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The Best Board Games for Family Gatherings

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Our top picks for the best board games for family gatherings, parties, reunions, and multi-generational groups. {Plus gift-giving advice for everyone on your list!}

The Best Board Games for Family Gatherings | The Good Hearted Woman

This post may contain affiliate links, but don’t worry – they won’t bite.

Whenever we get together with Mr B’s side of the family, we inevitably end up playing games. We play marathon rounds of Mexican Train dominos and Farkle, and penny ante poker like there is no tomorrow, and of course, board games. Lots and lots of board games. 

The benefits of a long-standing family games tradition are manifold. When we sit down to play a game with the family, we set aside our phones and screens. We talk with one another. We find common ground. We make memories. 

If board games are something your family enjoys, check out our Best Board Games picks to learn what you might want to add to your games cabinet this year. If family games is a tradition you’d like to kick-off, use our list to get you started on the right track. Either way, here are our top picks for the best board games for family gatherings, along with a little gift giving advice for everyone on your list! 

Ticket to Ride

Ticket to Ride is the newest addition our board game collection, and one of our very favorite for family gatherings. Not only is the play interesting and engaging, but the game often inspires intriguing conversations as well. 

In the simplest terms, the goal in playing Ticket to Ride is to build your own rail network to connect cities listed on your Destination. The game is easy to learn and provides hours of fun for families and experienced gamers alike. There are versions or expansion packs that cover just about any inhabited place on the globe, so hop on board! 

  • Number of Players: 2 – 6+ players; more with expansions or if played in teams. 
  • Time to Play: 30 – 60 minutes (according to the box). However, in our experience, the time can vary wildly based number of players and how much they like to visit with one another. 
  • Who Can Play: Everyone, although younger players may need to team up with an adult. (Be sure to check out Ticket to Ride: First Journey for ages 6+.) 

Gift Giving: Ticket to Ride makes a PERFECT gift for families, history buffs, travel enthusiasts, genealogists and genetic testing recipients (i.e., 23andMe, AncestryDNA, etc), and anyone who loves beautiful, well-conceived, entertaining board games.
The Best Board Games for Family Gatherings | The Good Hearted Woman

Ticket to Ride offers a number of game versions, as well as expansion packs to add to the original game. 

Ticket to Ride: Stand-alone Games

Each of these versions is a complete game and does not require the original version to play. 

The Best Board Games for Family Gatherings | The Good Hearted Woman

Ticket to Ride: Expansion Packs

Expansion packs require the trains and train cards from an original copy of Ticket to Ride or Ticket to Ride Europe to play.

If you already have a boxed set of Ticket to Ride and you’re ready to take it to the next level, check out this cool Ticket to Ride “Accessory Kit,” complete with Vintage Style Suitcase Storage Containers! 

 

Codenames

Mr B and I were recently introduced to Codenames, and we love it! It’s easy to learn and play and can accommodate a wide variety of ages. Even people who don’t consider themselves “game players” will have a blast playing it. 

Codenames is a social word game with a simple premise and challenging game play. Two rival spymasters know the secret identities of 25 agents. Their teammates know the agents only by their codenames. The teams compete to see who can make contact with all of their agents first. There is also a cooperative variant where a single team tries to achieve the highest score they can by playing against the game itself. 

  • Number of Players: 2 – 8+ players; more if played in teams. 
  • Time to Play:  15 minutes [box]; 15 – 30 [our experience]. 
  • Who Can Play: Ages 8+ [recommended]; however, we have played the Code Names: Disney in teams with great success with players as young four.  

Gift Giving: We highly recommend Code Names for families with young children, Potterheads, college students, Maxwell Smart fans, Disneyphiles, and anyone who loves an easy, fast-paced game that doesn’t require them relearn the rules every time they open the box. 

The Best Board Games for Family Gatherings | The Good Hearted Woman
Codenames in available in these versions:

 

Spontuneous

Spontuneous is one of my personal all-time favorite best board games for parties and big gatherings. As in, if I could only play one game on this list for the rest of my life, this Spontuneous would be IT. 

Spontuneous is a simple party game that can be played by virtually all ages and musical tastes. A word is given and it’s a race to blurt out any song containing that word. For example: Can you think of a song with the word “COWBOY” in it? How about “HEART”? Blurt it out! Don’t worry about your voice, let it rip! 

Spontuneous is a GREAT GAME for big, cross-generational groups; the more diverse the better. I’ve played it with well over 20 people at a time on more than one occasion, and it is Hilarious! 

If you need yet another reason to get Spontuneous, check out all the awards it’s garnered: Music Teacher Approved, Mom’s Choice Gold Award, Dr. Toy’s Best Vacation Product, Parent Tested Parent Approved Seal of Approval, The National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, Mom’s Best Hot Product Award, Creative Child Magazine Game of the Year, and Play Advances Language Award.

  • Number of Players: 4 – 10+ players; I’ve played this with up to 30 people. 
  • Time to Play:  15 minutes [box]; 15 – 30 [our experience]. 
  • Who Can Play: Ages 8 & Up, 4-10 players/teams [recommended]. Spontuneous is one of the best cross-generational games I’ve ever played.   

