Board Games Holiday Gift Guide
One of our favorite things to do as a family is play games for family game night and my girls love to play games with anyone who visits for a playdate, too. We thought it would be fun to share some of our favorites as well as others that we have heard great reviews for and want to check out ourselves!
Let us know what your favorite board games are in your family!
Preschool::
*NEW Elf on the Shelf Make-a-Match Game – $8.03 (Reg. $10.99)
Classic gameplay with a fun Elf twist
Players collect a real Elf as they try to make matches
Reinforces memory and image recognition skills
Includes an Elf figurine
Tested for safety and quality
Includes an Elf figure!
For 2 to 4 players
*NEW Disney Junior Super Stretchy Game – $15.29
Promotes self-confidence
Encourages teamwork and cooperation
Promotes physical dexterity
*NEW Princess Palace Pets Royal Pet Salon Game – $11.98
Promotes imaginative play
Encourages turn-taking and playing together
Promotes counting
Richard Scarry’s Busytown – $19.99
Kids have fun and build confidence every time they say, “I found it!”
Encourages teamwork
Promotes attention to detail
Reinforces object identification and matching skills
Sneaky Snacky Squirrel – $14.99
Squirrel themed game
Game board doubles as packaging
Develops matching, sorting, strategic thinking, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills and pre-handwriting skills
Hoot, Owl, Hoot – $15.99
An award winning color-coded cooperative matching game with two play levels so it will grow with your child
Players work together to help the owls fly back to their nest before the sun comes up; if they are successful everyone wins!
Children learn simple strategy and social development skills with no reading required
Winner of seven awards including Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award and Dr. Toy Best Green Product Award
For 2 to 4 players ages 4 years and older; Peaceable Kingdom packaging is all designed to be frustration free – naturally!
Feed the Woozle – $19.99
An award winning game of silly snacks and mixed-up moves with three play levels so it will grow with your child
Players work together to feed the hungry big-mouth Woozle
Children learn motor skills and social development skills with no reading required
Winner of four awards including Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award and PAL (Play Advances Learning) Seal of Approval
For 2 to 5 players ages 3 years and older; Peaceable Kingdom packaging is all designed to be frustration free – naturally!
Elementary Age:
*NEW Pie Face Game – $14.88
Hilarious Pie Face game might just splat you in the face
Pie-throwing arm could go off at any moment
Score a point every time you turn the handle without getting splatted
Includes I pie thrower, 1 throwing arm, 2 handles, chin rest, splash guard mask, spinner and sponge.
*NEW Rummikub — The Original Rummy Tile Game – $9.74
One of the world’s most popular games
106 high-quality tiles and updated rules
Reinforces STEM skills
Great for play with family and friends
Form runs and sets as you try to play all your tiles
Featuring one-piece tile racks and brightly-colored, easy-to-read numbered tiles
Includes 106 tiles, four playing racks, and instructions
*NEW Ravensburger Labyrinth – $17.99
Gain the advantage over the other players by inserting the extra tile to move walls and open passages of the Labyrinth
Learn cause and effect, plannina, association, recognition, and taking turns
Ages 8 and up
For 1-4 players
Ravensburger’s popular trademark is found on every box, the blue triangle, which American consumers value as a sign of quality for over 125 years
*NEW Battleship: Star Wars Edition Game – $15.99
Includes ships from the movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Portable storage case
Players can battle head-to-head
Choose to play as the light side or the dark side
Includes space grid base, vertical target grid, 8 plastic starships, 8 clear risers, 8 clear starship bases, 60 red “hit” pegs, 140 white “miss” pegs, label sheet, and instructions.
*NEW Hasbro Games Twister Moves Hip Hop Spots – $19.99
Twister Moves Hip Hop Spots Electronic Dance game lets you level up and master your moves while you follow the lights and keep up with the beat
Use the Twister Moves Moves Tracker (sold separately) to digitally count your score
Use the Twister Moves Moves Tracker (sold separately) to combine your moves score with Twister Moves Skip-It and Twister Moves Hoop!
Includes 1 Twister Moves Hip Hop Spots game unit, 4 spots, and instruction
Olaf Trouble Game – $11.50
Olaf’s in Trouble game is a Frozen version of the classic Trouble game
Pop-O-Matic unit rolls the die
Features your favorite Frozen characters
Includes gameboard, plastic game unit with Pop-O-Matic die roller, 16 pegs and label sheet
HedBanz – $11.59 (Reg. $13.26) – This is a favorite game around our house and when we have kids over to play as the kids can get so silly trying to think of the answers or hearing the guesses. It’s great because it’s portable, too, so you could bring it on a trip, too. The kids could even use it in the car if they remember what each person has.
Get ready for the award winning, goofy guessing game of “What am I?” with Hedbanz
Kids use their heads in more ways than one while asking yes or no questions to figure out if the cartoon on their head
Be the first player to guess what you are and win
Hedbanz the game where everybody knows by you
Comes with everything kids need for non-stop fun Including Hedbanz rule sheet, 74 cards, 24 chips, 6 headbands, and sand-clock timer.
