2020 Favorite Family Game Night Activities:
- Catan
- Apples to Apples
- Jackbox Party games
- Clue
As our kids have gotten older (high school and college ages), family movie night has been all but replaced by family game night. And I’m totally OK with that!
When we all lived “at home,” it just made sense that we could have a movie night on a random Friday or Saturday. But now, with two of the kids away at school, our time together is at a premium. (By the way, I was not prepared for this change.)
So that means that when we are together, a movie is okay, but time spent together needs to be more interactive most of the time.
Otherwise, we spend two hours without speaking pretty much except for the scoot-over grumblings or the required popcorn run to the kitchen.
And sure, we still have movie nights. But more often than not, we are opting for something else.
Another reason we don’t do movies all the time is that we don’t usually have 2 hours together to devote to just “family time.” That much time is a luxury, and sometimes, we just don’t have it.
Some weeks, we have family game night almost every night. And some weeks, we don’t play at all. Consistent, we are not. {Kindly read that in your best yoda voice.}
A list of family game night options we love, or love to hate. 😀
Each of the game titles, below, includes a link to that game on Amazon. If you click on it, it will open a new tab for you to check out the game. If you end up buying, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you!
The basics of the game: The game is played in rounds. During each round, a category card is turned over. Categories are wide ranging adjectives (think: slippery or absurd).
Players choose one card from their hand to play that they believe best fits the category.
A different person is the Judge for each round and that person will decide which card fits the category the best. Whoever played that card gets a point. First person to five points wins.
*It’s highly likely that this is just how we play, and not what the rules say at all, but trust me, this way is fun.
Why we love it: It’s always funny to see the cards that are played because inevitably someone has to play something that makes absolutely no sense and sometimes that one ends up winning.
Conclusion: Essentially, we love to argue as a family and writing this post has helped me to see that…because, once again, we love this game because we can argue our points, and it’s a lot of fun to do it. Oh my, we sound cray-cray.
Even if you don’t like to argue, this one is always good for a few laughs with a group.
Extra: It can be played according to the usual rules or modified in lots of ways. For instance, we have drawn 5 cards each and then had to make up a story using all 5 cards. Then we vote on who had the best story that round. These have been pretty hilarious. I admit the kids liked this version more than Derek and I did, but we still had fun.
Jackbox
The basics of the game: This is actually a whole suite of games that you play using your cell phones. You don’t have to download an app to your phone. The game comes up on your PC or gaming system. On your phone, you go to a website and play from there. You don’t have to create logins on your phone, so that’s a nice feature.
Why we love it: LOL, I don’t.
But let’s be positive and start with everyone else….they say it’s interesting and you get to see how well you really know everyone as you play. As Garrett said, “It’s fun to get to crack inside jokes with each other and see everyone’s reaction.”
…OK, now I’m going to tell you. I hate playing this. There’s nothing inherently wrong with it. I just can’t stand it.
I’m sure that with time I might grow to like it. But I get so mad when I play this game! LOL, it messes with my blood pressure and I can’t even explain why!
The worst part is my family LOVES it. So I’m the ultimate party pooper on this one. Sorry, no good reason, just not my thing.
Hey, I always tell you the full story!
Conclusion: If Garrett convinced you, then you should go ahead and get it. If not, ask around and see if any friends have it. If you can play on theirs, then you’ll know if it’s for you or not!
Clue
The basics of the game: You know this game, right? It’s the original one we played as kids. Move around the board trying to figure out WHODUNIT with WHAT WEAPON in WHAT ROOM. So, deductive reasoning at its finest.
Why we love it: We actually don’t usually argue during this game. Usually. Unless someone questions whether you have to roll enough to get to the door or inside the door to enter the room. Then. It’s on. Like Donkey Kong.
Conclusion: Go for it. Start hunting in Grandma’s attic for this one. And if you can’t find it, Wal-Mart is probably your best bet for a deal.
| Game | # of players | age range |
| Catan | up to 4 people or 4 teams | 10+ |
| Apples to Apples | at least 3, better with 4+ | game says 10+ but lots of fun for younger kids too |
| Jackbox | up to 8 for most of the games | 14+; younger if you select family friendly setting |
| Clue | 3-6 players | 8+ |
More classics that we also recommend: Scrabble, Skip-Bo, and Uno (nothing like good old Uno to fire us up haha).
So, there you have it. Now, quit reading, and start hanging out with the Fam…board game style!