5 Great Games to Play at Family Game Night
Family game night…a time dedicated to some good, old-fashioned fun. For as long as I can remember, I always have loved the creative and thought provoking side of games, and of course winning was always a obvious plus. I am known by many as a tad competitive, but what can I say, I just like to win! Family game night has the power to teach sportsmanship, strategy, and problem-solving…a tad more skills than your classic family movie. During my travels and interactions with our international friends, I have slowly wound up with quite a plethora of new favorite family games.
Game 1: 10 Days in Europe
In this game, which takes roughly a half hour to play, players must exchange their cards cleverly to find their way through Europe to win. 10 cards must show continuous travel either by land, sea, or air. My favorite part of this game is it’s aid in teaching European geography to your children, and sometimes even you and your spouse. The player who is clever enough to order their cards in a way that travels through Europe, and is the fastest, is the winner. One can also purchase the game traveling through different continents, however I only own the European edition. I highly recommend this game for hours of fun with your family. The game is different every time you play, and endless combinations of travel can be constructed.
Game 2: Ticket to Ride
Get ready to climb aboard for some railroading fun and adventure, Ticket to ride is a cross-country train trek in which players collect and play matching train cards to claim railway routes connecting cities throughout North America. The longer the routes, the more points you can win. This strategy needed game also teaches geography to the family. Originally known as Zug um Zug, a German game, it has been adapted to many different languages around the world. I love the competitive nature of this game, and definitely recommend it as a new family favorite.
Game 3: Ligretto
Now Ligretto is the newest game that I have learned. In fact I played for the first time just this summer. In this game, speed, reasoning, and reactions are vital when playing Ligretto. The most confusing part is that everyone is playing at the same time. This means that organized chaos is likely to erupt. The point of the game is to attempt to discard as many cards as possible to the communal piles in ascending order. One box allows you to play with 2-4 players, but by simply adding another different colored box, up to 8 can play. Additionally you can add a third box and now 12 players can compete. Important skills that this game teaches would be hand-eye coordination, speed, and counting. This game may take a while to get the hand of, but believe me, soon you all will be dominating the Ligretto game table.
Game 4: Sequence
Sadly, a majority or people have never heard of this fantastic family game, but this card-based strategy game is sure to quickly become a new family favorite. This board game is easy enough for kids to quickly pick up, but challenging enough to keep adults on their toes. Here’s how it works: Each player or team receives a hand of standard playing cards, and during each turn, they out down a chip to cover the corresponding spot on the game board. The objective is to ultimately place 5 chips in a row in the game board first. This game goes by quite quickly, and usually takes around 10 to 30 minutes. I love Sequence, and my family enjoys to play it because it is easy to learn, inclusive for all ages and can gift an endless amount of fun.
Game 5: Schokoladadenessen
This is the perfect new party game for the parent who just can’t play another “Pin the tail in the donkey” game! It translates literally to chocolate eating and is sure to be a new party favorite. This game includes a table full of children, and a hat, scarf, mittens, fork and knife placed in the middle of the table. This all is to be placed next to a chocolate bar wrapped in newspaper and tied with a ribbon. One child is chosen to roll a die first and tries to roll a six. When a child rolls a six, they must then put on the clothing and attempt to to unwrap the chocolate bar. Using the knife and the fork, it is sure to be a challenge! At the same time, the rest of the children attempt to roll a six, and when another does, they take over eating the chocolate bar. This game can become overwhelmingly fast-paced, as children love their chocolate!
I hope you all have found at least one new game to fall in love with thanks to this blog post. Make sure to comment your favorite below, or add any other European games you happen to love!
