Top Board Games That (Secretly) Support Your Child's Learning As Oscar Wilde famously once said…
Top 11 Family Board Games for Christmas 2024
Christmas time, mistletoe and wine… and plenty of board games! The humble board game is pretty much a staple in British households up and down the country.
No doubt, you’ve acquired a few board games through the ages – a dusty half-beaten Monopoly board, and a dog-eared Game of Life for good measure, but what about something more, well… current?
If you’re looking for the best family board games for Christmas 2024, look no further. Here we’ve rounded up the very best family board games UK, that you ought to stock up for Christmas.
These have been selected with family fun for all ages in mind. After all, everyone from Granny to the new baby will be keen to join in – and that’s what makes family board games quite so special.
1. Cluedo – Dungeons and Dragons
- Suitable for: 12+
- Number of players: 2-6
It’s hard to believe that Cluedo has been entertaining families since 1947. The game, as legend has it, was borne out of boredom, but due to post-war shortages wasn’t released until 1949. Since then, the ‘Who Dunnit’ it has become a cult hit in every family household, and pub in the UK.
Perhaps the key to its success is that it continues to redefine itself and appeal to a whole new generation, like the latest ‘Dungeons and Dragons version.
This is one of the most talked about new board games for 2023, as gamers venture from the Basilisk Gate to Wyrm’s Crossing trying to uncover evidence. One go and you’re hooked!
Buy Cluedo – Dungeons and Dragons.
2. Herd Mentality
- Suitable for: 10+ years
- Players: 4-20
Despite its older age tag, we’re big fans of this game, because it’s one of the few that caters to large groups. If you’ve got the extended family over, everyone can take part in this ‘udderly’ compelling game.
It certainly has the fun factor, as guests are invited to take part in silly questions like ‘What sound does an animal make’ – and you’ll need to try and guess the same answer as your opponents.
If you guess correctly you’ll be awarded a cow, or in the case of getting it wrong, a pink cow. For the sheer comedy alone that this brings, it has earnt a place in our top 10 family board games list.
3. Zingo
- Suitable for: 4+ years
- Players: 2 or more
At last, a game that Great Auntie Hilda will love as much as little Oscar! Welcome to 2023’s version of bingo, or as you might call it – Zingo – the fun family game that everyone will enjoy. This is best described as a sort of cross between snap and bingo.
It starts with a sheet given to players, and their aim is to match the tiles to what they see on the sheet. This includes pretty basic words that preschool children will be able to mouth, including ‘bird’ and ‘house’. Don’t be fooled for thinking it’s all fun and games, it actually teaches the kids as they go along, not that they will realise, of course!
This is both a popular game and a gift from grandparents to toddler-age children.
4. Pictionary Air -Star Wars
- Suitable for: 8+ years
- Players: 4 or more
For the little Baby Yoda in your life, Pictionary Star Wars is a bona-fid hit. This much-anticipated gift promises to be one of the best games for families to play together over the holiday season. The fun, interactive game is compulsive playing, especially for those who are highly competitive – like most 8-year-olds are!
Play as individuals or a team, all you need is a pen and pad and a touch of creativity. Take note, that you will require a smartphone and a Smart TV for the game to be brought to life, however once set up (it doesn’t take long), you’re good to go. The pen (aka, a lightsabre) is your artistic weapon, as you make shapes in thin air, which magically appear on the screen.
As with the original game, it’s a case of guessing the artwork correctly first. This fun Star Wars twist on a classic makes it fresh for Christmas 2023.
Buy Pictionary Air – Star Wars
5. Tokyo Highway
- Suitable for: 8+ years
- Players: 2-4
Here’s a fresh new board game for 2023 that we’re pretty sure you won’t have heard of. Players are given a set of tools to construct aerial highways and blocks – none of which can be level, so you have to ensure that the pillars at each end are offset from one another.
The balancing act can be tedious at times, but that’s half the fun, especially when you try to balance your car on the road. The winner is the first to get all their cars on the highway – it’s as simple as that! If you really enjoy the game, there are several expansion kits to take it to the next level – I guess that’s what you’ll be asking for next Christmas then!
6. Qwirkle
- Suitable for: 6 years
- Players: 2-4
Simple board games for family time are hard to come by. So we are thrilled that Qwirkle has entered the board game industry, and just in time for Christmas. A mix of chance and strategy, this has simple rules everyone will understand.
Players get six tiles which they take turns in putting down on the board. The ambition is to get six tiles matching in a row – which can be by colour, style or design. There are various points, a bit like Scrabble, for combinations too.
Designed for school-age children, it’s an easy game to get your head around, and since you only need a pen and paper to get going, it’s a low-maintenance game to enjoy.
7. Noggin
- Suitable for: 10 years+
- Players: 3+
If you’re a fan of BBC Radio 1, and modern-day comedy, you’ll appreciate Noggin, designed by TV personality Matt Edmondson. In this ‘fastest thinker first’ competition, players take it in turns to deal playing cards, which feature a mix of action and letter cards.
You’ll need a keen eye to keep watch and shout out the correct answer, which will test your brain to its limit. This is the perfect after-dinner game, for when you’re whipping out the Christmas pudding and maybe a cheeky After Eight on Christmas Day!
8. Bumfuzzle
- Suitable for: 12 years+
- Players: 2+
As the name gives away, Bumfuzzle is one of those silly games that you get in a stocking and rather fall in love with, making it one of the best family board games for Christmas time. Described as a ‘social card game’, players are put to the test by a quick-fire round of tricky questions. Even for those quick-witted maestros in the family, you’re bound to get your ‘tnickers in a kwist’!
9. Gullible
- Suitable for: 12 years+
- Players: 4
You’ve probably seen Gullible in the shops and online a lot recently. After all, this is one of the new board games for 2023 that everyone’s talking about. If you’re a fan of the TV Show ‘Would I lie to you’, then you’ve got a head-start, as it’s very similar, it’s also a team game, making it perfect for the festive season.
Players start by picking a card which features a question with a correct answer – as a team you need to dream up a second false answer to try and ruffle the other teams. Granted, it doesn’t last long, but it’s fun while it does!
10. Super Mario, Blow up Shaky Tower
- Suitable for: 4 years+
- Players: 2+
Hot off the success of the Super Mario movie this year, expect to see a plethora of Super Mario gifts in store for Christmas. One of the new board games for 2023 that we’re most excited by is the Blow Up Shaky Tower.
Now, they call it a board game, but really it’s more of a toy, since it centres around a big bellowing tower. Nonetheless, it provides plenty of fun and entertainment for little ones, as they place figures on the ever-wobbly tower trying to reach the top.
It’s not a game you can play for hours, but in terms of keeping the kids from screaming at each other, it’s most definitely a winner.
Buy Super Mario, Blow up Shaky Tower
11. Drumond Park – Dig In
- Suitable for: 5 years+
- Players: 2+
Best described as a literal form of ‘Eye Spy’, this game features a large dish in the middle with 128 piece of little plastic symbols in the middle. Taking it in turns, players have to dig out the items, to match the cards they’re holding. There are three different ways to play the game, which keeps it fresh and entertaining.
Although it’s for 5+, we think toddlers will probably enjoy the frenzy of it too. Oh yes, and the winner is the player that manages to get all the items first. Simple, fun, addictive, and entertaining – it takes our final place in the top 10 family board games for Christmas 2024.
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