🎲 Family games

Games the whole family can play together – from age 4 to grown-up.

Why play together

🤝 Taking turnsWaiting, sharing and following rules – practised for fun

😅 Losing wellA safe place to lose, and to win kindly

🔢 Sneaky learningCounting, reading, planning and memory, without a worksheet

📵 Time togetherScreens off, everyone at the same table

Best when ages are mixed: everyone plays on the same side against the game.

Hoot Owl Hoot!from 4Get the owls home before the sun comes up – everyone wins or loses together. Great when the youngest hates losing

Outfoxed!from 5Work out which fox stole the pie, as a team, by collecting clues

Forbidden Islandfrom 8Rescue the treasures before the island sinks – older children can lead

Dobblefrom 6Spot the one picture two cards share. Younger ones can play with easier rules, or Dobble Kids

Rhino Herofrom 5Build a wobbly card tower as high as you can – lots of laughing

Unofrom 7The classic colour-and-number card game; younger ones can play in a team with a grown-up

Shut the Boxfrom 6Roll two dice and flip down numbers that add up – quiet maths practice

Ticket to Ride: First Journeyfrom 6Collect train cards and build routes across the map – the gentler version of a family favourite

My First Carcassonnefrom 4Lay tiles to build roads and towns; grown-up Carcassonne is from 7

Labyrinthfrom 7Slide the maze walls to reach your treasure – it changes every turn

Kingdominofrom 8Build a little kingdom from domino tiles – quick to learn, quick to play

Sushi Go!from 8Pick a card, pass the rest – easy to learn, tricky to master

Snapfrom 4Fast, loud and simple

Pairs (memory)from 4All cards face down – turn over two at a time to find matches. Little ones are often best at this

Go Fishfrom 5Ask for the cards you need to make sets

Crazy Eightsfrom 6Match the colour or number – the game Uno is based on

Rummyfrom 8Collect runs and sets – good for older children and grown-ups

Charadesfrom 4Act it out, no talking – younger ones can do animals

Twenty questionsfrom 5Think of something; everyone asks yes-or-no questions to guess it

Would you rather…?from 4Two choices, and everyone says why – great at the dinner table

Drawing consequencesfrom 5Draw a head, fold, pass; then a body, fold, pass – unfold the funny creature

Sardinesfrom 4Hide and seek backwards – one person hides and everyone who finds them squeezes in too

I spyfrom 4Younger ones can use colours instead of letters

The alphabet gamefrom 6Spot something starting with A, then B, then C…

Story chainfrom 4Each person adds one sentence to a story

Number plate mathsfrom 7Add up the numbers on the car in front – first to say the answer wins

One games night a week – the same night, so it's something to look forward to
Youngest goes first, and mixed-age pairs make it fair
Short over long – stop while it's still fun
Let the children teach the rules to a grown-up – it's great for their confidence

Ages are the makers' suggestions – younger children can often join in with a grown-up as a team.