41 Engaging And Fun Family Games To Play At Home

41 Fun Games To Play With Family At Home

1. Word Squares

Word games never go out of trend. Show your creativity and word-making skills with this game. It is fun to play and will help you enhance your vocabulary. This game can also help your kids with their spelling and reading.

How To Play

• Draw as many grids as possible and conceal them from the opponent players.
• Take turns in naming a letter.
• As a letter is called, write it immediately on one of the grid cells.
• When the grid is complete, the players count up the number of words they have made – reading across, down, or diagonally. The one with the highest score wins.

2. Charades

Are you feeling bored and cranky? Charades will help lift your mood. It is one of the best family games to play at home. This is an all-time classic, prop-free game, and all you need to do is play with your imagination. Your team members have to guess the clues before time runs out.

How To Play

• Divide yourselves into two teams.
• Prepare a set of chits with phrases written on them.
• One team member has to enact the term to their respective team. And they have to make the right guess.
• Set a timer and make sure there are no words or lip movements.
• Use a pen and paper to keep track of the scores.

Quick Tip

Charades is a perfect game to play with your family when everyone is bored. It is so fun and hilarious when you try to act out your charade.

In her personal blog, Maestra Jen shares that Charades can be a delightful bilingual family activity, highlighting the joy and effectiveness of incorporating Spanish into their games to make language learning fun for her children. She says, “Bilingual Charades for children is a perfect way to keep the language learning fun and relevant to their lives (i).”

3. Pictionary

Pictionary is another fun family game that is sure to evoke lots of laughter. Split your family into teams and let them guess what their teammate is trying to draw on the board. This game aims to think about what the “picturist” is trying to communicate through the drawn pictures.

How To Play

• Set up a Pictionary board and keep a marker or chalk handy.
• Make a set of cards/chits to write what is to be drawn and shuffle them.
• Designate one person from each team to be the first artist (“picturist”).
• Let them choose a card. Give them five seconds to analyze what they have to draw.
• Set a timer of a minute.
• As they draw, keep guessing, and the team that makes the fastest, correct guess wins.

4. Movie Quotes Game

Guessing games are always fun. Do some advanced planning and take help from the internet to create your own “Guess The Movie” game. Want to make it more exciting? Set a fixed movie genre like comedies, action, or famous Disney movies for this group game.

How To Play

• Write down a bunch of famous movie quotes on notecards.
• Make sure you write one quote per card.
• Divide yourselves into two groups.
• Pick one card and guess the movie from the famous quotes.

5. Hangman

Many of you must have already played this classic family game that never gets old. You can make this game even more interesting by adding rules like, if you guess a wrong letter, you have to perform a silly task or challenge.

How To Play

• Think of a word or phrase.
• The player draws dashes equivalent to the number of letters in the word on a board or paper.
• The others will start guessing one letter at a time.
• If they guess the wrong letter, the player draws one element of a hangman’s gallows.
• A segment of the gallows and a victim is added for every wrong letter.
• Completing the gallows allows a minimum of six wrong answers until the game ends.

6. Spoons

Spoons is a fast-paced card game that is quite popular among kids and adults. Try this exciting game with your family over some evening snacks, and they will surely love it.

How To Play

• You need a standard deck of 52 cards.
• Place spoons in the middle of the table, one lesser than the number of participants.
• Deal four cards to each player, and the object is to get four of a kind.
• The first person draws a card and passes one of their cards to the person on their left.
• The play continues until someone gets four of a kind.
• The person then picks up a spoon, and it’s a race for everyone else to pick one up as well.
• The person stuck without a spoon gets a letter. If a player spells “S-P-O-O-N”, they are out!

The last player standing wins.

7. The Flour Game

This hilarious game requires something already present in your kitchen. It might be a bit messy, but it’s worth all the fun. It is easy to set up, and the rules are simple and easy to understand. A face full of flour is universally funny, isn’t it?