Disney Hedbanz – $19.48 – This looks like a fun version of Hedbanz
Play the goofy game where you never know what you are until you start asking questions!
Figure out if the Disney character on your head is a person or an object from one of your favorite Disney/Pixar movies.
Be the first player to guess what you are and win!
Catan: Junior – $27.00 – We haven’t played this game, but it’s on my girls’ wish list & I’m thinking of getting it for them. My husband and I love the Settlers of Catan game, so I think this would be a fun one as it’s a simplified version of Catan, which involves some strategy & learning skills.
Junior version of the popular Settlers of Catan game
Great family game
Tons of replay value
Apples to Apples Junior – The Game of Crazy Combinations! – $11.39 – Apples to Apples is another game that is a favorite for game night & our girls really enjoy the junior version. I think it’s a nice learning tool, too, to help increase their vocabulary.
Apples to Apples is a game of hilarious comparisons
Contains 576 cards and provides hours and hours of fun
Players will delight in the crazy comparisons while expanding their vocabulary and thinking skills
Does not contain duplicate card sets
Good for hours of fun
Spot It – $10.87 – This is another one I have on our girls’ gift list as I’ve heard rave reviews about these
Cardstock
Imported
Award-winning game of visual perception for the whole family
Between any two cards there is always one and only one matching symbol. Spot it fast to win!
Five challenging ways to play for hours of frenzied fun for 2 to 8 players
Develops focus, visual perception skills, speech-language skills, and fine motor skills
Includes 55 cards and illustrated rules in a durable travel-size tin
Here are a few other variations to check out as well (some of the variations are for the preschool crowd as well)::
Spot It! Junior Animals – $8.87
Spot it! Disney Frozen – Alphabet – $9.49
Spot it! Disney Pixar – Words – $9.68
Spot it! Disney Princess – Words – $9.51
Spot it! Jake and the Never Land Pirates- Numbers & Shapes – $9.90
Spot it! Disney Planes – Alphabet – $9.15
Ravensburger Enchanted Forest Game – $15.95 – This is kind of like an advanced memory game but you go around a game board on a treasure hunt & have to remember where you saw different treasures. Once you find a match, you have to race to the castle. Our 6 year old wasn’t as into this, but our 8 year old loved it. So I’d say the mid – upper elementary ages would enjoy it.
A magical treasure hunt in the land of fairy tales.
The king’s castle reveals the treasures you must search for throughout the forest.
Roll the die to determine the distance you move, making your ways to the trees to see what treasures are hidden under them.
Once you’ve found the treasure the king has requested, make your way to the castle so that you can announce where it is.
The first player to correctly announce the location of three treasures wins!
Twister – $10.99 + Free Shipping – This is a classic, but always sure to bring out lots of laughs with the kids when you pull this game out! This is another favorite of our girls to bring out when they have friends over to play.
Twister game challenges you to put your hands and feet at different places on the mat without falling over
Be the last player standing to win
Fun Spinner’s Choice ideas on the back of the spinner
If the spinner lands on air, the player must put a hand or foot in the air
Includes 1 Twister mat, 1 spinner and instructions
Teen/Family:
*NEW A Christmas Story Monopoly Game – $24.94
Buy, sell and trade your favorite locations from the classic holiday movie!
6 collectible tokens: Fragile Crate, Ralphie’s Bunny Suit, Leg Lamp, Bar of Soap, Broken Glasses and the Old Man’s Car
The perfect holiday gift!
*NEW Pictopia-Family Trivia Game: Disney Edition – $18.15
Promotes family together-time
Encourages strategic thinking
Encourages cooperation and teamwork
Features content from the world of Disney!
Free Pictopia App with BONUS content and Lightning-Round finish!
Ticket To Ride – $39.07 – This is a definite favorite of ours – probably my 8 year old’s favorite game to play but we play this with adults all the time as well! You can use strategy with it, but it is not too intensive & can be played in 30 min (with adults) to an hour (with kids).
For 2-5 players
Tons of replay value
One of the most popular specialty games of all time
Takes 30-60 minutes to play
There are 225 Colored Train Cars
Ravensburger Scotland Yard Game – $29.01 – This was one of my all-time favorite games as a kid and I think the only game that I kept to play with my own family. It is fun to take turns being Mr X & having others try to guess who Mr X is. I loved learning more about the city of London, too.
One of the players takes on the role of Mr. X
Job is to move from point to point around the map of London taking taxis, buses or subways
Set includes a playing board, log book, visor, 6 playing pieces, 20 cards and 125 travel tickets
For 3 to 6 players
Fun indoor play
7 Wonders – $31.99 – I’ve heard great reviews about this game, so I think this would make a great addition to our game collection. This is on our wish list!
For 3 to 7 players
Play time of 30 minutes
7 wonders is a simple and addictive game for the whole family
In 30 minutes you can raise a complete civilization and build the greatest Wonders of the World
5ive Straight – $18.79 – Sia said this is an all-time favorite in her family & extended family! It’s a fun one to play with older kids, where adults and the older kid enjoy it equally. It’s also great for family gatherings as you can play teams and then switch out teams as one wins, to include everyone tournament-style.
