Board Games That Bond

We all know that sitting down together as a family—to have dinner or even just watch a movie—is extremely beneficial. Game night is another great way to hang out and enjoy some together time especially if the games are designed to reveal something about each other. For my family, the biggest challenge is to find games that we all love. Here, a list of our favorites:

• iMAgiNiff… You start by writing the names of eight people (the players and anyone else that everyone knows) on the game board circle. Then you answer questions about that person such as, “If Mom were in the Wizard of Oz, which character would she be?” Or, “If Dad were a cereal, which would he be…” I love how this game gives me a new perspective on how my kids view my husband and myself. Be mindful that you may need to skip some of the questions, as a few seem to be for an older audience.
• Loaded Questions  This game tests your knowledge of people’s opinions of you and each other. The “reader” reads the question and everyone writes down an answer, which is then read aloud (without disclosing the author of each). The reader then has to correctly identify who said what. These questions are somewhat revealing and can be insightful. The last time we played, one of the questions asked for the “Best advice for how to make a million dollars.” While some of their answers were along the lines of turning something into gold or cars that work on water, our youngest simply said, “With a lot of help from smart friends.” Sweet.
• You Gotta Be Kidding!  This is the board game version of the play-it-anywhere game, “Would you Rather?” Filled with silly questions (Would you rather eat a bucket of apple stems or eat twenty banana peels?), the game gets kids and grown-ups thinking, laughing and reasoning.
• Taboo  I had to put Taboo on the list! This is a staple in our house. The goal is to try to get your partner to say certain words without using taboo/obvious words. I love that you have to work together and use situations and examples that the two of you share. Since it’s a team-oriented race against the clock, it ends up being quite funny.
• Life  Yes, a classic game, but not to be dismissed. We use it to talk about many of life’s decisions without being preachy or pedantic. Whether or not to go to graduate school, what career you will choose, buying a house, getting married, having kids—it’s all in the game and brings out some unpredictable and fun conversations.