How To Play

• Place a cup full of flour upside down on a plate.
• Carefully place a piece of candy over the plate of flour.
• Cut some of the flour structure using a butter knife. Do not knock off the candy.
• The person who knocks off the candy has to retrieve it with their mouth without using their hands.

8. Would You Rather?

Looking for an ice-breaker game to play with your family members? All you need is a creative mind to frame interesting questions and scenarios. Learn how to play this game below and enjoy some fun moments with your family!

How To Play

• Set up the gaming scene with unique questions.
• Begin with “would you rather..” and then give the person two options to choose from.
• Make it difficult to choose by offering equally appealing options. This will make the game happening and debatable.

9. Scavenger Hunt

If you want to keep your kids engaged, plan a scavenger hunt in your house or backyard. Toddlers prefer picture-based hunts with familiar objects, such as soft toys or cars, while teens enjoy a challenging scavenger hunt with riddle-like clues. This game will also keep you entertained.

How To Play

• Assign a facilitator who will lead the scavenger hunt.
• The facilitator will make a list of the things you will search for.
• The first player to bring the item to the facilitator wins the game.
• Repeat the steps 5-7 times until you have searched for all the items.
• The facilitator will sum up each player’s or team’s points. The player or team with the highest score wins the game.

10. Pong

This game can be played with your family on a relaxed drinking night. You need some skills and luck to win this game.

How To Play

• You can play one-on-one or even in a team of more players.
• Set up the beer pong table with at least 20 cups.
• Fill those cups halfway with beer.
• Arrange the plastic cups into a 6/10 cup triangle at each end of the table
• Take turns while you throw the ball on the opposing team’s cups.
• Drink according to where the ball lands.
• Restack the cups and keep playing until one team is left with no cups.

11. Hot Potato

This game can convert even the most reluctant member of your family into an enthu cutlet. It is all about hand and eye coordination and teamwork. Sounds fun, isn’t it?

How To Play

• Gather three or more people and stand or sit in a circle.
• Play some music and pass the potato around.
• Stop the music and see who got eliminated.
• Repeat until only one person is left with the potato.

12. 20 Questions

Looking for the perfect ice-breaking session with your family? Enjoy this game after finishing dinner. This super fun and easy-to-play game requires nothing but a bit of brainpower.

How To Play

• Gather in a small to medium-sized group to play this game.
• Let one person choose a person, place, or thing. Make sure you choose something that all the group members are aware of.
• The others start by asking general questions like – “Is it a person?”, “Is it a place?”, or “Is it an object?”
• They keep asking more specific questions as you go along.
• Play until the group has asked 20 questions, and one of them comes up with the right answers.

13. Hallway Laser Maze

Do you have a roll of painter’s tape in the garage or streamers? Try making a hallway laser maze. It will be fun to see how your family members make their way through the maze without tearing it. It is also a unique way to keep the kids busy and entertained.

How To Play

• Create a zig-zag pattern using the painter’s tape or streamers at different heights in the hall.
• Secure your maze with tape, and each time a streamer touches the wall, tape it again.
• Encourage your kids to go through the maze without touching the streamers.
• The one who finds their way securely wins the game.

Quick Tip

The kids will have a blast with this fun-filled game, and then it helps them challenge themselves to make it through the maze.

14. What’s In The Bag?

“What’s In The Bag” is very entertaining and appropriate for any age group. It is a pretty simple game, and all you need are a few non-transparent bags and a lot of household items. Make sure there’s no peeking, and this game can also be a great object lesson.

How To Play

• You will need a few non-transparent bags and tape/pins to seal them.
• Fill these bags with some household items.
• Now let the guessing game begin!
• The one who makes the maximum number of correct guesses wins.

15. Don’t Eat Pete!

The whole point of this excellent game is to delay finding Pete, so you get to eat more candy. This game is loads of fun for people of all ages on family nights.

How To Play

• Put one piece of candy in each square.
• Send one person out of the room.
• Pick a piece of candy from the grid to be “Pete.”
• Call the person back in the room but don’t tell where “Pete” is.
• The person picks one candy piece at a time. If the candy is not “Pete,” the person can eat it. If the candy is “Pete,” everyone yells, “DON’T EAT PETE!” and that person’s turn is over.

