Well, we made it! Part three of the top board games for kids, family, home schooling, and game school!
If you’re just stumbling across this gaming post, you definitely want to start with these:
Part 1: 42 Homeschool Parents Recommend Best Board Games List [Part 1]
Part 2: HUGE List of Best Board Games of All Time [Part 2]
Not only will it explain how this crazy long (and awesome!) best board games list came about, but it will also give you some fun recommendations for board games that are perfect for kids, family, and party gatherings of all ages!
So, here’s the final portion of this best games list—as recommended by 42 homeschooling parents!
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Top Board Games for Kids + Family [Part 3]
Blurt!
Blurt! is a word race game.
“Think fast. What word means ” a partially dried grape” ?
Be the first to say ” raisin,” and you’re on your way to winning this riotous game of rapid word recall.
Players take turns reading clues aloud, competing to blurt out the correct answer first and move ahead on the board.
The first person or team to circle the board wins. Sounds simple, right?
But as the race for the right word heats up, and the blurting gets boisterous, it’s easy to get tongue-tied.
Blurt is a great vocabulary builder for kids, a hilarious addition to adult parties, and a must for family game night for 3 to 12 players.”
Ages: 7 and up
Players: 3-12
Scrambled States
Scrambled States is a “mad-dashing geography game” and is one of my daughter’s favorite games!
(We modified the rules a little and made it a lot more fun. If you want to know how we play, hit me up on Facebook!)
This is a really fun way to learn your US geography states and capitals!
From the description:
“Quick! Find a state that ends with the letter A.
Now find one that borders Tennessee.
Have fun learning about the United States in this madcap game of observation and quick reflexes.
Collect state cards by matching them to a Scramble challenge.
Or “Go the Distance” and find a state’s closest neighbor.
Win the most cards and call yourself the Head of States!”
Ages: 8 and up
Players: 2-4
The Farming Game
The Farming Game is an economic based board game.
“Whether you’re a real farmer or an urban dweller, you’ll find The Farming Game is an accurate description of the business risks and gambles of farming.
Players begin the game with 5,000 money in debt with 20 acres of inherited farmland.
As players plant crops and sell livestock, they slowly work their way to success…”
Ages: 10 and up
Players: 2-6
Monopoly Junior Game
Hold up, hold up, HOLD UP! Before you groan, Monopoly?! is not just the long game you remember from childhood.
(My kid just kicked my booty in about an hour a couple of weeks ago!)
Not only that, there are so many fun versions now.
We really enjoyed this Christmas version.
DEFINITELY get it back out to play, especially if you haven’t played for a while!
(But, this definitely needed to make the top board games list, right?)
Ages: 5 and up
Players: 2-4
Clue Game
Clue is another oldie, but goodie in the top board games for kids.
(I mean, I’m OLD and I still love it.)
In case you didn’t know:
Each player eliminates suspects and finds out who committed the crime in the mansion (and where, and with what).
Ages: 8 and up
Players: 3-4
Upwords
Upwords is a great spelling practice game where you build words using tiles.
It differs from Scrabble because in this game you can also build up, on top of other tiles, which makes the words and options constantly changing!
Ages: 8 ad up
Players 2-4
The Game of Life Game
The Game of Life is still a game that our older daughters pull out of the game closet when they come home.
So, if you’re looking for a game that will have staying power on a best games of all time list, this is one of them.
Here’s the game description:
“Do you have what it takes to win The Game of Life game?
You do it by choosing the life you want!
Go to college, take the family path, have kids, or see what happens when unexpected twists change the game.
Will you receive a fortune and lose it as quickly as you got it?
Will you need a bank loan to pay a debt?
Once everyone reaches the end of the game at retirement, everyone pays their debts and adds up their wealth.
The player with the most money wins the game.”
Ages: 8 and up
Players: 2-4
Balderdash
Balderdash is one of my favorite games!
It’s a fun game of “twisting the truth.”
You are given a word (likely that you’ve never heard) and then everyone writes a definition for it.
