10 Best Family Board Games For Families with Older Kids

Our family love board games. We have found it is one of the best ways to pass time together, whether it’s on a rainy Sunday afternoon or a board game marathon in the middle of the Christmas holidays. So I thought I’d share with you the best family board games (in my opinion), plus a few other games that are great for spending time together as a family. Playing board games together is a great way to create lasting memories with your children.

This is a sponsored post with Wicked Uncle.

Wicked Uncle has an amazing selection of family board games to choose from and other fun family games. I’m going to focus this list on board games that appeal to families with children over the age of 8 years old, just because I’ve found that playing board games with my kids after age 8 has been a lot more fun (for me).

The 7 and 8-year-old phase is quite an emotional age – for us, there were quite a few tantrums and frustrated tears around that age. It is definitely more fun now that the girls are older; they understand fairness and competitiveness and can verbalise their emotions better. This is obviously not the same for everyone, but I thought I’d just precursor this list in case you were looking for board games for little kids.

Top 10 Best Family Board Games 

This list is a collection of our personal family favourites. It’s made up of some classic family board games and some newer ones that you may not have heard of before. Whatever the occasion, if you’re looking for the best family board games, in no particular order, here are our personal recommendations:

1. Scrabble! A classic board game, one that the whole family can enjoy. I know you might be rolling your eyes at me with this one, but hear me out. We recently picked up this game at a local 2nd hand shop, and whilst it was a little frustrating at first for my youngest, after playing it a few times, I can’t tell you how much it’s both challenged all of us, and helped improve the kid’s spelling. It’s a great family board game and needs to remain at the top of my list of family board games, no matter how long it’s been around!
2. Horrible Histories Board Game. A modern board game with a historical twist. If your kids love the TV show, they will love this board game. Not only is it true to the hilarious and gruesome nature of the much-loved TV show, but it’s also a great educational board game too.
3. Monopoly. A classic, but this might be one of the best family board games of all time. Definitely save this one for the day when the weather outside is frightful and the warmth inside delightful, and buckle up, cos it’s gonna be a long game! Now, I’m not proud of this, but there’s no game on earth that brings my husband and me closer together than this one. We’re master strategists and extremely competitive, but after four hours of this game, it’s time to shut it down without simply shutting it down, (if you know what I mean) and that’s where the cunning and, quite frankly, blatant manipulating comes in from the parents who simply want it to end. Don’t get me wrong, we love this game, and it should always take up at least one core memory per Christmas holiday year!
4. Go Genius World. This family board game is great for families who love to travel and even those who have a keen interest in the big wide world. From Albania to Zimbabwe (where I’m from), it teaches kids all about different countries, cities, mountains and seas. We love this game.
5. The Game Of Life. This game takes players through different scenarios in life, from going to college or getting a job to having kids and getting married or not. The player who wins is the one with the most money at the end (obviously, it’s a game), but it’s a fun one that actually has an end in sight, unlike the one mentioned higher up this list.
6. Quicksand – A Game Of Slip Slide & Sink. A cool jungle-themed board game, get your explorer back to camp, avoiding alligators and quicksand, swinging through the jungle on vines, or sliding down mudslides.
7. Moral Conflict. Oooh … this one is a goodie, although I warn you to ensure that all players have a sense of humour at the time of playing, or else someone might be stomping off or flipping the board (I’m just warning you). The goal is to discover the ‘goodie two-shoes of the group. You go through different scenarios, such as “Who’s always late” and the other players get to nominate who they think is most likely in that scenario. The ultimate winner is the person whose name comes up the least.
8. Cribbage. Cribbage is a classic card game usually for two players, but it can also be played with three or four, involving creating combinations of cards for points, with the added feature of a scoring board to keep track of points. It’s a great family game because it combines elements of skill and chance, offers multiple levels of complexity to engage players of all ages, and provides a social framework for interaction and conversation. While traditionally played with a physical deck of cards and a cribbage board, the game has also transitioned to online platforms such as Cribbage Online or PlayOk, allowing for more accessibility and the option to play with others from around the world.
9. Bananagram. This one is similar to Scrabble, except that you have to create your own grid of words with your allocated number of letters, and the first one to finish wins. Of course, a few tiles throw in the proverbial curve ball, but it’s all part of the fun. This is also one of the games that are perfect to take with on your next family weekend break because it’s small and compact enough that it won’t take up much space or weight at all.
10. Mega-Tastic Challenges Game. From the world of David Walliams, in this fast-paced game, you get to choose between completing physical or mental challenges against the clock. Players need to race round the board collecting five unforgettable characters from Gangsta Granny, Awful Auntie, Ratburger, Billionaire Boy and Grandpa’s Great Escape. 

Two More Fun Family Games to play

These two games are not strictly Board Games but are also great fun to play as a family.

1. This or That. A quick, quirky fast card game for two players or two teams. All you have to do is answer one question, this or that. Questions like: Which is taller – Tom Cruise or a kangaroo’s jump? Just avoid the red herrings. You have been warned.
2. Lord of the Rings – Exit Game. An escape room-style game for fans of the Lord of the Rings in an escape room style game. This looks like a lot of fun and something that gets everyone up and moving around after a big family Christmas dinner.

Board games are a great gift idea. Not only is it a practical gift that the whole family can share, but it’s the gift that keeps on giving, offering hours of fun for the whole family again and again. As I said at the beginning of the post, check out Wicked Uncle for some really cool games for the whole family. Hit the button below to go straight to their site.

The best part about any of these games is that it gets everyone off their screens; everyone comes together, focuses on the same activity, and works together or against each other with the objective of having fun. Memories will be made, and these fun family games to play together can be the highlight of any festive family occasion. So gather around your dining table, make sure the snacks are on hand and let’s get playing.

In the comments below, let me know what you think are the best games for families to play together.