Gift Giving: Spontuneous makes an excellent gift for anyone even remotely musical on your gift list: musicians, music lovers, car karaokeists, harmonizers, grandpas who play bass on the weekends, cowboys, campers, college students, Randy Rainbow fans, classic rockers, Broadway divas, and especially that person in your friend group thinks that it is perfectly acceptable to break out into song at any given moment. (↩︎ Me!)

IMPORTANT: No talent required!! You absolutely do not need to be able to sing to play Spontuneous! 

The Best Board Games for Family Gatherings | The Good Hearted Woman

 

King of Tokyo

King of Tokyo is just good clean fun, as my Daddy used to say. I mean, who wouldn’t want to fight mutant monsters, gigantic robots, and other aliens to become the one and only King of Tokyo, right?! 

The rules for King of Tokyo are simple and easy to learn, game play is quick, and even people that don’t think they like board games will jump right in. Roll the dice and choose your strategy: Will you attack your enemies? Heal your wounds? Improve your Monster? Stomp your path to victory!

Awards: Best Family Game, Best Children’s Game, and Best Party Game at the Golden Geeks 2012. 

  • Number of Players: 4 – 10+ players; I’ve personally played this with up to 30 people. 
  • Time to Play:  30 minutes [box]; 45 – 60 minutes [our experience]. 
  • Who Can Play: Ages 10+, 2 – 4 players/teams [recommended]

Gift Giving: King of Tokyo is great for families with kids, watchers of old Sunday afternoon movies, Robot Chicken fans, and anyone who is up for good game of robot wars with a space penguin. The Best Board Games for Family Gatherings | The Good Hearted Woman

 

Trivial Pursuit

OK, I just heard someone groan… I know, I know – Trivial Pursuit isn’t for Everyone. It’s just so… 80’s. But I have a head for trivia and a soft spot for this game, so it made the list. 

Trivial Pursuit was extremely popular during my college years, and at that time, my circle was heavy with engineering students. The rules we played by reflected that imbalance to an unfair advantage. Our modified rules of play required non-engineering students [me] to answer all six questions on whatever card was drawn card in order to earn a pie piece. Conversely, they [engineering students] only had to answer the green “Science & Nature” questions to earn a pie slice, no matter what color square they actually landed on. Nevertheless, sometimes our games went on forever, because not one of us could ever answer the orange “Sports” questions. Luckily, nowadays I have Mr B on my team, and he is a Sports Trivia Master, so we have all our bases covered. 😉 Good times. 

The Trivial Pursuit Classic Edition game features the classic gameplay that you know and love. Great for game night, this game contains 2,400 questions in six categories.

  • Number of Players: 2 – 6+ players; more with teams. 
  • Time to Play:  Game time can vary wildly, but a full game should take about an hour, give or take. 
  • Who Can Play: 8+ or 16+, depending upon version.

Gift Giving: Trivial Pursuit is a solid choice for trivia lovers, Star Wars fans, movie buffs, Beatlemaniacs, Potterheads, Millennials, and people who fancy themselves to be Smarter Than a 5th Grader.

The Best Board Games for Family Gatherings | The Good Hearted Woman

In addition to the Classic Version Master Edition [ages 16+],there are plenty of Trivial Pursuit variations and subsidiary card sets for everyone on your list! Here are just a few that caught my eye: 

 

Mad Gab

Technically, Mad Gab is a card game, not a board game, but I just had to include it here because when my kiddos were smaller, this was one of our favorite games to play at family gatherings. It’s super easy to learn, fast-paced, entertaining for all ages, and can be played in teams so an almost infinite number of people can play. 

One of the reasons we enjoy Mad Gab so much is because very young children (i.e., non-readers) can have an discernible advantage. Why? Because in Mad Gab, it’s not what you READ or SAY, it’s what you HEAR! 

The Best Board Games for Family Gatherings | The Good Hearted Woman

Mad Gab is played by reading (or listening) to a string of unrelated words and trying to figure out what the secret phrase is. For example, your card might read, ‘Canoe Key Pace He Grit,” which when read quickly, sounds like ‘Can you keep secret?‘

Because non-readers are listening and not reading, they go into each round with no preconceived ideas about the outcome. Without “words” to confuse their brains, they can just listen to the other players reading the phrase, and often guess the target phrase before the readers on their team. Back before my youngest learned to read, she was always our most sought-after player when we chose up Mad Gab teams.

  • Number of Players: 2 – 12+ players/teams. 
  • Time to Play:  45 minute [box]; in our experience, a game can last 10 minutes up to an hour. 
  • Who Can Play: All ages. (Having a non-reader on your team is a plus.)

Gift Giving: Mad Gab makes a great gift for wordsmiths, lexicologists, etymologists, haiku writers, crossword puzzle doers, families with young children, and anyone who enjoys a little lively word play. 

 

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The Best Board Games for Family Gatherings | The Good Hearted Woman

 

Do you have a favorite game that you think should be on our Best Board Games list? Please share it with us in the comments! 

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. While clicking these links won’t cost you any extra money, they do help keep this site up and running. As always, all opinions and images are my own. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details. Thank you for your support!

