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Family Games
You can’t go wrong with a family game at Christmas time. Games like solitaire, monopoly, cluedo are all great to play with family and have fun during the festive period.
With lots of relatives visiting and needing to entertain a variety of ages, it could be useful to have a few board games in the toy cupboard ready to play together.
They make perfect gifts for all ages or to simply to have ready for get-togethers. Here are a few Christmas family games for all the family.
Board Games
Board games are particularly good for for entertaining all ages at a table. Perfect for when adults can’t sit on the floor for long or are fed up of running after children. You can easily play these at a table where everyone can enjoy it together.
Monopoly
We’ve had various Monopoly games over the years. From a wooden boxed version to our local Stirling Monopoly game. There are so many Monopoly games to choose from, including an Elf and a Fortnite version!
It’s an easy game to play as a family, most people have played it so I’m not going to go into details of how to play. However, there are ways to make it quicker (and try to end any huge tantrums over the game, from the adults usually!). The first is to actually read the rules and play the game properly (the auction property rule is important at making it quicker!), second you can start with more money so property is bought quicker and third is to set a time limit. I can’t guarantee that there will be no fall outs, but this should help make it quicker!
Cluedo
We love playing Cluedo, it’s a recent purchase for our eldest’s birthday. It’s not a cooperative game, but it does feel like you are working together to find the murderer. The new version has a new character called Dr Orchid. Or you can try out a different version of Cluedo such as the Harry Potter version to find out who committed the foul deed!
Or for older players try the Liars edition of Cluedo. You need to work out if the player is lying or telling the truth, which would certainly make it more difficult!
Trivial Pursuit
Another classic family game, ideal for adults and grandparents, although older children will probably enjoy showing off their knowledge too. It’s a game that requires some general knowledge to answer the different questions correctly.
There are 6 categories of questions, including history, geography and entertainment. Once you have answered the questions correctly and earned 6 different coloured wedges you answer one final question to win.
Labyrinth
We LOVE playing Labyrinth! It’s a fun board game that is all about moving tiles to create a ‘maze’. You move a tile to shift the line of tiles on the board to open up a route and get to the picture on the card in your hand. Unfortunately this does mean that someone else can ruin your route and make it take longer to get to the picture!
Again, you can buy various types of Labyrinth. We have the original version, but you can also buy a Super Mario labyrinth amongst others.
Other Family Games
For entertaining children whilst the adults chat and relax you might want to go for something a bit different. Step away from the board games in this situation and try out these family games that the kids can do alone or challenge each other.
Challenge Each Other With Buzz Off
This is a traditional game for my generation, try to move the handle along the wire of the hand without setting off the buzzer. It’s not as easy as it looks and the buzzer isn’t as loud as it was when I was young. But the kids still love it!
Even if you don’t manage to get to the end of the wire without the buzzer going off, it’s a fun challenge. Try seeing who can get the furthest!
Screwball Scramble
Screwball scramble is great for independent play for kids. It’s a challenge to get the ball to the end of the game and requires great coordination and concentration. It’s a classic game and great for keeping kids occupied for a while!
Once the kids have mastered the game, challenge them to finish it in a certain time. Or time them and other family members to see who is quickest to finish.
Karaoke
Finally you might want to consider a karaoke machine. It doesn’t have to be the big fancy machines and speakers. A simple one from Very is perfect for hours of fun and laughter as a family.
The kids can enjoy songs such as Disney or from their favourite films. Whereas the adults can try songs from their younger days, teaching the kids some ‘oldies’!
Along with the Karaoke a sound responsive disco light is a good shout. They are brilliant for getting everyone up and dancing! We enjoy having a dance about with the Disco 360 ice, it makes family parties in the house much more exciting for the kids!
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