When I was growing up, one of my most favorite things was family game night. We would all sit down around our kitchen table, fill up our ice cream float cups and play a mean game of Hearts.



Even back then, when life wasn't near as hectic as it is now, it seemed to draw us back together as a family. So of course, as we started raising our children, my husband and I decided we wanted to have this special family time too.

The problem we soon found was how to find games that everyone could play. With an age span of 7 years, our 15 year old was not so keen in playing Go Fish all the time, nor could our 8 year old play Risk. How do we solve this dilemma?

A Few Ideas

You knew I had some answers, right? First off, a game we were introduced to this summer on our family vacation was a fun family game called Mexican Train Dominos. It was fun, several people could play at one time (which is good in a family of 7) and the dominos rules were easy to learn and follow. One note - the rules that came with our game were different than how we learned how to play. You can find our rules on the website below.

Apples to Apples (which does come in a Junior version) is fun and easy for everyone to play because the winning card is subjective to the judge's opinion - read no right or wrong answer here.

And for Christmas last year, Grandma bought a tile game called Blokus. It does involve some critical thinking skills, but our 7 yr. old was able to pick it up right away. It is only a 4-player game.

Mexican Train dominoes, Apples to Apples and Blokus are all must haves for those fun family nights! What great Christmas gift ideas for your family! Look for more laughing and talking to be a result of these family games.