16. Minute To Win It!

This is a fun indoor game that you can customize according to your preferences and resources available. The fast pace of the game makes it very exciting.

How To Play

• Decide the series of activities, such as penny tower, cup tower, rubber-band shoot, etc.
• Players can either complete a set task and decide the winner or loser or they can monitor who accomplished more for each task to decide its winner.
• All tasks have to be timed for one minute.
• The one who completes or accomplishes more in one minute wins.

17. UNO

This one is incredibly simple and suitable for children. It is fun for both kids and adults and can be played with a minimum of two participants and as many people as you wish. The main objective is to get rid of all the cards asap.

How To Play

• The player to the left of the dealer starts the game and it proceeds clockwise
• Players take turns playing a card from their hand that matches the attributes (color, number, etc.) of the top card on the discard pile.
• If there’s no card to play from your hand, you must draw one card from the draw pile. If the drawn card can be played, you may play it immediately if you wish.
• If you have one card left in your hand, you must say “UNO” to alert the other players.
• When you play your second-to-last card, you must also say “UNO OUT” to notify other players.

18. Mr. Wolf!

This game can be played indoors as well as outdoors, and is enjoyable for both adults and kids together. It is more fun if the adult becomes Mr. Wolf, at least for the first round.
How To Play

• One player (who becomes Mr. Wolf) stands near a wall with their back to everyone.
• The other players line up at the opposite end of the room. Together, they call out “What’s the time, Mr. Wolf?”
• Wolf turns around and tells them a time. As he turns back around, the players take as many steps as the time. So, if he says it is one o-clock, they take one step.
• Wolf turns his back again, and the kids ask the time again. The wolf then says another number and the kids take that many steps.
• This carries on until either a child wins by touching Mr. Wolf on the back or Mr. Wolf replies by saying “Dinner time” and chases the other players.
• The player that Mr. Wolf catches becomes the next Mr. Wolf.

19. Freeze

Your toddlers will love this game. It is a lot of fun and the house will be filled with laughter. All you need is music and a remote!

How To Play

• Put on your kids’ favorite songs and ask them to dance.
• Then suddenly stop the music.
• When this happens, they need to stop moving, even if they have one leg up.
• Tell the kids to stay still as you walk around making them do certain positions, like asking them to pretend to be animals, make shapes, form letters, or do yoga poses to make the game funnier and trickier.
• Anyone who moves has to drop out.

20. Hide And Seek

Contrary to what a lot of people believe, this game is not only for kids. You will be surprised how much you’ll enjoy watching your kids rejoice as they seek you. Add a little twist to the traditional game to make it more interesting.

How To Play

• One way is the usual, where one person finds someone hiding, they work together to find more people hiding.
• Another fun way to play is to have someone hide while everyone else looks for them together.

21. Musical Chairs

This is one of the most entertaining games you can play at home in terms of physical movement. It has music, dancing, and a sweet competition to stay in the game. You are going to have a blast playing this one, and you can even invite other families because in this case, the more the merrier!
How To Play

• Arrange some chairs in a circle, with one less chair than there are players.
• When the music starts, everyone dances or runs around the chairs.
• When the music stops, everyone has to quickly find a chair to sit in.
• The person who can’t find a chair is out of the game.
• Keep removing one chair in each round until there’s only one chair and two people left and whoever gets to sit down wins!

22. Name, Place, Animal, Thing!

This game is perfect when you want quiet but fun family time with your little ones. It requires a little brainstorming, and hence is a great mind exercise for the kids as well as the adults.

How To Play

• Get some pencils and paper.
• On the paper, write categories like names, places, animals, and things at the top.
• Each person gets a turn to  select a letter and everyone has to write one word for each category, starting with the same letter.
• The one who is fastest wins that round.

23. Never Have I Ever!

It is an interesting game to learn more about the people you are playing with. However, while playing it with kids, set the rules and boundaries in advance and make sure everything said is suitable for the age group.

