I have an 8 year old, and I have enjoyed more cooperative games like Forbidden Island to be a good board game to get started.

In terms of other stuff, I have found a lot depends on how good at reading your kids are. I have also played Settlers of Catan, Dominion, and Machi Koro with them too.

Unstable Unicorns and Here to Slay might be a good start.

Dungeon Mayhem is a fun little battler. All very comic-booky art.

Forbidden Desert and Forbidden Island are both good fun coop games.

Santorini might be a fit.

Sleeping Queens is super fun for all ages

One of the best games we have for that age is called Wee Little Piggies. Not sure if any new games are being made of it so you may have to get it from ebay. It's based on the 3 little pigs nursery rhyme and is amazing for helping memory and also taking turns. It's also interactive and my kids loved it and still do. You can watch videos online if the game play. It's easily the best game we've played for that age range.

Other games my youngest two like (aged 4 and 6):

Trash Stash - a garbage truck game where you have to be the first to put all of your garbage in the truck.

Hungry Hippos - noisy, but always popular

Pop the Pig or Pop up Pirate - always good fun.

Zingo - a bingo game with pictures. Good for memory and picture matching

Surprise Slides game (we have PJ Masks and Lightning McQueen version) - good for turn taking and learning how to follow rules.

Once they get older our favourite game to play with my oldest (age 11) is Ticket to Ride.

not a board game, But “Taco, Cat , Goat, Cheese Pizza” is one of my kids fav ( ages 5+6)

Outfoxed, the littlest orchard and the little orchard, sequence, racko

At that age, we liked animal upon animal, rhino hero, sneaky snacky squirrel, uno, and the eye spot it games.

Catan is a fun game. My youngest (now 7) can play it without an adult helping him. He loves offering unhinged deals to get cards. Even if they make no sense

Check out Outfoxed; it is a cooperative game that my son loved when he was 4-6 or so

This kind of question should be asked in the stickied thread. https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/13jrza2/daily_discussion_and_game_recommendations_thread/ Expected player count and the ages of your children would make it much easier for people to give good answers to your question.

Outfoxed, Rhino Hero Super Battle, Sneaky Snacky Squirrel, Silly Street, Dragomino, Sleeping Queens, Hoot Owl Hoot.... We had success with all of these, depending on the age of the children!

Takenoko is fun and cute, it's 8+ but I suspect most children could pick it up before then.

Check out games published by Haba, they specialize in family games. Pick popular ones based on their age range.

Carcassonne junior

Guess who

Skip bo junior

Animal upon animal (cute kids version of jenga)

Mancala

My five year olds love this! Also Uno, Candyland, Chutes and Ladders, Go Fish, Gin Rummy, Dominoes, Yahtzee, Trouble, and Old Maid.

Edit: I keep thinking of more to add!

We like Count the Chickens too. Any cooperative game by Peaceable Kingdom we’ve found to be pretty good.

Zingo. Fun, easy to play and with minimal to no set-up/clean-up. Bonus- helps with early word recognition.

Peaceable Kingdom, which makes this game, makes a ton of co-op games for kids. My 4-year-old also has Snug as a Bug in a Rug, which similarly has multiple difficulty levels for various age groups, and works counting, color, size, and shape recognition.

We have also only called this game "the owl game" and my kids love it to pieces.

My 6yo's teacher uses dominos for addition examples a lot and my daughter has subsequently fallen in love with them. She'll play the actual game, use them to build mazes/buildings, match games etc. She got her own set for Christmas and is really excited for it.

Concept jr is pretty popular at our house. So is Sequence jr., King of Tokyo, Zombie Dice and Count Your Chickens. Count your chickens might be a bit young for a 5 year old though.

I was scrolling for awhile to see Chutes & Ladders. My now 7 year old nephew has loved it for years. It's just fun for all ages.

>Candyland, Chutes & Ladders

My kids are six and four, we love these.

Carcassonne is quite straight forward. Adjust expansions to the child's level of remembering different rules, and don't be aggressive with taking over features they've been building first.

Camel Up is straightforward and random enough that anyone can win, while still being fun for everyone to see how the race turns out.

Survive: Escape from Atlantis is a favorite of mine that also plays great with kids. Just make sure they can handle having their meeples eaten.

Santorini (can play 3 people at a time if necessary)

5-Minute Dungeon (even our 3-year-old could randomly throw cards into the pile with the rest of us)

Ghost-Fightin Treasure Hunters (Pandemic for kids)

Didn’t see any of these here yet, and our kids enjoyed all of them.