“In order to win the game, players must determine the answers that are phony and answers that are true.
If you suspect an opponent to be faking it, you can call their ‘bluff’ and score points by guessing correctly.”
Ages: 8 and up
Players: 3 and up
Dutch Blitz
Dutch Blitz “is a card game that’s exciting to play and easy to learn.
Perfect for family game nights, or to play with a group of good friends, you’ll enjoy spirited competition as you try to get rid of your 10-card Blitz pile before anybody else.
Not as easy as it sounds, though, because players don’t take turns.
You have to be the fastest to place your cards in sequence and in the same respective colors on the center Dutch piles while using as many cards from your Blitz Pile as possible.
When your Blitz Pile has been exhausted, you’ve won.”
Ages: 8 and up
Players: 2-4
HedBanz
HedBanz is like an older game called “Head’s Up.”
In this version, “ask yes or no questions to figure out if the cartoon on your head is an animal, food or man-made object.
Be the first player to guess what you are and win!”
We’ve played this with everyone — from grandparents to 4 year olds — and had A LOT of fun!
Lots of laughs with this one!
Ages: 7 and up
Players: 2-4
Sorry!
Sorry! is also still a really fun family game.
(We still play it on family game night!)
If you don’t know, here’s how you play:
“Slide, collide and score to win the game of Sorry!
Draw cards to see how far you get to move one of your pawns on the board.
If you land on a Slide you can zip to the end and bump your opponents’ pawns – or your own!
Jump over pawns and hide in your Safety zone while getting powers with the 2 power-up tokens.
Keep on moving and bumping until you get all three of your pawns from your color Start to your color Home.
But watch out, because if you get bumped, Sorry! It’s all the way back to Start!”
(Yeah, it really hurts when you’re almost winning and you get sent all the way back to Home!)
Ages: 6 and up
Players: 2-4
Killer Bunnies
Killer Bunnies “will take you on the Quest for the Magic Carrot in this hilarious and fun filled game.
Can you escape the smothering impact of the deadly Fluorine Gas or the devastating damage caused by the Stray Asteroid?
It’s off the wall strategic fun, where the goal is to survive and claim the Magic Carrot to win the game.”
Ages: 12 and up
Players: 2-6
Go Fish! Card Game
This was actually mentioned a lot by parents (especially for younger kids) when I asked about the top board games they play in their family.
I’m glad people mentioned this game because we still have fun with this game as a family. My daughter is 11 years old and she still chooses this game to play on occasion.
Go Fish! Card Game is a matching card game where you ask the other player to give you a fish type that you mention.
When you make all your matches, you win!
It’s especially good if you have a large age range in your game gathering!
Ages: 3 and up
Players: 3-6
Sleeping Queens Card Game
Sleeping Queens Card Game is played by waking the most queens.
“As it begins, players are faced with the challenge of rousing the Pancake Queen, the Ladybug Queen and their friends who have fallen under a sleeping spell.
It will take strategy, quick thinking and a bit of luck to wake them up.
Try playing a knight to steal a queen or take a chance on a juggling jester, but be careful.
The wicked potions and dastardly dragons may block your attempt.”
Ages: 8 and up
Players: 2-5
Exploding Kittens
My pre-teen daughter and her friends LOOOOOOOVE this card game.
If you don’t know about it, here’s how you play:
Exploding Kittens is a “highly-strategic, kitty-powered version of Russian Roulette, players draw cards until someone draws an Exploding Kitten, at which point they explode, they are dead, and they are out of the game — unless that player has a Defuse card, which can defuse the Kitten using things like laser pointers, belly rubs, and catnip sandwiches.
All of the other cards in the deck are used to move, mitigate, or avoid the Exploding Kittens.”
I know, it sounds weird, but many people mentioned that they have fun with this game.
Ages: 7 and up
Players: 2-5
Werewolf
Werewolf is a “game of devious strategy.
Players are assigned secret roles on either the Werewolf (stay alive) or Villager (find the werewolves) team.”
