{family favorites} Our Five Favorite Games for Kids

Mark and I have always loved games and it is so fun having children who are just the right ages to play too.  Joining Jenna today to share five of our current favorites!

Qwirkle // A little bit like Scrabble and a little like a matching game, Qwirkle is really easy to learn.  The instructions talk about keeping score, but we tend to skip that part.  The older boys like the strategy angle, while the little ones just think it’s fun to match the shapes and colors.  The box recommends ages 6 and up, but my four-year-old caught on fast.   

Spot It Jr. // This is the newest addition to our collection and is quickly becoming a favorite!  To play, you look for the one and only animal match between two cards.  I love that you can play five different games with the same set of cards and they vary in difficulty.  So I can play a simple matching game with Sophie, but add speed with the big kids.  I also love that the games are quick.  

Stratego // My two oldest, at 8 and 6, love playing this one with Mark.  We’re a tad competitive in this family, so the battlefield strategy is fierce.  It takes a lot of planning and deception and it’s fun to watch how their minds work.     

Jenga // I think I love Jenga as much as the kids.  Quick set-up and you can play a few games in 15 minutes.  We also make crazy games like “Who can make the tallest tower?” because yeah, competitive.     

Monopoly Jr. // Monopoly is big in this house in any form.  It’s actually one of Mark’s favorites, but I dread it because it takes forever.  Thank goodness the boys love it as much as their dad.  We started with the Junior version and now the bigger boys have moved up to the original.  We actually own the electronic banking version and it’s great for kids still learning about money in big amounts.  The bank card is so much easier than trying to explain making change for $1 million. 

What are your favorite board games?