Now the summer holidays are here, families up and down the country are sure to be looking for something to occupy the long summer evenings, or even the days! There are some games aimed at children that might be a bit tedious for the grown-ups being roped into play, but these games are bound to get everyone involved and keep everyone laughing!
Here are my top 10 games for a Family Games Night:
Pizza Party is a rather unassuming name, but once you’ve played it you won’t put it down. Two players compete to roll the dice and find their toppings. The first person to complete a whole pizza wins. This game is also quite versatile so if you have more than two players you can get another Pizza Party pack to add up to two more players to the game! This game is simple to play, but highly addictive and strangely competitive!
This game was a staple of Family Games Nights for me growing up. I remember how frustrating it would be when you accidentally let a yes or a no slip out and realising you’d lost that turn! The satisfaction when I completed a card without any utterance of the dreaded words was what made me beg my family to play time and time again. For anyone that has never had the pleasure of playing Yes No the aim is pretty simple, you will be asked a series of questions that typically would result in yes or no answers, but you absolutely cannot say yes or no, and some people go as far to say you can’t nod or shake your head!
I have never seen a game like this one before. You get a card holder that has an eye on it which you can progressively open with a lever. The idea is to guess what image is on the card that is being partially concealed by the eye card holder, the less you have to open the eye to guess, the more points you get! I loved playing this game, and my favourite part was how everyone was hooked instantly.
Who doesn’t love dinosaurs? The aim of the game is to get your four dinosaurs around the board and safely home, but T Rex is hungry and you’re on the menu! This is a classic race and chase game and it involves strategic decision making, as well as a handful of luck! This game would be great for any dino lover!
No matter how old your family is, they are bound to love sculpting Plasticine! Players split into teams and take it in turns to sculpt the scene described on the card they’ve chosen. I remember bringing this game home vividly because of the hilarious attempts my family made to sculpt their cards. Ready Steady Sculpt is certainly a game for people who love a bit of competition, but also love to laugh! The best part has to be the nostalgic feel and smell of the Plasticine!
This game makes for a classic who am I game. With options on every card there is someone for everyone to choose and try to act out. I also find this game great for camping holidays as everyone can join in and included is a waterproof bag that can keep the cards safe whatever the weather!
Fans of David Walliams will love having their own adventure with Gangsta Granny. As they sneak around trying to steal the crown jewels, players need to be careful not to get caught by the Queen! This game is great for families that prefer more strategic gameplay!
This game combines two of my great loves, playing with modelling clay and playing board games. You and each of your family members get to create different shapes out of your colour of modelling clay which you then have to race around the board to get them all home safely. That would be too easy alone, you also get to splat your opponent's clay sculptures to stop them from getting home first! This game is great fun with a little bit of easily cleaned mess – perfect for creative children!
Having grown up reading and then watching Horrible Histories I was thrilled when I found this game! Players have to wind their way through history answering ‘ghastly’ questions to make it back to the present day. As the questions are all multiple choice, you don’t have to be the biggest history buff to be in with a chance of winning, and Rattus’ chance cards are set to disrupt play with good and bad consequences for players!
This game takes a wonderful idea of ‘sinking’ playing pieces and combines this with a classic race style board game. As you work your way around the board you will have to try to avoid the quicksand and other tricky obstacles in your way. However, you get back to the safety of camp do it quickly, and whatever you do avoid the quicksand!
