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fun family game night ideas

  • family-friendly
  • holidays
  • ownership
September 27, 2022 · 15 MIN READ

Who says a night in has to be boring? Make it fun for everyone with a family game night.

No matter what the ages are in your family everyone can get involved in at least some of the games we have mentioned below. No matter where you are these games will be perfect, especially if you are on a holiday at one of our resorts. Have a read of the list below and see what games you want to include next time you have a family game night.

games perfect for families

would you rather

Ideally this game needs to be played with more than two players. You will each take it in turns to say a question with 2 options for example; would you rather eat toast for breakfast every day or pancakes? Everyone will then give their answer and a reason why they are choosing to go with that option. It’s a great game and one where you will probably end up learning a lot about each other and see where you differ in opinions!

charades

Essentially this is a game of pantomimes, whatever the phrase is on the piece of paper you will need to act out so everyone can guess. Before you start the game make sure you have enough phrases wrote down on pieces of paper in a bowl or hat. Each person will take it in turns to pick a phrase out and act it until somebody guesses correctly. The phrase can be anything from a movie, TV show, book titles, well known quotes or phrases and even song titles.

stop the bus

There are a few different ways to play stop the bus but we are going to run through the most popular. All each player needs is a piece of paper and a pen. Draw a table on your page with 6 columns (one for the letter, girls name, boys name, animal, food and country). Then starting with the first person they will go through the alphabet in their head and someone will tell them to stop, whatever letter they land on they shout out loud and that’s when the game starts. As fast as you can you will have to write the letter down and think of something for each section beginning with that letter, once you’ve got them all you shout “stop the bus!” the person who completes it the quickest is the winner. Then you move onto the next person to go through the alphabet and so on.

scavenger hunt

A scavenger hunt is great as you can make it however you want. You could either put together a list of items that everyone has to find around the house or tell them a list of things you have hidden and they have to find them. However you want to play this game it’s a great way to get competitive and have fun.

pictionary

Although Pictionary is a board game you can also play this type of game without. Essentially this can be played like charades but instead of acting out the phrase etc. you just need to draw it on some paper and let your team guess what it is. The part which makes this funny is when you are playing with bad drawers as it will probably end up being difficult figuring out what they are trying to explain!

family card games

The Yes! No! Game

This game is exactly what you think it is, you can’t say yes or no! In this game you get a bell and a pack of cards full of questions to try and catch each other out. You will have to think of responses like ‘I am’ ‘did I?’ ‘that’s correct/incorrect’ ‘I’m sure’ ‘maybe’, you get the idea.

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BrainBox The World

Looking to test your memory? BrainBox The World will give you 10 seconds to memorize as much as you can on the country card you have been given. You will then be asked a range of simple questions about the card you just memorised. For example if you had Australia it could be ‘how many kangaroos were on the card?’

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UNO

UNO is probably one of the most classic card games for families and one you can have endless fun with. The best part about it is that it can be played with just 2 people or up to 10! You’ll each have 7 cards and then you have to take it in turns drawing a card from the stack in the middle. Each card means something different the aim of the game is to have one card left and when that happens you must shout “UNO”. If you can then get rid of that card before anyone else has one left you are the winner of the game.

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Do You Really Know Your Family?

See how well you really know your family with this card game which is the perfect addition to your family games night. Answer fun questions about each other and perhaps learn things that you didn’t know too! As well as answering questions there are silly challenges that you’ll need to complete too.

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What Do You Meme? Family Edition

A hilarious game where you will be passed out various cards with memes on them. Then in turns you will read out the phrase on the card and each person has to choose which meme is best suited to the phrase. For example the phrase could be ‘when you ask for a McDonalds and mum says there is food in the freezer’ you will then pick the best meme you have as a reaction to that. The person who reads out the phrase then picks who chose the best meme.

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board games for families

Monopoly

This one doesn’t need an explanation. Monopoly is a classic board game which you can play for hours. But if you already have the classic Monopoly board why not have a look which others there are to try out something new. There are so many to choose from like Harry Potter, Simpsons, Friends, Coronation Street, Super Mario, Stranger Things…you get the idea.

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Game of Life

Game of Life is exactly what it says it’s a game of life where you follow different paths on the board to choose your life. You start with a career card which you can end up getting promotions with to earn more money. Then each path will lead to you spending your money through marriage, raising a family, early retirement, cars, houses etc. But spend wisely as the player with the most money at the end of the game wins.

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Scrabble

Scrabble is a fun game which also helps you learn as you create the ultimate crossword. Take it in turns to create a word on the scrabble board using the letters you have. Each word that gets put on the board has to be connected to the words that are already there. Each word will equal points that will go to your final score and there are double and triple point squares on the board too which you will want to try and aim for. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins!

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Trivial Pursuit Family Addition

For ages 8 and up, Trivial Pursuit Family Addition makes the perfect board game for a family games night. Within this game there are 2 different decks of cards ones designed for adults and ones for children. You can split into teams however you like and make your way around the board to try and answer a question from each category. When you get a question correct you will get that colour pie segment to put into your pie. The team who complete their pie the quickest win!

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Beat the Parents

This is probably the only game which leads to something at the end of it. Beat the Parents starts with the parents and the kids writing a wager on a board before the game officially starts. This could be parents wanting the kids to clean up and the kids could want a takeaway. Then you will take it in turns to answer questions and move up the board each time you get a question right. Whoever wins at the end means their wager has to happen so everything is at stake with this game!

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family game night apps

Family Fued 8, Friends

This is inspired by the iconic Family Fortunes, Family Fued has 6 different game modes to choose from. Fued surveys, fast money rounds, 3 v 1 tournaments, relaxed play and more! It’s a great way to laugh and have fun whilst going head to head in a range of different games.

App Store

Google Play

Out of the Loop

Perfect for 3-9 players, out of the loop is a silly game which is a perfect filler game during your games night. Once you’ve chose your category for the round each player will be shown the secret word in the category apart from one who is ‘out of the loop’. Each player then has to answer a question about the word before they vote for who they think is out of the loop.

App Store

Google Play

Heads Up

Like the classic game of Headbands, but in an app. Pick a category and then take it in turns to hold the phone above your head and guess the word on the screen from the clues everyone is giving you. Once you get it right tilt your head down, if you can’t figure it out tilt your head up to skip to a new word. Take it in turns to see how many each of you get right.

App Store

Google Play

Mad Libs

With Mad Libs all you need to do is fill in the blanks to try and be the funniest in the room! There will be various words you will need to think of from a body part to an item of clothing or even just an adjective. Once you’ve filled in the blanks your words will fit into a story which you can read out to everyone. It’s a great game to play with the family if you are wanting something fun and quick in between some board games.

App Store

Who Can’t Draw

Up to 8 people can play Who Can’t Draw, the first person will be given a word and they will have to draw it in 15 seconds before passing it onto the next player. They will then have to continue the drawing for another 15 seconds and so on until it gets to the last player. They will then have to try and guess what the word is from the drawing!

App Store


Are you wanting to plan your next family game night with a holiday in the UK or interested in owning your own holiday home?

We have 24 different resorts in the UK offering holidays, holiday home ownership, spa escapes and golf breaks.