We’re here to help you decide which games are worth trying out, and learn about new games we might enjoy! During this 5 Days of Games for Kids series we’ll be sharing some of our favourite games, and ones recommended by friends that we’re just dying to try out. If you’re ever stuck for a birthday or Christmas present for anyone on your list, this guide is chock-full of ideas for all age ranges.
Keep checking back for updates and additions as we try more games.
(Text links are to Amazon.com when available, photo links are to Amazon.ca if available there. As always, keep checking your thrift stores, garage sales and online for great deals on games!)
Games for Kids ages 5 to 7
Blokus – Start playing this around age 5 and watch their strategy develop as they get older! Like Tetris, but against other players and on a board.
Katamino – Katamino is a building game that helps children understand basic concepts of geometry. It’s not one we’ve tried ourselves, but it comes highly recommended, and is great for all ages (yes, this will carry over on all my gift guides as it’s also good for ages 3+).
Monopoly Deal – A fairly fast-paced version of Monopoly, without the game board. Cards are dealt as your moves to buy properties, pay rent and do a little business dealing. Very fun and much quicker than full Monopoly ;D
Pick & Draw – we use this one a lot. It’s less of a game and more fun in le/;;arning to draw cartoon-type characters.
Qwirkle – Qwirkle is as simple as matching colors and shapes, but this game also requires tactical maneuvers and well-planned strategy.Earn points by building rows and columns of blocks that share a common shape or color.
Pictureka – a friend gave us this card game years ago and we just left it sitting in the box until recently. It’s hysterically good fun, with many variations on plays, and a broad range of interest (yes, parents have fun with this one too!). There’s also a board game version.
Set: The Family Game of Visual Perception – Set is a fun and challenging game that tests your skills of memory and observation. Make quick connections between the cards to win.
Sequence – There is a Jr. version of this game available, but we have found 5 year olds more than able to play the full version! It’s a fun game of laying tiles based on cards in your hand, attempting to get a sequence while avoiding being blocked by other players.
Shut the Box – (4 player version) – This is one I’m really hoping to try soon! Shut-the-Box is a traditional game of counting, addition, and probability. Roll the dice and lay down any numerical combination of tiles that match your roll. Just keep on rolling until you can no longer match your roll on the remaining tiles. The lowest score wins the game. If you lay down all the tiles, then you’ve “shut the box.” I can see this being a VERY competitive game in our house ;0).
Snorta – Oh.My.Stars. You’ll be rolling on the floor laughing as you try to get those animal sounds out of your mouth first! It’s amazing the combinations that tumble out.
Sorry – We tend to get a leeeeetle bit competitive while playing this game, but it’s still a fun classic game for anyone to play.
Spot It – Quick recognition and matching, different variations on the games. It’s portable, quick, fun and easy! There is a Jr. version for the younger crowd, the regular one can get quite difficult to spot the matches. Both are a lot of fun, and there are NHL, Frozen Alphabet, Numbers and Shapes and many more fun variations.
Uno – It’s simple, portable, fun games for 2 or more players. A classic!
What are your favourite family games?
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