Fun Games for Families to Play During the Holidays

The holidays are a time of year when families gather to enjoy one another’s company. For some, it’s the first occasion in months when everyone is together. If you are an older adult preparing to entertain younger family members, you might be wondering what games you can play that will be fun for all generations.

We’ve assembled this list of games for different ages, as well as games the whole family can play together, from cards to board games and interactive activities. We hope it will help you create memories that last a lifetime.

Holiday Games for the Whole Family

Games for Ages 8 and Up

• Qwirkle

Similar to Scrabble, Qwirkle is a tile game that uses shapes and colors instead of letters. That makes it ideal for both the younger and older generations. Its big, wooden tiles have bright designs that are easy to distinguish. With each turn, players lay down tiles in simple groupings: four reds, three circles, and so on. The more tiles a player can link up, the higher their score.

• Take 5

This game has undergone several name changes over the years, but it’s currently called Take 5. Because as many as 10 people can play at a time, it’s a great game for holiday parties. Players simultaneously lay down a numbered card from their hand. Then, starting with the player with the lowest number card, they take turns placing their cards in ascending order in one of four rows. The player who ends up placing the sixth card in any row receives a penalty. It takes some plotting and luck, which can keep everyone laughing.

• Animal Upon Animal

Jenga lovers will enjoy this game! Animal Upon Animal involves carefully balancing colorful, chunky wooden animals on the back of a crocodile. Players roll a die to determine their next move. The person who gets rid of all their animals first is the winner. But the catch is, if any animals fall off the stack while you are trying to add one, you have to take the fallen animals.

Games for Younger Children

• Spot It!

The concept for this game is simple, but it’s still fun for kids up to the age of eight. It is played with round cards, each of which has a set of images. But only one image on each card matches an image on another card. The challenge is to find the image on your card that matches one on the center card before someone else does. There are several variations on the game, all of which are fun and easy to learn.

• Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game

A livelier version of the classic Hi Ho! Cherry-O, this game centers on gathering different colored acorns to fill your stump. Each player spins the wheel to see whether they will get to choose an acorn, steal from another player, or lose all their acorns to a windstorm. Kids will like picking up their acorns with small, squirrel-shaped tongs.

• Yeti in My Spaghetti

With a fun premise and easy-to-follow rules, Yeti in My Spaghetti is sure to be a favorite with the youngest loved ones at your holiday party. The concept is similar to the classic Pick-Up Sticks, where players must move and collect sticks without disturbing the others in the pile. Yeti in My Spaghetti uses fake pasta noodles that must be moved without the yeti falling into the bowl. It’s a fast-paced game perfect for the shorter attention span of most younger kids.

Finally, don’t overlook tried-and-true favorites like Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Yahtzee, and Uno. These perennial classics never seem to go out of style with game players.

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