The boys are at an age now where they can actually play board games. They don’t always end well. The tiddler likes to win, every time, and the big’un like rules, lots and lots of rules. But they like the idea of playing games and are really starting to get the concept of them so we have introduced family game night. This happens every Saturday night now and the boys have latched onto this idea with such gusto, they look forward to it all week and never let us forget one, even if we quietly wish they would! So based on our regular game playing I have put together a list of the ones we think would make the best Christmas board games for your family.
Our requirements for games at the moment with a 7 year old and a 4 year old are
they can’t be too complicated,
they can’t take too long to play,
and they can’t require each player to independently read.
We are starting to grasps the kids limits, both in ability and concentration span, and most of the time we have a great evening full of laughter, unless we get it wrong. We once attempted to play cludeo and I was generally concerned that we could end up with our very own murder…..in the dinning room,…..with a dice…….But it has been lots of fun trying out new games.
Seagull Splat
Seagull splat is a game that requires little academic ability but an abundance of hand eye co ordination. Each player needs to line up the seagull with the opponents towel, squeeze its tail and get it to to poop on target. This game is fast and fun and often results in the seagull pooping everywhere but on the towel! Anyone can play and there are no advantages or disadvantages based on age which is always good when you have more than one child.
Junior Alias
Another of our favourite games is Junior Alias. The idea of this game is that you act out what is on the card and your team mates have to answer as many as they can before the time runs out. What is great about the Junior Alias version is that the cards have both a clear image of the item and the written name underneath, meaning both children our children are able to use the cards unaided and act out their interpretation of what is on the card. We find that this works great as a fun and educational game too as it encourages them to practice reading.
Pass the Pud
This game is great for the whole family. You do as it says and pass the Christmas pudding around the players listing off items from a given category, e.g characters from a book, and hoping you don’t have the pud when the time runs out and it burps in your arms. It is a fast paced game that has even the smartest people struggling to to name something fast enough putting everyone on an even playing field. In fact we found the kids were better and faster at this than us adults.
What do you think the best Christmas board games are?