Different Types of Family Board Games to keep everyone entertained
Board games still hold a special place in our hearts despite the digital age and video games. People can laugh, compete, and spend quality time together as long as they’re around. Families love board games, which provide an opportunity for parents, kids, and grandparents to bond over an activity they enjoy. There are many options out there, so it can be difficult to pick. In this article, let’s look at the different types of family board games you can play with your family.
Try time-tested classic family board games
It’s always good to revisit the classics. There are some common mechanics in classic board games despite their diverse themes.
Dice Rolling or Spin the Wheel
Rolling dice or Spinning the wheel is another popular mechanic in games like Clue, where player movement is determined by the dice or The Game of Life where you spin to move . This adds suspense and thrill to the game by introducing an element of randomness.
Resource Management
Managing resources is another common mechanic, like in Monopoly with money and properties, or Scrabble with letters.
Player interaction
Finally, most classic games involve some sort of interaction between players, whether it’s trading in Monopoly, answering a word challenge in Scrabble, or guessing the culprit in Clue. As well as adding excitement to the game, these interactions foster communication and negotiation skills among players.
Educational for kids
These games also can be educational. Monopoly is a great game for teaching kids about money management, budgeting, financial planning, and investments as they trade properties and manage their money. They also learn negotiation skills as they interact with other players, offering trades and deals. The game also introduces them to real-world concepts such as taxes, utilities, and real estate, giving them a basic understanding of economics.
More depth and complexity with Strategy Board Games for the Family
Family members who enjoy mental challenges will enjoy strategic games.
A strategic family board game usually involves decision-making, resource management, and player interaction, though with more complexity than classic board games.
Some popular family board game examples
Catan
Catan is a popular multiplayer board game designed by Klaus Teuber. In this game, players assume the roles of settlers, each attempting to build and develop holdings while trading and acquiring resources. Players gain points as their settlements grow; the first to reach a set number of points, typically 10, is the winner. The board is modular, which means it changes every game, making it unique and replayable.
Catan involves trading resources with other players, which can change the tide of the game. A careful plan and resource management are also required when placing roads and settlements that create trade opportunities.
| Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Catan (Base Game) Adventure Board Game for Adults and Family | Ages 10+ | for 3 to 4 Players |… |
$54.99
$27.47 |
Buy on Amazon |
Ticket to Ride
Ticket to Ride utilizes a route-building mechanism where players collect cards representing train cars and use them to claim railway routes on a map. The strategic placement and selection of routes is crucial for victory.
| Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Ticket to Ride Board Game | Family Board Game | Board Game for Adults and Family | Train Game | Ages… |
$54.99
$27.47 |
Buy on Amazon |
Carcassonne
Carcassonne, meanwhile, involves a unique tile-placement mechanism where the game board is created by the players as the game progresses, making strategic placement of tiles and workers paramount. These kinds of mechanics stimulate cognitive abilities and strategic thinking, making the games both entertaining and challenging.
| Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Carcassonne Board Game (BASE GAME) | Board Game for Adults and Family | Strategy Board Game |… |
$34.99
$20.99 |
Buy on Amazon |
Cooperative Games
Cooperative board games are a genre of play where participants work together towards a common goal. As players unite to fight the game itself instead of each other, these games foster camaraderie and strategic dialogue. These games also involve collective decision-making, and shared problem-solving.
Games like Pandemic, Forbidden Island, and Flash Point: Fire Rescue, each of which presents unique challenges that require cooperation under pressure, are excellent examples of this genre.
Kids Friendly Board Games
Looking for something simple that caters to young kids? Child-friendly board games are specially designed to be accessible, engaging, and educational for younger players. These games often feature vibrant artwork, simple rules, and shorter play times to cater to kids’ attention spans. They help children learn essential skills such as counting, color recognition, and hand-eye coordination . Popular kids-friendly board games include “Candy Land,” with its color-coded path through a magical candy-themed landscape, and action dexterity games like Hungy Hungy Hippos.
