Fun Freetime: Top Family Board Games

Is the weather too hot or wet for outdoor time? Gather the family and spend time together playing board games. The games you play depend on the age of your children. Here are a few ideas for different age groups.

Games for Kids 3 to 8

Candy Land is a classic Milton Bradley board game dating back to 1949. It's popular in schools because it teaches colors and taking turns. Players work their way around the board by drawing a card and moving to the next matching color space or the location shown on the card. The first player to reach Candy Mountain wins.

Hi Ho Cherry-O is a perfect game for teaching children to count. Counting skills are the key reason this game appears in many preschool and kindergarten classrooms. Players spin the arrow and pick anywhere from one to four cherries. If the arrow stops on the bird or the dog, two cherries are taken from the basket. If the arrow stops on the spilled basket, all of the cherries are removed from the basket. The first player with 10 cherries wins.

Hasbro patented the original Memory game in 1966. It is helpful in teaching memory retention skills. Players turn over cards hoping to find a match. When they do, they get another turn. The game continues until all cards have been removed. The player with the most matches when all the cards are claimed wins.

Games for Kids Over 8

Apples to Apples is an addicting game that starts when one player chooses a topic card. The remaining players look at the cards in their hand and play a card that best matches that topic. The player that chose the topic then picks the winner of that roundthe one with the best match. For example, if the topic is "cold," players might play words like "ice cream" or "snow." The player to win the most rounds at the end of the game wins. Because the game is simple for all ages, it's commonly found in elementary, middle, and high school classrooms.

Scattergories is a timed game that all ages love. Younger children may be able to join in, too, once they can write. Everyone is given a card with different topics and a pad to write one. Someone rolls a dice with the alphabet on it. The timer is set and players begin coming up with words that start with the chosen letter and match the topic. If the letter is "W" and the topic is "animal," you could put walrus or whale. The player with the most approved words wins. The game had a huge following in the late '80s when it came out and soon became a television game show hosted by Dick Clark.

Ticket to Ride came from a relatively unknown company and took the world by storm. Winning multiple awards for game of the year, it's become a favorite game with families on almost every continent. Players follow the quest of Phineas Fogg, a man who decided to travel the world in 80 days. It's now 28 years later, and players must repeat Fogg's quest by collecting train cards as they build a route across the United States. The goal of this strategy game is to connect cities and build the longest route possible.

This article was provided by Anna Roberts, recent college grad and seasoned babysitter. If you’re looking for a more modern approach to board games, check out all the digital versions of these games on the iPad.  And while you’re at it, pick up a Kensington tablet keyboard to enhance your tablet experience.