Children love it when adults have time to play games with them. So what are you going to do when you hear ‘Can we play a game?’
Here is the problem you, a busy parent, face: The only games you can think of either take forever and cover the whole of the dining room table which you will soon need for dinner. Or they are so complicated that only the oldest children can play them. Or they are so simple that only the youngest children enjoy them. So what can you do?
The answer is to have a variety of games that you can pull out depending on how much time and space you have available. Isn’t it so much nicer if you can say to your child. ‘Yes, I’ll just put dinner in the oven and while it cooks we can play. :-)’ You then let the child choose from two or three suitable games and you’ll be ‘Supermum’ or ‘Superdad’.
I will create a list of useful games for you and you can use birthdays and Christmas to build up a selection.
Favourite board games:
These are all strategy games which I enjoy playing and which don’t take forever.
Ticket to Ride (US – the original game, and the best to start with)
Ticket to Ride (Europe – slightly more complicated, so it’s best if you are already familiar with the original Ticket to Ride game)
Chinese Chequers
Ingenious Strategy Game – for children with reasonably good spatial awareness
Blokus (Mattel Game Blokus) Age 7+, 2-4 players, approx. 30 minutes
Destination Hogwarts – especially good for Harry Potter fans
Favourite card games:
Peppa Pig Giant Playing Cards
These cards are oversized and perfect for little hands to hold. They are not actually ‘giant’. They are perfect for all Peppa Pig fans from age 2 onwards, even though the box says 3+. The smallest children may be content just to say the names of the characters, slightly older ones can play ‘Pairs’ or ‘Snap’ or ‘Happy Families’.
UNO Cards for 2-10 players. Age 7+ This is perfect for taking on holiday with you. Waiting at the airport… let’s play a game… 🙂
Quiddler – a word game for children who can at least spell simple words. Adults who like word puzzles will like it too.
TOP TRUMPS for Harry Potter fans
TOP TRUMPS: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
TOP TRUMPS: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
TOP TRUMPS: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
TOP TRUMPS: Harry Potter & Half Blood Prince