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Many families have the tradition of playing board games over the Christmas season. This is the time of year where people of all ages and abilities get together, to share in something they can all do. What better way to do that than with a board game? There are Christmas themed board games out there, but some prefer games that they can play all year round. A board game you can play all year is better value for money. Here are some great Christmas family board games, to suit every budget. I am sure these games will be played over and over, all year round.
Sushi Go
Sushi Go is a card game where you aim to get the most points. You gain points by making different combinations of sushi, passing cards around from player to player. Sushi Go is played over 3 rounds, but you can change this to be more or less. Each round is short and quick-moving, so not much time to get bored. You can also get Sushi Go Party, which has a scoreboard and different cards to make the game unique each time you play. Plus, Sushi Go is a game that would fit in a stocking!
Diamant
Diamant is all about pushing your luck to collect the most gems. This is quite a quick game, and everyone takes turns at the same time. Players must decide whether to go ahead through the tunnels or turn back. Sounds easy - but there are traps along the way which could make you lose all your gems! There are quite a lot of components in Diamant, but they are attractive. This includes 3D chests to put your gems in.
Uno
Uno is a classic card game involving numbers and colours. The concept is simple and does not take up much space at all, you don’t even need a table. This is a game for 2 to 10 players, so one for the bigger families. The basic game of Uno comes in a variety of themes, including Mario Kart, Toy story 4, and Trolls 2. If you have a reluctant player, all you need to do is find their interest and get that version of the Uno game. There are also different types of Uno games available such as Uno Flip, Uno Showdown, and Uno Splash. I still remember when I was introduced to Uno as an adult. I thought, "why I have never played this?!" Another great game for the stocking.
Ice Cool
Ice Cool is a hands-on game of penguins in an ice school. You flick the penguins around the school to collect the fish. Be careful though, as you don’t want to get caught by one of your fellow penguins! Ice Cool is all about your dexterity. Ice Cool is a simple, fun game that is easy to understand. You can also get Ice Cool 2, which is both a stand-alone game and an expansion for Ice Cool.
Dobble
Dobble is a quick and easy game to play. I have played this game with 3-year olds, and they understood it very quickly. It is all about spotting the item that is on the card twice. If you are first, you win the card, the one with the most cards wins. It is a small game that does not take up much room either to store or to play. It comes in many themes such as Dobble Harry Potter, Dobble Animals, Dobble Disney Princess, and Dobble Star Wars. Until writing this I didn’t realise how many Dobbles there are! Dobble is another game that will fit in a stocking, making it a perfect addition to your Christmas family board games.
Dixit
Dixit is a game for 3 to 6 players ages 8 and up, although my 6-year-old loves this game. Dixit is a creative storytelling game with beautiful artwork. Each turn someone is the storyteller. The storyteller will choose one of their cards and describe that card in any way they choose. The other players then choose which of their cards best resembles the description, and add them to the pile to be shuffled. Players vote for which card they believe belongs to the storyteller. This is a great game for improving language skills and meanings for words. You could also use the cards to play a storytelling game seeing who’s is the most imaginative. There are also expansions for Dixit, for more story fun.
Labyrinth
Labyrinth is a game for 2 to 4 players aged 7 and up, but my daughter could play this at age 5 with a little help. Labyrinth is a game you could also team up on so more can play. In Labyrinth, you slide tiles to manoeuvre around the board and collect items you need. You can choose how many items to search for, so the length of the game varies. Labyrinth has a variety of versions available, featuring popular themes. This includes Harry Potter, Despicable Me, and Pokemon. Labyrinth is easy to set up and does not take up too much room. The only smaller parts on it are the player counters.
Qwirkle
Qwirkle is a shape and colour tile-laying game. We have played this game in a variety of ways, making up our own, depending on who is playing. Qwirkle may sound like a simple game, but it requires some tactics and strategy if you play it the correct way. I would say this game is like sudoku, so definitely for people who like a puzzle. Because it just involves tiles of shapes and colours it can be very versatile, depending on the abilities of the people playing. I remember my daughter happily playing with the tiles on her own at age 2. You can also get Qwirkle Rummy, a Qwirkle bonus pack, and Qwirkle Cubes.
I hope this list of Christmas family board games has at least one game that you can play with your whole family. Christmas is about spending time together and this is the perfect way to get everyone involved. I hope you all have a great gaming Christmas.