Greek Turkey Burgers & Raddish Kids {Sponsored}

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Kitchen. Table. Family.

There are a multitude of reasons to cook with your kids. Teaching kids to cook – and cooking with them – is an empowering experience. Being capable in the kitchen gives kids (and the adults they grow into) self-confidence and a sense of independence. Kids who cook are more informed about nutrition and healthy choices. Kids are more likely to eat something new if they have a hand in preparing it. What’s more, the skills a child gains in the kitchen reach far beyond the kitchen door.

But some things are much easier said than done, and that’s where Raddish comes in. Raddish is a subscription service that delivers a themed box filled with culinary adventures to your door every month.

Raddish Collage 4Each Raddish (Rad-Dish – get it!?!) Box includes everything you need for at least three separate kitchen adventures except the ingredients:

  • 3 family friendly recipe guides carefully designed so that even non-readers can take part.
  • 1 culinary skill card
  • 2 creative activities with all the necessary materials, aimed at getting your family sitting, talking, and eating together. Activities range from science experiments and art projects to oral histories and foodie games.
  • Your shopping list, which is also emailed to you the week your box ships.
  • A Table Talk card deck for facilitating mealtime converstion.
  • An adorable Raddish patch to be ironed-on to your Raddish apron (which comes free which comes free with a 3, 6, or 12-month subscription)

When our Raddish Box arrived this February, the first thing that hit me when I opened it was the careful attention to detail and the clear intentions of each component. On top was our Raddish apron.  Crisp white and embroidered with the Raddish logo, it was well-constructed, made of the heavy, easy-to-wash fabric, and sized to fit a wide range of kiddos.

By day, I am a certified teacher, and I was immediately impressed with the educational value of our Raddish Box: cooking lessons are designed to incorporate math, science, nutrition, reading and vocabulary, and geography and culture.  Each element was well thought out, and the kit as a whole provided enough activities for at least three complete family activities/cooking experiences.  I liked the clean, sharp-looking, laminated peripherals, the kid-friendly food choices and the intelligent integration of activities.
Raddish KidsI had four kids on hand to test-drive it (ages 3, 6, and two 13-year olds) and I was surprised that even the older kids really seemed to enjoy and appreciate the experience.  Our Raddish Box arrived in February and was themed to coincide with the Winter Olympics.  We started by making Olympic Torch Cupcakes.  The recipe was easy to follow, and I loved that the kids were learning that cake doesn’t always come out of a box.

Raddish KidsWhile the cupcakes were in the oven, we made Greek Turkey burgers and then the kids made Olympic medals with the included craft supplies.

IMG_1496I was a little concerned that our picky eaters might not want give them a try – what with all the weird feta cheese and all – but even our 6-year old “Selective” Susie” gobbled hers up with a smile.
Raddish Kids Collage 2After the cupcakes cooled, we made the frosting and everyone took a turn at frosting cupcakes.

In short, I loved our Raddish Box. Clearly, the philosophy that drives Raddish appears at the heart of every element: they believe that two of the greatest gifts you can give your children are a love and appreciation of good food, and a childhood enjoyed at the family table. Our day with Raddish almost made me wish I still had young kiddos at home. (As the mother of five, I can’t believe I actually had to “borrow” children for this review!) If I did, I definitely would be ordering a subscription.

Rad KidsIf you’d like to learn more about Raddish, visit their website. Subscriptions are as low as $20 a month.

Raddish Kids Greek BurgersWe all loved these burgers – they were flavorful and moist without being the least bit greasy.

Raddish Kits - Kids Cooking
Print

Greek Turkey Burgers

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • For Tzadiki Sauce:
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 small container plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 Tbls lemon juice
  • 1 Tbls Olive oil
  • For Burgers:
  • 20 ounces ground turkey
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese
  • For Serving:
  • 6 hamburger buns*
  • lettuce leaves
  • tomato slices
  • red onion slices

Instructions

  1. Grate cucumber, and then squeeze and drain in colander.
  2. To make tzadiki sauce, conbine grated cucmber with the remaining Tzadiki ingredients: yogurt,salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil. Set aside.
  3. For burgers, combine ground turkey, seasonings and feta in a medium bowl and mix (with your hands!).
  4. Divide turkey mixture into six even balls and flatten. Using wet hands to do this makes the job much easier!
  5. Fry burgers in a medium skillet over medium heat, or grill on barbeque.
  6. Assemble burgers on bun with tzadiki, lettuce, tomato, onion. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

(The ingredients list for this recipe is courtesy of Raddish. Instructions are unique to The Good Hearted Woman.)

Conveniently, prepackaged ground turkey comes in 20 ounce packages! I used Jennie-O Lean Italian Seasoned Ground Turkey. I really liked the extra boost of flavor that the seasoned ground turkey gave the burgers.

*The recipe in the Raddish Kit indicated that this makes four (huge) burgers or eight sliders. We split the difference and made six very generous, normal-sized burger with this recipe.

Disclosure: The product provided for the review was free of charge from the company. All photos and opinions are my own. For more information, please refer to my disclosure policy.

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