Play a card and place a peg on the board.
With as few as 1 and as many as 100 moves to outsmart your opponent, be the first to place 5 pegs in a row to win the game.
Contents: Plastic game-board, 3 sets of colored plastic pegs, deck of 100 number cards, English and Spanish instructions.
2 to 9 players.
Jenga – $7.88 – Jenga is not only fun to play as a classic game, but here’s an interesting twist – use it as a conversational piece, ice-breaker type of game. Put numbers on the pieces & each number corresponds to a question that someone has to answer. Thanks to my friend Faith for this great idea!
Pull out a bock without crashing the stack to win at Jenga
54 hardwood Jenga blocks
Win by being the last player to remove a block without causing the stack to crash
Includes stacking sleeve
Includes 54 wood blocks and stacking sleeve
Jenga Boom – $12.69 – a fun variation of Jenga for those who want a little more competition & action to the familiar game
JENGA Boom game is explosive fun
Pull blocks out of the stack without tipping it over
Can you pull your block out before the detonator goes off
Game includes 36 JENGA hardwood blocks, toy detonator, stacking sleeve and instructions
Blokus – $15.14
Blokus is the perfect strategy game for the whole family – less than a minute to learn with the depth to challenge all ages
As players take turns placing their 21 pieces on the board, each piece played must touch another piece of the same color, but only at the corners
Stake your claim and protect your territory by fitting as many of your pieces on the board as you can while you strategically block your opponents
Easy to learn and great for families, Blokus is the fast-paced strategy game that delivers One Rule, Endless Possibilities
Includes 84 total pieces, game board and instructions
Good Party Games:
*NEW Bounce-Off Game – $12.25
It’s the ultimate head-to-head competition game!
Race to recreate the pattern on the challenge card by bouncing balls into the grid
The first color to complete the pattern wins the card!
Earn 3 cards to win the game!
Includes 9 challenge cards, 16 balls and a game grid
*NEW Scrabble Twist Game – $14.98
Scrabble Twist game challenges you to find words in the displayed letters
3 different games: Party, Turbo and Solo
Game gets harder as you play
Game unit banks words for you as you play
Includes 1 Scrabble Twist game unit
*NEW Pop Stream Board Game – $19.92
Pop Stream is the ultimate Movie Trivia game! Stream hundreds of movie clips on your tablet as two teams go head-to-head in a game of cinema smarts!
When you know the answer hit the “Buzz In” button on the game board, then wager an amount to win or lose.
Over 10 different question types will challenge you and your teammates! You can even take selfies and watch them come to life on screen!
Pop Stream is for adults. Tablet required for play. Download the Pop Stream App for both Apple and Android devices.
Includes: 1 “Buzz In” Interactive Game Board, 1 Tablet Stand, 6 Wager Tokens, 1 Instruction Sheet
Apples to Apples – $13.28 – This is always a favorite at any party we’ve been to! Great for just a few people or for a larger group as you can play 4-8 people with this game.
It’s as easy as comparing apples to apples; just open the box, deal the cards and you’re ready to play
Select the card from your hand that you think is best described by a card played by the judge
Includes over 500 cards
Bubble Talk Party Game – $11.86 – We just played this recently with friends with elementary age kids, teens & adults and it was hilarious!! Such a fun game & a great ice-breaker type of game to play at a get-together! It’s very similar to Apples to Apples where you choose a photo caption for silly pictures!
Bubble Talk – The hilarious photo-caption board game for friends and family
Match funny pictures with funnier captions Learn to play in less than a minute
Perfect for parties, game nights and for travel
2nd Edition
Telestrations 8 Player – The Original – $19.49
Telestrations “The Original” for 8 players is what got the party started!
Over 1,700 words, 8 erasable sketch books, 8 dry erase markers, 8 clean-up cloths
Perfect for families, small parties or friends; LOL fun for everyone!
Award Winning Party Game – great ice breaker
No Drawing Skills Required; Stick figures & sense of humor welcome!
Catch Phrase Decades Game – $14.10 – You know the classic Catch Phrase game? This is an Electronic version & it’s a Decades version, which would be fun when you’re playing with a variety of ages.
Electronic Catch Phrase game challenges you to guess words and phrases
Timer keeps track and buzzes when you’re out of time
Word and scores of each team appear in the display area
Choose from 5 decades: the 70s, 80s, 90s, oughts, and 10s
5,000 words and phrases
Heads Up – $17.21 – This is a great game for a big group of people at a get-together or party. You can get this version or they also have an iPhone app you can use as well. I heard from several friends who have frequent large get-togethers or groups where they have games & this is a definite favorite!
We’d love to hear what is YOUR favorite game to add to our list? We always love hearing new ideas for games.
Check out more holiday gift guides::
Board Game Gift Guide
Video Game Gift Guide
Disney’s Frozen Gift Guide
Lego Gift Guide
Minecraft Holiday Gift Guide
Holiday Gift Guide for the Outdoor Person
Gifts that Give Back Holiday Gift Guide
Gifts for Holiday Entertaining at Costco
Board Games Holiday Gift Guide is a post from Thrifty NW Mom