Fun Games to Play as a Family
Playing and having fun with your kids is important. It connects you to each other, it helps you solve problems together, and it fills their needs for engagement and attention. Here are some games I personally love:
Telestrations: Telestrations is like Telephone with drawing. It’s hilarious, and it illustrates that we don’t always understand something the way it’s intended.
On a Scale of One to TRex: This game is charades, but you are acting to different levels of intensity. It’s super silly and fun, and bonus— you can later talk about how big or small an action or feeling was in other situations. For instance, “dude, when we went to the park and were hiding behind the slide, you were shy at a 9, but I could also tell you were interested at a 7, what was going through your head?”).
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza: There’s no social emotional lesson here, it’s just easy, hilarious fun. I will give you a peak into an activity I use for problem solving, though: this game is made for more than 2 people, so I ask the child I’m working with to help me come up with a way to play it with two people. Then we try it, and change things that don’t work. It’s a great way to practice flexibility, solving problems, and teamwork.
Suspend: This is a favorite in my office, and kids often leave sessions asking their parents to buy it. I use it to work on thinking before acting and frustration tolerance, but it’s a great collaborative game. As a family, work together to build something instead of playing it competitively.
Any Game You Love!: Share your favorite childhood game with your family. Did you play Uno endlessly on vacations? Or play card games in the backseat of the car on road trips? Did you master Monopoly or get great at giving clues for Taboo? Sharing what you love and spending time together strengthens the foundation your family is built on.
Any Game Your Kids Love!: Show you’re interested in what your kids are interested in, and play a game of their choice. By enthusiastically participating in something they choose (and yes, video games count, even if you don’t know how to use the controller), you’re sending the message that their thoughts matter, and you value their choices.