “comic book characters”).
Each person draws a grid with the letters across the top and all topics chosen down the side. Now set a timer for five minutes.
Each person must try to come up with an appropriate entry for each category beginning with each of the letters drawn in the time allotted(which, of course, can be changed to suit you). The object is to fill the grid as much as possible with correct answers.
One point is received for each “right” answer (agreed upon by the group and so a great game for learning cooperation, compassion and even mercy, at times!). The winner is the one who reaches the preset number of points first.
Enjoyed your post and may just have to find the Barbie game. i’ve had it in for her for some time. i’ve always felt she treated Ken badly.
gentle thoughts…
December 17th, 2008
we have a lot of the traditional preschool games – candyland, elefun, hungry hungry hippos. but we’ve also recently taught our 4 year old to play uno and sorry. he loves them and it’s a little more interesting to us than hours of candyland. for christmas, santa is bringing uno attack and clue jr. when it’s just the two of us, we play backgammon, 3-13 and michigan rummy.
December 17th, 2008
Apples to Apples
Pictionary
Trivial Pursuit
Katies last blog post..Blogging With a Purpose…
December 17th, 2008
I totally forgot about Apples to Apples–definitely a fun one. And Categories sounds like the inspiration for Scattergories, but a lot easier and cheaper–wonderful tip there!
For the record, I’m still in a debate with an old high school acquaintance over whether Hamburger Helper can count as a dessert. I’ve long given up trying to advance any kind of logic on my side; it’s all about pride now.
December 17th, 2008
Pictionary
Taboo- especially when the person with the buzzer gets over-excited.
Cranium- humming, doodling, plasticine- it has it all.
Honorable mention to scrabble, except no one likes to play with my librarian aunt, who has clearly read and memorized too many great words.
December 17th, 2008
My husband and I (re)introduced spades to my family. That would be number one!
No. 2 is also Uno!
No. 3 is cherades. Hilarious!
December 17th, 2008
Scrabble – just a classic
Speed Scrabble – don’t use the board, put the scrabble tiles face down in the center of the table, everyone pulls 7 without looking at them, then at “go” everyone looks at their tiles and tries to get them into a word or intersecting words. First one to do it calls “DRAW” and everyone pulls another tile from the pile, which each player then adds to their crossword assortment, first person to get all their tiles into words calls “Draw” and everyone pulls a tile…game ends when there are no more tiles and someone connects up all the letters.
Rummikub – really entertaining for pre-teens to octogenerians. similar to gin rummy, but with tiles and wilds and the ability to play on each other’s hands
Othello – nice 2-player game, the fairly young can play it and start to learn about strategy and planning ahead.
Rossies last blog post..In the meantime, an old frisbee story.
December 17th, 2008
Here are the 3 we like to play:
1) Chess
2) Go
3) Dominos
December 17th, 2008
We try not play a lot of games at home because everyone is so competitive that it ends up being a blood bath, but when we do play, we like charades, scrabble, and majhong.
chriss last blog post..All I Want For Christmas…
December 17th, 2008
Hi Sara. My sisters were poor sports, so it was hard to get them to play. But when we did play we liked Pictionary, Scrabble, and my personal favourite…Snakes and Ladders.
Davinas last blog post..A Positively Dysfunctional Christmas
December 17th, 2008
1) Scrabble – the best game ever invented!
2) Mexican Train Dominoes
3) Spoons – a card game where you need to quickly pass the cards around to collect four of a kind and then you have to grab a spoon. Whoever doesn’t grab a spoon in time, gets a letter. Spell “spoon” and you are out.
It’s a great game.
Chase Marchs last blog post..The Choir
December 18th, 2008
Our family bonds over a game that gives you an electric shock. Nobody seems to know the rules, the everlovin’ cheats outrageously and it invariably becomes a heckling/drinking game.
We also play Phase 10 (kind of a complicated Uno)
December 18th, 2008
1) Operation
2) Monopoly
3) Clue
I got introduced to Clue a couple years back and I liked it. There’s something addicting about Who-Dunnit.
J.D.Meiers last blog post..My Favorite Personal Development Books
December 18th, 2008
Great post! Our family favorites are:
Scrabble
Monopoly
Uno
Deborah Johnsons last blog post..If You Don’t Have to Get Out, Don’t
December 18th, 2008
Last Christmas all four boys were home and we stayed up many late nights playing:
)
– Pit ( love this game! but we need a new one because the Bear and the Bull are marked up
– Jenga (not my favorite but fun to watch)
– Speed Scrabble
– Twister! (they stayed up until about 1:30am playing this, we had a Pilates/Yoga instructor going up against an 18 year old just out of Marine Corps boot camp, it lasted about 50 minutes!)
My personal favorite is definitely Apples to Apples
This year I’m sure there will be lots of Texas Hold ‘Em
December 18th, 2008
1. Euchre
2. Cribbage
3. Throwing a Frisbee with my dog.
Squawkfoxs last blog post..Do NOT Shred it and Forget it!
December 18th, 2008
uno has been my favorite game since i was a child!
so many fond memories!
my second favorite is apples to apples! i bought it for my family for christmas.
na0s last blog post..a lesson in the kitchen
January 5th, 2009
I really enjoy Articulate, which tests your general knowledge at speed and in teams.
My family has a game that dates from the ’60s, called (gulp!) Probe. It’s a word game, no longer made, and is huge fun.
I also like an old Victorian game called Consequences, in which each player (six or more is best) has a piece of paper and a pen/pencil. Each player writes the name of a person (real or fictitious, but able to be known to the assemblage) on his/her piece of paper and folds it over. That’s the 1st WHO. The papers are passed to the left and each player adds another name; the 2nd WHO. To the left again, and each player adds a location where the two met. To the left, and each player adds what the first WHO said. To the left again, and each player adds what the second WHO said in reply. To the left one for the second to last time, and each player adds a consequence, the outcome of their meeting. The papers are passed to the left one last time and each player takes a turn to read out the entries written. The1st WHO met the 2nd WHO at/in/ a location. 1st WHO said to 2nd WHO, who replied. And the consequence was …
You get some uproariously funny strings of disconnected entries that make up the most peculiar stories. It’s equally fun played clean with kids, or slightly risque with adults. I’ve seen grown men in tears from laughter as the consequence stories are read out.
Nicolas last blog post..PayPal downtime this week
March 6th, 2009
I’m a game lover plus I’m competitive. Sometimes not a good mix around my laid back family. I love the suggestions the other commenters have left.
Our favorites:
Uno Attack – my 7yo got this for Christmas and it’s a nice twist on his favorite card game
Monopoly – most fun when the whole family can get in on the action and we start early enough to finish!
Scrabble – I love playing with my daddy.
Phase 10 – another family game everyone gets in on
My 7yo also loves Clue, but he has to have help, and Sorry!
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