We love board games and talk about them a lot. So we decided to put all our favorites in one place!o
Nothing says family time quite like a board game. From Chutes and Ladders for the little ones to more sophisticated games like Catan and Concept, our board game collections grow and change over the years along with our families. We put together some of our favorites and we’ll keep adding to this list as we come across other games we love.
Victoria loves the card game versions of classic board games. Less pieces to lose, easier to store – and usually faster to play! Some good examples are Monopoly Deal and Clue.
Games that the whole family can play – even the 4-year-old – are also winners. Try Spot it and Left Center Right.
Classic games that have stood the test of time – at least since we were kids long long ago – have the bonus appeal of nostalgia. Who hasn’t played and loved Rummikub, Battleship and Guess Who? And every Syrian-Jewish household has to have at least one set of backgammon.
Yahtzee is a classic – but must be played on a weekday.
Century: Golem Edition – We needed a change from Ticket to Ride and wanted something a little more involved than the card games we like. We did some research and discovered the Century series of games. We really enjoy this one.
We polled the kids in our lives to find the favorite games their playing, and the following were the winning picks:
Ticket to Ride – A fast-paced, award-winning board game. Connect iconic North American cities and build your train routes to earn points. Ticket to Ride expansion pack here.
Anomia – For 3-6 players. Takes about 30 minutes a round.
Concept – Engaging and fun for the whole family. Use your creativity and imagination to solve the riddles from the visual clues. Easy rules have everyone playing in minutes.
Labyrinth – Good for a wide age range. You have to find the shortest route through the labyrinth to win! The game is for 2-4 players aged 7 and up, and the aim is to reach all your treasures and targets as you move through the labyrinth.
5 Second Rule – Just about every age can play – very quick and fun!
Ubongo – A fast-paced, addictive, and easy-to-learn geometric puzzle game. Players race against the timer and against each other to solve a puzzle of interlocking shapes.
Catan – For teens. Players Control their own civilization and look to spread across a modular hex board in a competition for victory points.
Harry Potter Game – If you have any Potterheads in your household, this is a real winner. We have this one for three years and it still gets stored on the lower easy-to-reach shelf. Two players are required but it’s enjoyed much more by three or more.
Bananagrams – Classic anagrams style game that is fun for spellers of all ages.
Colorku – This solo play game is Sudoku using colored balls instead of numbers. This is excellent for Shabbos. Also makes a great gift for an older relative who may spend a lot of time alone. Expansion packs 1 2 3 are available.
Stratego – This is a classic strategy game with war and suspense. Our brothers played this when we were young and it’s fun to watch our kids’ enjoying the same game years later.
See More Games We Love:
We put together a roundup of games we don’t mind playing with the kids on Shabbos and another one of games that are perfect for a party.
We also rounded up some great single player games for the younger kids but we need to add Gravity Maze for the older ones.
Short on space? Traveling? Our card game picks are for you. And see how we love storing them, too.
Stare! Is also a great game! They also have a Junior version and it’s also challenging! They make a Jewish version as well, called “Blick”
Fruit Punch is a lot of fun, but the squeeky banana is a problem for shabbos!
Blurt is also fun, Connect 4, Zingo is great for little ones because there are pictures.
Blokus is also really fun, adults can play competitively against kids.
As a family that is very into games, I wanted to mention some other super fun games. Sleeping Queens is super fun and the kids really enjoy it (bonus you get a little math in) they have Sleeing Queens 2 which is a bit more complicated. Cover your assets and Banana Split are both falling apart from so much use in my house. Another less known game is Dragonwood, it involves strategy and chance and is very engaging. They recently made a newer slightly more complex version called DragonRealm. Lastly for when u have kids who are very competitive, Forbidden Island is a game where everyone works together to win. ( I had to change some names on cards because they said Temple of the Sun/moon etc )
Spy Alley is another game that kids really love.
As a parent, I would advise to only engage in kosher behavior sorts of games that increase levels of motivation with compliancy instead of just brain numbing games that leave us feeling like we were unproductive. It’s important what we expose our kids to.
While it’s right we shouldn’t expose our kids to any thing negative. I don’t feel that by playing simple games that may have produced by goyim such as the ones generously listed above we are exposing our kids and leaving them feeling unproductive.
Pandemic is a great cooperative game (everyone working together against the board). Code Names is fun too, great for the whole family. younger kids pair up as guessers with older kids. And nothing like good old Boggle! Definitely still our favorite, not for Shabbos though.
monopoly – we love a lot of the versions like monopoly deal, cheaters edition, the cards and more
love love love moose masters – very competitive and fun
taco cat goat cheese pizza is another family favorite
banana split is great 4 a little younger kids
cover your assets is also fun
we like catan junior better than regular catan
dr eureka is also good 4 younger kids
codenames is also great
these are just a few that i just thought of
Thanks for a great list of game ideas! Some of these are already favorites, and we’re looking forward to trying a few new ones.
If you get any word games (e.g 5 Second Rule, Anomia, etc.) it would be a good idea for an adult to read through the cards and throw out any inappropriate ones. The general world’s concept of family friendly is far more permissive than the typical frum home’s standards. Most of the games come with so many cards, missing several won’t ruin the game.
Cholent- the game is a it here. It’s funny and requires strategic thinking as well.
I love Hisss, for kids about 3-10. Its a simple card game, doesn’t require reading or take too long to finish.
Catan – I am newlywed and we play it multiple times a week
Classic Century spice road game – a favorite by my parents. Everyone in the family has their own playing strategy for it by now.
A Trip – chassidish version of Ticket to Ride using a map of Europe. The cities are all shtetls.
Wavelenght – a really fun and thought provoking party game. Its a little similar to Code Names but just more fun to play. It also works well for both large teams or a two player game. We play at home and at Chanukah parties. My siblings age 7+ were able to play well on a team but you need to be a bit older to be the physic. I really recommend this game
Gnoming A Round – a Grandpa Beck numbers game we recently got into.