How To Play

• Sit in a group and begin the game by selecting one person that says, “Never have I ever,” and then they say something they’ve never done.
• If anyone in the group has done that thing, they raise their hand. If no one has done it, the person who said it raises one finger.
• When someone has three fingers up, they are out of the game, and the next person in the circle takes a turn.

24. Post-It Game

This indoor game is fun to play with any number of people. It requires almost no prep other than some pens and post-it-notes and can be a treat to watch others play as well.
How To Play

• Everyone writes the name of a famous person or character on a piece of paper and passes it to others until everyone has one.
• Without looking, each person sticks their paper on their forehead or back.
• Now, one by one, everyone asks questions that can be answered with “yes” or “no” to figure out who they are.
• Keep playing until everyone knows their assigned identity or give prizes to those who guess correctly.

25. Connection!

This game would be a nice pick if you are throwing a getting-to-know-each-other party, especially for kids at a new place. It makes people find common links instantly and helps make a Connection!
How To Play

• Get some string or yarn. Have everyone stand in a circle. Choose one child to start; give them the yarn and ask them to talk about their life.
• When they say something (“I like ice-cream,” for example) that someone else in the circle also likes, the second child will shout “Connection!”
• The first child will then toss them the yarn, and the second child will start talking about their life.
• Keep going until everyone has had a turn, and the yarn has made a web connecting all the children.

26. Box Targets

This one is great to keep your little one engaged who is physically active and likes to play. Moreover, it helps improve their aiming and concentration skills.

How To Play

• Make holes in the boxes and give each hole a number. The holes should be big enough for the ball that you are using to go through.
• Put the boxes at different heights and distances from the kids.
• Each kid takes turns throwing balls at the holes and gets points when the ball goes in.
• The kid with the most points wins.

27. Up The Balloon!

This little game is perfect to keep your kids busy while you’re engaged and also have to watch over them. You can also time them or join in to help them keep the balloon up.

How To Play

• Give each kid a blown-up balloon.
• Each person has to make sure their balloon doesn’t touch the ground for as long as they can.
• You can’t hold the balloon; you have to only touch it and keep it moving.
• If your balloon touches the ground or stops moving, you’re out of the game.

28. Blind Man’s Buff

This one has been around for quite a while and still is one of the most fun ways to engage in family time, especially on a day in, out in your courtyard or lawn.
How To Play

• Make one person the “it” and blindfold them so they can’t see.
• Spin them around a few times and ask them to try to touch someone else.
• The other players have to move quietly around the blindfolded person, avoiding being caught.
• The blindfolded person touches someone, that person becomes the new “it.”

29. Bowling

You can create your own little bowling setup with a few water bottles and a ball. You may increase the difficulty level by filling in more water and making the bottles heavier.
How To Play

• Pour about an inch of water into some bottles.
• Arrange the bottles in the shape of a triangle.
• Make the kids roll or toss the ball to make the bottles fall over.
• The one who hits more bottles wins.

30. Pick The Color!

This game is one of the best games to play indoors as there is a lot of scope for each person to collect items. You can also make the kids arrange the items again and put them in their places to teach them to take care of their home.
How To Play

• One player chooses a color and sets a timer.
• Everyone races to find items of that color and bring them back to the starting point.
• If the time is out before you are back, you’re dropped out.
• If you are back at the initial point, you cannot leave.
• The winner is the person who returns to the start with the most items before the timer goes off.

These fascinating indoor games are perfect for some family bonding time. Apart from them, the board games mentioned below will make your entire crew adhere to their seats for long hours. Read on to find out what they are.

Famous Board Games To Play With Family At Home

1. Monopoly

Monopoly is an intense game where one can learn about financial basics, property ownership, taxation, negotiation skills, and a lot more. This game of buying property has created real estate titans since 1935.

How To Play

• You need funds to buy the available properties.
• Players buy and trade properties and try not to be thrown in jail.
• You can make income during the game by charging rent from other players if they land on your own space.
• To win the game, you have to ensure your opponents go bankrupt.

