Games We Play With Our Kids

September Writing Challenge - Prompt #8:

Play

Earlier this year, I wrote about about the board games we have played the most according to our Game Night Ledger that we've been keeping for the past few years. Someone commented and asked if I had some recommendations for games to play with kids. Today I'll share some games that I've enjoyed playing with my kids that are a little more advanced than Candy Land and Connect Four.

(In this previous post, you'll find a little more about Qwirkle, Karma, Bohnanza, Dead Man's Draw, Coup, Ticket to Ride: Europe, Cover Your Assets, Splendor, and Love Letter which are all games that Daisy (age 10) and Nicky (age 13) enjoy playing. I'll refrain from detailing those games here, but they are all games that older kids might enjoy - depending on interests and skill level). 

Some other games that are great for kids:

SkipBo

I grew up playing SkipBo with my grandparents, so it's sort of expected that there will always be a copy of SkipBo in my household. Zoe (age 7) learned SkipBo a few months ago, and it's currently her favorite game. This is a great game for young children because they get to use their number recognition and sequencing skills. 

(Hint for parent sanity: I deal 10 cards in the stock pile instead of 20 so the game doesn't last as long)

Racko

Racko is another number game that I was introduced to by my grandparents. In this one, you want to be the first person to get your cards in numerical order through drawing and swapping out cards. BUT in this one, you can skip numbers (i.e. 1, 8, 13, 14, 21 instead of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). It's quite easy but requires slightly more number knowledge than SkipBo. I haven't tried this one with Zoe yet, but now that I'm writing about it, I'm anxious to play it with her. 

Rummikub

Yet another game from my grandparents! I guess I have them to thank for my ability to count. 

This was my favorite game when I was a kid. In this one, you try to be the first player to use up all your number tiles by creating sets and runs. I just taught this one to Zoe over Labor Day weekend. She got the hang of it well enough that she can play on her own, but we help her out here and there because she overlooks a lot of tile combinations and swapping opportunities.

The Great Dalmuti

This card game is good for a larger group (5-8). This isn't really a game that you win or lose. Rather, you play a round and then change seats according to your rank. You'll probably feel most triumphant when you are the Greater Dalmuti because you're head of the table, and you get to collect taxes. Don't get too comfy, though. If you keep playing, someone will take you down eventually. 

This game is fun, but it's best to do it at a table that allows you to move around easily since it requires a lot of seat shuffling. 

Scattergories

Scattergories is such a classic! It's a word game where you roll a dice that indicates a letter, and then you have a limited amount of time to come up with words that start with that letter and fit the categories on your list. I love the way this game makes kids think. 

Pit

This game is pure chaos, so be prepared for lots of yelling! The goal is to be the first person to collect all the cards of a single commodity through open trading. When you have cards to trade, you call out the number of cards and wait for someone to agree to a trade. It's a lot of fun, and the kids really love it, but you will have nightmares about them yelling, "Two! Two! Two!"

(Parent sanity tip: buy the version without a bell).

Werewolves

Every kid should get a chance to pretend to eat their siblings in the night, werewolf-style. This is a role playing game where you are either a villager or a werewolf. In the “night” the werewolves select a person to kill. In the “day,” the village debates the identities of the werewolves and votes to lynch someone. This would be a fun game to play with a group of young teens. I have dreams of hosting some fun Werewolf nights with Nicky and Daisy’s friends someday (ya know, when corona isn’t such a thing).

(Parent tip: wanna know what kind of liars your kids are? This is your chance! Play Werewolves or Coup with them). 

There are a lot of versions of werewolves. Here are two that we play:

The first is The Werewolves of Millers Hollow.

You need at least 8 players and a moderator to get ideal gaming from this version. A good moderator is key to a successful game. We like to have everyone look at their roles and then slip their cards into a sandwich bag with their name on it to help the moderator keep everything straight. We then have the moderator hold the cards.

Different characters can be used in the game to increase the complexity. There are three expansions to the game- New Moon, Characters, and The Village. Or you can buy a set called The Pact that includes everything. Some of the additional characters are really dumb, though. 

The other version is an app called Werewolf.

The app makes it super easy to play. You just need the app on one device, and everyone passes it around the circle, and it tells each person their identity and exactly what they need to do. The app eliminates the need for a separate moderator. It allows you to select which characters are in play and specify a few other preferences (the paid version has more characters and settings, and it’s only a few dollars). The app also makes "daytime" voting really easy. 

We’ve been using the app to play with our kids and our friends and their kids (age 10 and up). As with The a Werewolves of Millers Hollow, some of the characters are really dumb, so you just have to try them out and see what you like. A group of 8-10 is best. With too big a group, people have a hard time staying focused, and it’s not really fun. We played with 15 a few weeks ago, and it was just a waste of time.

We have also played a version called One Night Ultimate Werewolf that combines a physical game with an app. We’ve only played it once, and I don’t remember being very impressed, but that’s not to say it wouldn’t win me over eventually. I just haven't played it enough to give it a thorough assessment. 

A few other games that we've enjoyed playing with kids are Catchphrase, Telestrations, Codenames, Catan Jr, Monopoly Deal, Machi Koro, Boggle, Taboo, and Scrabble. 

Wanna know a few games I don't like? Killer Bunnies, Cranium, Villainous, Saboteur, and any game where the verbal instructions begin with, "It's kind of like Apples to Apples." Also... Clue. But my family (including Scotty) loves Clue, so I suck it up and play anyway.