[Ad- gifted product] Christmastime is the time for pulling out board games, getting cozy, and spending time with family. I really feel that everyone in our household is always playing board games on boxing day, Christmas day, and around the holiday season. There are a few family favorites that always make their way out for us, but we’ve got some newer, accessible games that all ages can enjoy! These games bring together older people and younger people, creating something that everyone can play around the table.
Dobble
Dobble is such a household name, for a reason! It’s an extremely easy game to play. Essentially, you are holding a card in your hand and revealing a card in front of all of you. Everyone then needs to find the object on the card that matches one on their hand, shouting it out to collect that card, and the play continues. The classic Dobble has their own characters and icons, but there are plenty of newer versions of the games which can really fit into whatever your children’s interests are. If you’ve got younger ones, Bluey is a fantastic shout! All of the classic Bluey characters are featured in it, which is a lot of fun. Stitch Dobble also is perfect for Disney fans! The best thing about Dobble is the accessibility. Your child won’t even need to read to play it with you. If you are looking for a Dobble that fits an older audience, they have that too! The Hobbit the Lord of the Rings Dobble contains lots of references to that franchise too.
Dobble Catan
Now, I have just spoken about Dobble, which is a real classic. Catan is another classic game, though often the rounds of Catan last for hours and hours. Sometimes, you might not want to spend so long playing board games with your family members! Dobble Catan sort of combines the two games, but isn’t like proper Dobble, and instead has some really different gameplay modes. You can flip through the rules book to see what game type fits the best for you, but our family like the version where you build a map with the cards, then placing your cards down on top of the map, wherever you find items that match that card, to create a string of your color type. Most of the mini-games have you covering up a map of tiles, but the sort of getting rid of it all first felt too easy. The version of the game where you need to create a snake has a lot of strategy for such a simple game!
Brick Like This
Brick Like This! Is a LEGO party game, which is a great combination for both kids and adults alike. In this game, players essentially group up into teams, where one person knows what should be made and the other does the building. They need to communicate without pointing out the exact blocks, instead describing the shape and how it looks. It’s interesting to see what people end up with, and you can even make it more challenging for older audiences by playing with your eyes closed or using only one hand, depending on the Challenge Card that your team gets!
Take Time
Take Time is a cooperative game, perfect for families that might not want to add a competitive element between everyone, where you are all working together to complete different chapters of the game. It’s sort of about building a clock, together, that has some different rules with each version to them. You will need to work together to place cards down, hoping to complete the puzzle of the specific of the clock. It is a little more complex, perfect for older children and families, and one that feels like a real accomplishment when you have figured out and solved the entire clock.