2. Scrabble

Playing Scrabble is not only fun but also educational. It is a beloved and popular word game with endless possibilities. It enhances creativity and is an excellent game for both kids and adults.

How To Play

• Players are given a set number of wooden letter tiles to begin with, and each letter is assigned a point value.
• Analyze your letter tiles to see what possible words can be created to score the most points.
• You can also use a dictionary when the word’s validity gets challenged.
• Once a player uses up all the tiles, the game ends, and points are tallied.
• Whoever ends up with the most points is the real winner.

3. The Game Of Life

Do you remember playing The Game Of Life as kids? If yes, why not enjoy this game with your family once again? Dreaming about all the possibilities and responsibilities of a grown-up will keep you hooked to this game.

How To Play

• Each player receives a plastic car to maneuver around the game board – moving through multiple stages of life, from studying in a college to sweet retirement.
• Go through life making intelligent decisions and be the player who retires first with the most money.

4. Chess

This is probably one of the most ancient and classic games. If you are a chess lover, this game is worth playing every time in a family gathering.

How To Play

• It is a two-player game where you and your opponent have the same 16 pieces to move across a 64-square board.
• The ultimate goal is to checkmate your opponent’s king piece.
• Game pieces consist of pawns, rooks, bishops, knights, a queen, and a king. There are different rules about how each piece can move.

Note: It will be helpful to keep a cheat sheet handy.

5. Ludo

Spending time with family and making it entertaining will be effortless with Ludo, an all-time favorite board game for family fun and bonding hours. Be it during lazy afternoons or breezy evenings, your only motto will be to move to your game home securely. Family members sitting in a circle over teacups and snacks while enjoying this game seems like a perfect scenario.

How To Play

• This game can be played by 2-4 players. They start the game by keeping the respective pieces on their bases.
• Each player rolls the dice to determine their move.
• A player has to roll a six to make the first move.
• The game continues until all the players have moved to their respective homes securely.

6. Checkers

It is a classic game that involves two players and is easy to learn and play. The goal is to capture all of your opponents’ checkers so they are not able to move further.

How To Play

• Players move one checker diagonally forward to an adjacent empty dark square one by one. Checkers can only move diagonally, not horizontally or vertically.
• If a player’s checker reaches the opponent’s back row , it is “crowned” and becomes a “king.”
• Kings have an advantage as they can move diagonally forward or backward.
• If one of your opponent’s checkers is diagonally adjacent to one of your checkers, and the space immediately beyond it is empty, you must jump over your opponent’s checker and capture it.
• The game is over when one player has captured all of the checkers of the opponent, or when a player is unable to make a legal move.

7. Connect Four

Connect Four is a two-player strategy game in which you try to get four of your colored discs in a row while stopping your opponent from doing the same. It is a good game for all ages and requires strategic planning.

How To Play

• Turn by turn, players insert one of their colored discs into one of the columns at the top of the grid.
• The goal is to be the first to get four of your colored discs consecutively in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal row.
• Players must also watch out for their opponent’s moves and try to block their attempts to connect four discs in a row.
• The game continues until one player successfully connects four discs in a row, and that player is declared the winner.

8. Twister

Twister involves physical flexibility and strength. It is fun and exciting and sometimes also embarrassing because of the way you end up, but it’s all worth it! You’ll be laughing and of course, twisted!
How To Play

• The player whose turn it is spins the spinner.
• The spinner’s instructions will tell the players to place a specific body part on a specific colored circle on the mat, and the players must successfully follow. Body parts must stay on their designated circles.
• Players continue taking turns, and the game gets more challenging as the mat becomes filled with hands and feet in different positions.
• The last player who can follow the spinner’s instructions without falling, wins the game.

9. Chutes and Ladders

This is one of the oldest games to exist, and this classic game that teaches counting and number recognition as kids climb ladders and slide down chutes. It is fairly easy to learn and play, even for kids.