I've had great success with Outfoxed. So far it's the only game I can consistently get my 4 year old to play that isn't Candy Land. I've also had success with introducing him to No Thank You, Evil!. We haven't used any of the skill checks, but it's been fun letting him use his imagination to interact with whatever custom scenarios I create for him. He also really enjoys the drawing/coloring portion of character creation. Guess Who is an easy game to play as well, but less interesting for the adult after a round or two of it.

> Animals Upon Animals

Most of the HABA games are great for your age range.

Of all the games we've tried to play as a family, Camel Up has been the stand-out hit for all ages. It's easy to learn, but just a lot of fun for all involved.

There's a github repo for Codenames that plays on a tv like a jackbox game and I love to bring that one out. I usually end up giving people a copy of codenames as a gift if they like it.

Some gifts I've given (that were played) include Onitama for my grandparents that liked chess, like, conceptually but never bothered to play it and Lotus and Azul for my mom, who used to be really good at several board games but hasn't stretched those muscles in a while.

Also for a cousin who really liked RPGs but couldn't get a group together to play I got a copy of Rise of the Runelords. Not an RPG, sure, but it captures a tiny bit of the magic and them and their partner enjoyed it for what it was.

When I go home, my mum pretty much opens the door with Azul in her hand.

Wavelength, the crew, coup and codenames get some play too

Camel Up

• Very easy to get into, lots of luck involved, everyone can play.

Quest for El Dorado

• Downside is that it’s limited to 4 players.

Coup

• Hit and miss, some family really don’t like this one.

Carcasonne

• Gets played a lot.

Love Letter

Cockroach Poker

The Crew

Just One

Camel Up

Flamme Rouge

Not sure how comfortable with complexity your family is or what you consider classics, but one game mine has enjoyed is Everdell. It's a bit heavier than some classics but still well within the range of being a family game. You build a town with woodland critters. Machi Koro 2 is also a really fun one where you construct a town with establishments such as coffee shops and stores.

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Cascadia and get its expansion landmarks too if you want up to 6 players

Tumblin’ Dice. Hands down.

Here's a list of the best family board games ever—the absolute classics, crowd-pleasers, and hidden gems. I'll explain each one in detail, highlighting what makes it special and why it’s a great choice for families. I’ve divided the games into categories to give you a well-rounded list.

Classic Board Games

1. Catan (Settlers of Catan)

Why it’s great: Players compete to settle an island by trading and building roads, settlements, and cities. The resource management and negotiation element (trading wheat for sheep!) make it engaging and strategic for all ages.

Family appeal: Kids and adults enjoy the strategy and trading dynamics.

Best for ages: 10+

2. Ticket to Ride

Why it’s great: A race to build train routes across the country! It’s simple to learn but has great strategic depth. You collect colored train cards to claim routes on a map, which feels satisfying and fun.

Family appeal: Easy rules with engaging gameplay.

Best for ages: 8+

3. Carcassonne

Why it’s great: A tile-placement game where players create medieval landscapes (cities, roads, fields) and score points by placing “meeples.” It’s highly replayable and quick to set up.

Family appeal: Simple mechanics with evolving strategy.

Best for ages: 8+

4. Scrabble

Why it’s great: A timeless word game where you score points by forming words on a board. It’s educational, competitive, and perfect for families who love words.

Family appeal: Great for kids learning new words and for wordsmiths.

Best for ages: 8+

5. Monopoly

Why it’s great: The classic property-buying game where players collect rent, build houses/hotels, and try to dominate the board.

Family appeal: It’s iconic and brings out healthy competition (and sometimes funny rivalries).

Best for ages: 8+

6. Clue (Cluedo)

Why it’s great: A whodunit mystery game where players deduce the suspect, weapon, and location of a crime.

Family appeal: It’s interactive and feels like solving a puzzle.

Best for ages: 8+

Cooperative Games (Work Together!)

7. Pandemic

Why it’s great: Players work as a team of scientists to stop global disease outbreaks. It’s intense, strategic, and rewarding when you win together.

Family appeal: Promotes teamwork and problem-solving.

Best for ages: 10+

8. Forbidden Island

Why it’s great: A cooperative game where players race against time to retrieve treasures before the island sinks. It’s fast-paced and perfect for beginners.

Family appeal: Beautifully designed and easy to learn.

Best for ages: 8+

9. Ghost Fightin’ Treasure Hunters

Why it’s great: A cooperative game where players enter a haunted house to collect treasures while avoiding ghosts.

Family appeal: Fun and suspenseful for kids and adults.

Best for ages: 6+

Party and Fast-Paced Games

10. Codenames

Why it’s great: Players give one-word clues to help their teammates identify secret words from a grid. It’s brilliant for large groups and wordplay lovers.