Ages: 13 and up
Players: 5 and up
Munchkin
Munchkin is a “mega-hit card game about dungeon adventure . . . with none of that stupid roleplaying stuff.
You and your friends compete to kill monsters and grab magic items.
Be sure to don the Horny Helmet and the Boots of Butt-Kicking.
Wield the Staff of Napalm . . . or maybe the Chainsaw of Bloody Dismemberment.
Start by slaughtering the Potted Plant and the Drooling Slime, and work your way up to the Plutonium Dragon . . and it’s illustrated by John Kovalic.
Fast-playing and silly, Munchkin can reduce any roleplaying group to hysteria.
And, while they’re laughing, you can steal their stuff.”
Ages: 10 and up
Players: 3-6
Cash N Guns
Cash N Guns is a card game (that is probably best suited for your older kids.)
Parents agreed that the topic was weird, but that the game was really fun!
From the description:
“The big heist may have been a success, but it all goes wrong when every crook wants a bigger cut.
With this much money on the table, bullets speak louder than words!
In Cash ‘n Guns, players will point foam pistols at each other and try to intimidate their opponents into letting them have the largest share.
The bravest crooks enjoy the most money – but only if they live long enough to spend it!”
Ages: 10 and up
Players: 4-8
Happy Salmon Game
Happy Salmon “is the simple, fast-paced card game packed to the gills with high-flying’, fin-flappin’ fun.
Actions including the classic ‘high 5’ the unifying ‘pound it’ and the frantic ‘Switcheroo,’ and the delightful ‘happy salmon’ will leave players doubled over in laughter.
With so many mini-celebrations built into the play, it’s the happiest game ever!
How to play:
1. Everyone calls out the action shown on their top card.
2. When two players have a match, they celebrate performing that action together, then discard their top card.
3. The first player to match all of the cards in their deck wins!”
Ages: 6 and up
Players: 3-6
Tapple
This is at the top of our family board game favorites right now.
We even bought one for our family friends and they love it, too!
With Tapple you draw a category card, like “Types of buildings.”
Then, everyone takes turns coming up with a category answer before the timer runs out.
So, for “types of buildings” I might say, “Barn!” and I would push the letter “B” down and reset the timer. The next person might say “house” and push the “H” button down.
The real challenge comes when there are only a few (hard) letters left like Z or X.
The person who can’t think of an answer and the timer runs out, loses!
Ages: 8 and up
Players: 2-8
Codenames
Codenames “is a social word game with a simple premise and challenging game play.
Two rival spymasters know the secret identities of 25 agents.
Their teammates know the agents only by their codenames.
The teams compete to see who can make contact with all of their agents first.
Spymasters give one-word clues that can point to multiple words on the table.
Their teammates try to guess words of their color while avoiding those that belong to the opposing team.
And everyone wants to avoid the assassin.
The game works very well with 4 players if you prefer to guess without help.
Or you can add more players if you prefer lively discussion. There is also a cooperative variant where a single team tries to achieve the highest score they can by playing against the game itself.”
Ages: 14 and up
Players: 2 and up
Dixit
Dixit “every picture tells a story – but what story will your picture tell?
Dixit is the lovingly illustrated game of creative guesswork, where your imagination unlocks the tale.
In this award-winning board game, players will use the beautiful imagery on their cards to bluff their opponents and guess which image matches the story.
Guessing right is only half the battle – to really succeed, you’ll have to get your friends to decide that your card tells the story!
Every turn, the storyteller will call out a short phrase or word to match the image on his card.
Then each player will choose the card that most closely matches that phrase, and then everyone must guess which card the storyteller saw when he invented his brief tale.
Correctly guess the storyteller’s card, and you’ll move ahead. Convince everyone else that your card is best, and you’ll do even better.
Dixit is a wonderfully simple game, playable by nearly anyone with whom you share a common language.”
Ages: 8 and up
Players: 3-6
SET
“SET Junior’s two-sided board is designed to grow with your child.