How To Play

• Players take turns to roll a standard six-sided die.
• Move your game piece forward the number of spaces indicated by your roll.
• Follow the path on the game board. If you come across a square with a ladder, climb up. If you encounter a square with a chute, slide down to the square at the bottom of the chute.
• Continue taking turns, rolling the die and moving your game piece, until one player reaches the last square (usually number 100) and wins the game.

10. Operation

A greatly popular board game, it requires players to perform surgeries on a patient with tweezers and without touching the body. It is a mind stimulating game and may even spark an interest towards the medical field in your child.

How To Play

• Draw a card from the deck. It will indicate the ailment you need to remove and how much money you’ll earn for successfully removing it.
• Using the tweezers, carefully try to remove the indicated ailment from the patient’s body without touching the edges of the ailment or the body cavity. If you touch the edges, the buzzer will sound, and your turn is over.
• If you successfully remove the ailment without setting off the buzzer, you earn the money indicated on the card. Place the card in front of you.
• Play passes to the next player, who draws a card and tries to remove the corresponding ailment.
• Continue taking turns until all of the ailment cards have been drawn and resolved.

11. Blokus

This game can be played by 2 to 4 players, and it is fairly simple to learn. Moreover, it also has considerable depth for a strategy game. The goal is to place your Tetriminos on the board while blocking others.

How To Play

• You place your first piece in one of the corners of the board. Then the next player takes their turn.
• Your next piece should touch only one of the edges of your piece and not any other pieces of your color along the edges. Other players have to fit into the spaces of the opponent pieces
• The pieces cannot overlap and hang over the edges of the board.
• You need to skip your turn if you cannot place and piece as per the instructions.

Infographic: Top 5 Exciting At-Home Family Games

From classic board games like Scrabble and Monopoly to interactive and hilarious choices like Pictionary and Charades, there’s something for everyone in the family. These engaging games are perfect for family bonding moments, creating lasting memories, and, most importantly, having a blast together without having to leave the comfort of your home. So, gather your family, set up the games, and let the fun begin! Check out the infographic below for the 6 most popular and exciting family games to play at home.

Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of playing games with family?

A family gets closer when the members play games together. It helps you understand each other better, including each other’s strengths and weaknesses. It improves the communication and interaction between family members and helps create lasting memories.

How do family play activities influence children’s development?

A child develops many skills playing with family members. These fun family activities help them learn cooperation, think for themselves, interact with adults, and improve their strategies and tactics.

How do I entertain my family?

There are many ways to entertain your family. As mentioned above, playing games is an incredible idea! You may also watch movies, cook, do arts and crafts, or go on picnics or adventures. The key is to find enjoyable activities that can be adapted to different age groups and interests.

Why game nights are fun?

Game nights can be fun because they help make memories and provide a relaxed time with friends and family. It is a brilliant way to strengthen bonds and compete with each other in a healthy manner that also helps to learn social skills.

Let’s have some fun! Check out this video for 8 one-minute games that are perfect for kids and adults, and excellent for livening up any family gathering!

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Amira MartinLicensed Clinical Social Worker & Psychotherapist

     

Amira Martin, LCSW-R, is a licensed clinical social worker with over 20 years of experience. She obtained her master’s degree from the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College in 2002 and specializes in treating children and adults. In addition to being an adjunct lecturer at the Columbia University School of Social Work, Amira is the founder of Amira...more

Sneha TeteBeauty & Lifestyle Writer

Sneha has a master's degree in Applied Linguistics from the University of Hyderabad, a professional Relationship Coach diploma, and over four years of experience in writing. She writes about relationships and lifestyle. Sneha began her career as an instructional designer, shifted to freelance technical and research writing, and self-published a novella on the theme of adolescent mental health. She also...more

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Asmita De is an associate editor with over three years of experience. She graduated in English Literature from the University of Calcutta. She has collaborated with several digital companies and reputed publishing houses as an editor. Her adeptness in refining content, ensuring clarity, and preserving the essence of the written word has consistently contributed to enhance the quality of published...more