If your family is anything like mine, things to do are getting a little sparse. Frozen 2 and Onward have been played so many times I’m frankly surprised our subscription to Disney Plus hasn’t been terminated. The once ignored arts and crafts kits purchased for past birthdays are now reduced to scraps. However, the one thing that my family has not yet gotten sick of is board games. The kids love them, we can play them over and over again, and I can somewhat keep my sanity. Here are some of our favorites.
Classic Games for the Younger Crowd
Most of these are not a surprise, as many of you probably played them yourself as a kid. Here’s a reminder of the classics that preschoolers and elementary school-aged kids love:
- Candy Land
- Chutes and Ladders
- Sorry
- Guess Who
- Trouble
- Operation
- Hi Ho! Cherry-O
- Busy Town
- Mouse Trap
New Finds
As I’ve recently discovered, the toy world has really stepped up when it comes to board games for the younger crowd. Peaceable Kingdom is a fantastic company that has many great board games, including “cooperative” games, which eliminate a lot of fighting if you have multiple kiddos. The games are fun and engaging not only for the kids but also for the parents (which we all need right now). Here are a few of our favorites:
- Hoot Owl Hoot
- Count Your Chickens
- Feed the Woozle
- Gnomes at Night
- Race to the Treasure
Another company I really like is Blue Orange Games. Some are a little less traditional than your typical “board game” but really focus on memory, dexterity, strategy, creativity, etc. A few of our current favorites are:
- Froggy Boogie
- Chickyboom
- Pengoloo
- Vroom Vroom
A few others my kids have been enjoying:
Games for Older Kids and Adults
This list could go on forever. There are so many board games out there, many fitting to specific genres and categories. Some of these are two-player games if you are home quarantining with your partner, or many online platforms allow you to play online with friends! Here are a few of my personal favorites:
- Scrabble
- Clue
- The Game of Life
- Monopoly
- Risk
- Battleship
- Ticket to Ride
Have you been enjoying board games during this time? What’s your favorite!?