Family appeal: Quick, clever, and encourages creative thinking.

Best for ages: 10+

11. Exploding Kittens

Why it’s great: A fast-paced card game full of humor where players try to avoid drawing exploding kitten cards.

Family appeal: Hilarious and chaotic, with a simple setup.

Best for ages: 7+

12. Uno

Why it’s great: The iconic card game where players match colors or numbers, aiming to be the first to empty their hand. Simple and endlessly fun.

Family appeal: Perfect for all ages and occasions.

Best for ages: 6+

13. Pictionary

Why it’s great: Players draw clues while their teammates guess what they’re drawing. A classic for family game nights.

Family appeal: Creative and laugh-out-loud funny.

Best for ages: 8+

Games for Strategy Lovers

14. Risk

Why it’s great: A game of global domination where players use armies to conquer territories. It’s intense and deeply strategic.

Family appeal: Competitive and epic, especially for strategy buffs.

Best for ages: 10+

15. Azul

Why it’s great: A beautiful tile-placement game where players compete to decorate a palace. It’s elegant, quick, and strategic.

Family appeal: Stunning design and easy-to-learn mechanics.

Best for ages: 8+

16. Splendor

Why it’s great: Players collect gems to build a trading empire, balancing resources and strategy. Simple yet highly rewarding.

Family appeal: Perfect for introducing strategy to kids.

Best for ages: 10+

Games for Younger Kids

17. Guess Who?

Why it’s great: A guessing game where players ask yes/no questions to figure out the opponent’s chosen character.

Family appeal: Fast, fun, and great for younger kids.

Best for ages: 6+

18. Candy Land

Why it’s great: A colorful race through a sugary wonderland. It’s perfect for introducing board games to little ones.

Family appeal: Simple and visually engaging.

Best for ages: 3+

19. Zingo!

Why it’s great: A fast-paced bingo-style game for younger children learning numbers, words, and matching.

Family appeal: Educational and entertaining.

Best for ages: 4+

Modern Favorites

20. Wingspan

Why it’s great: A beautifully designed game where players build bird habitats, managing food, eggs, and bird cards. It’s relaxing and strategic.

Family appeal: Stunning visuals and unique theme.

Best for ages: 10+

21. Dixit

Why it’s great: A storytelling game where players describe whimsical images in creative ways.

Family appeal: Imaginative and artistic.

Best for ages: 8+

Hidden Gems

22. Kingdomino

Why it’s great: A tile-laying game where players build their kingdoms by matching terrains. Simple yet strategic.

Family appeal: Quick, family-friendly strategy.

Best for ages: 8+

23. Qwirkle

Why it’s great: A mix of Scrabble and Dominoes, where players match colors and shapes to score points.

Family appeal: Simple and satisfying gameplay.

Best for ages: 6+

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Conclusion Love you all and happy holidays!!

When we play Rummikub we say you need 50 points to meld- rules say only 30.

My mother and I played a lot of Scrabble and we would trade letters back and forth and show each other our letter racks in attempts to make the most interesting words and the most points.

Monopoly. My family's rule for it is that you can build a house/hotel whenever you get a new block on the board, no need to get all cards of the same colour in order to build, unlike the actual rules.

If you're looking for a tableau-building game that’s easier than Ark Nova, Zoo On is a great option. To build an exhibit, you layer cards in this order: enclosure, habitat, food, and animal. You score points when you play an animal. The game can be played in family mode (ages 6+) or advanced mode (ages 9+). You can also play as a team. It accommodates 1-6 players.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zooon/zoo-on/

My suggestions would be Hansa Teutonica, Azul, Arboretum, and Carcassonne.

Battleship is a war game where you are sending missiles at people to try to kill them. I don't know who is forcing these restrictions but old = okay is silly

Secret Hitler?

Tokaido! Very peaceful game about travel and collecting different experiences along the way.

Skip Bo like Uno, but different.

Apples to Apples and there are lots of themed variations too. Not exactly a board game, but is multi-player friendly!

Catan collect resources and settle a world. Expandable!

Lisboa rebuild Lisbon after a natural disaster. Steep learning curve, but really cool.

First in Flight haven't played it yet, but it's on my to-buy list

Risk Jr. not about war, but there are pirates....

I agree with others, Puerto Rico is totally about exploiting slaves as resources.... if you're OK with that then bring on a whole slew of current events/history-based games like Pandemic, Risk, Pax Pimir, 1775 Rebellion, etc.

Maybe, Nefarious? Silly mad scientists building things.

Munchkin Shakespeare? I haven't played it, but maybe it's a more palatable version of the super-fun card game for those who are more historically inclined and less goofy warlord-y.