family games....ideas needed

[ProudGrandma]

I am looking for some games that younger kids (early elementary) can play, but older kids and adults don't mind playing either.  One example I thought about is "deer in the headlights".....so, I am looking for a few other options.  Thanks.

 

[wintermom]

Board games or outdoor games? I've never heard of 'deer in the headlights."

[egao_gakari]

Are you thinking of board games, or more like party games?

For party games, we like "salad bowl" (not sure if that is the correct name of it). You pick a letter and everybody writes down a certain number of words with that letter on scraps of paper. Fold and put in the bowl. Divide into teams and pick a clue-giver. In Phase 1, Clue-givers have 1 minute (?) to give clues for as many words from the bowl as possible. In Phase 2, new clue-givers are chosen and this time they can only give 1-word clues. In Phase 3, new clue-givers are chosen again and this time they can only mime the clues. We like this one because it's so flexible--we've done it as a free-for-all without teams, we've done it with one clue-giver for all phases, we've done it with topics instead of letters (so everyone writes down, like animal names or world countries on the scraps of paper). Very fun.

For board games, our kids liked Catan Junior at that age, and most adults seem to put up with the Junior version okay. Ticket To Ride, Codenames, and Munchkin were favorites too. (The youngest kid sometimes got to be on a "team" for Munchkin so Mom or Dad could help her read and make sense of the cards, or we've played it "open hand.")

Hope that helps!

[Carol in Cal.]

Ravensberger has a board game called “Up The River” that works for this.  It is simple enough for everyone, but strangely engaging.

There are several cooperative games that work for this as well.  Do you know the brand ‘Family Pastimes’?  That’s all they make, and some of the ones for younger kids are still reasonable for older ones.  Specifically, Sand Castles, or Walk In The Woods.  

Sorry works over a broad age range.

I personally liked The Garden Game for multi ages.  It is over little kids’ heads, but if an adult reads the cards, they can play it, and the information was interesting enough for me that I was willing to play it very slowly for DD and friends.  It’s quite educational for all.  I’m not sure whether it is still being made, though.  I wanted to buy it for a present about a year ago and couldn’t find a source.

[ProudGrandma]

16 minutes ago, wintermom said:

Board games or outdoor games? I've never heard of 'deer in the headlights."

I guess other one....not super expensive as this is for a prize basket for our library and I wanted to include several games.  Deer in the headlights is a dice and card game...mostly random, very little strategy...which makes it fun for both kids and adults.

[EmseB]

I think Pig Mania would fit your requirements.

ETA: I guess it's called Pass the Pigs now? We have a vintage version.

Edited May 25, 2020 by EmseB

[Kareni]

SET is an option so long as an adult can teach the children to play.

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

23 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said:

Ravensberger has a board game called “Up The River” that works for this.  It is simple enough for everyone, but strangely engaging.

This is a game that my husband played, not infrequently, with our daughter when she was younger. For all that he is an excellent game player, he could never win.  It became quite funny after a while!

Regards,

Kareni

[happi duck]

Spot It!  I've only played the original but there are different versions available.

[ProudGrandma]

I went shopping on Amazon and found Pass the Pigs and, Set  Walk in the Woods.  But I couldn't find Up the River, Sand Castles or The Garden Game.   So, that is a start....anybody else have suggestions?

[Tanaqui]

Sushi Go?

[Kareni]

Other possibilities (available from Amazon):

Iota The Great Big Game in The Teeny-Weeny Tin

 

I've heard good things about:

 

Hiss.

 

Mole Rats in Space

 

Sum Swamp

 

Regards,

Kareni

[vonfirmath]

Tsuro

Hiss

Qwirkle

[theelfqueen]

King of Tokyo is the first thing that comes to my mind. 

[MercyA]

Hiss.