Side 1: Match your tile to a square on the board. Start to recognize SETs while matching the color, number and shape.
Side 2: Now that you know what a SET is, it’s time to flip the board and have fun racing to find as many SETs as you can!
The thicker tile-like cards are easier for little hands and the point chips make scoring fun.
SET Junior builds cognitive skills and memory recall at a critical age in a child’s life.
It is also proven to help grandparents who are suffering from Dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Just like the original SET game, SET Junior was made as a game of fun, but also sharpens your mind as you play.”
Ages: 3 and up
Players: 2-4
Carcassonne
Carcassonne “players build the area surrounding this impressive city, one tile at a time.
They then place a follower on fields, cities, roads or monasteries in order to score as many points as possible.
These followers will become knights, monks, farmers and thieves, depending on where they are placed.
No matter their function, the player who will most cleverly use their followers will win the game.
Entirely redesigned and modernized, this edition includes two expansions: the river and the abbot.”
Ages: 8 and up
Players: 2-5
Pictionary
Pictionary is still a really fun family game and definitely one of the top board games that you should add to your list!
“Count on big laughs when you and your friends get together to find out who’s an artist and who really isn’t!
In this quick-draw classic, the guesses can be just as hilarious as the sketches, making it the perfect way to get the party started.
Pictionary now includes two erasable markers, boards for drawing, and an updated Pop Culture category of clues.
Year after year since 1985, Pictionary has proven itself to be the ultimate party game! Each sold separately, subject to availability.
Colors and decorations may vary.”
Ages: 8 and up
Players: 2 or more teams
Speak Out
Speak Out is an . . . unusual family game, at least for me because that mouthpiece and looking into everyone’s mouth freaks me out.
HOWEVER, kids LOVE this game!
“Get ready to be doubled over with laughter with this ridiculous mouthpiece challenge game!
The Speak Out game brings friends and family together for laugh-out-loud fun as players try to say different phrases while wearing a mouthpiece that won’t let them shut their mouth.
In the Speak Out game, players draw from the deck and read the phrase as best as they can, but it’s not so easy to do when the mouthpiece is hindering them from forming words correctly.
The timer counts down as players try to say phrases such as “he’s my stealthy pet ferret name Garrett”, “slow down, you careless clown”, or “pelicans love pollywog falafels.”
The laughter continues as players try to decipher what in the world their teammate is trying to say, and must correctly guess the phrase in order to earn the card. The team with the most cards at the end of the game wins.”
Ages: 16 and up
Players: 2-10
Forbidden Island
Forbidden Island “s a visually stunning cooperative board game.
Instead of winning by competing with other players like most games, everyone must work together to win the game.
Players take turns moving their pawns around the ‘island’, which is built by arranging the many beautifully screen-printed tiles before play begins.
As the game progresses, more and more island tiles sink, becoming unavailable, and the pace increases.
Players use strategies to keep the island from sinking, while trying to collect treasures and items.
As the water level rises, it gets more difficult- sacrifices must be made.”
Ages: 10 and up
Players: 2-4
No Stress Chess
No Stress Chess is “a game that will help you learn the world’s greatest game – Chess.
You can play instantly because the special game board guides you to set up your pieces and each card in the innovative deck shows you how to move the piece it pictures.
You just set the pieces on the board, shuffle the deck, and begin to play!
No Stress Chess teaches players the moves of all the Chess pieces.
The game is played on a regulation Chess board, but doesn’t require the movement knowledge or planning of Standard Chess.
No Stress Chess can be played at several levels of difficulty, gradually introducing players to Standard Chess in incremental steps.
When you’re ready, just flip the board to its Standard Chess board side and play the authentic ‘king of games’.”
Ages: 8 and up
Players: 2
WOW!
In our three-part series we’ve given you a HUGE amount of top board games for your family!
DON’T MISS THE OTHER TOP BOARD GAMES LISTS!
42 HOMESCHOOL PARENTS RECOMMEND BEST BOARD GAMES [PART 1]
HUGE List of Best Board Games of All Time [Part 2]