Your Move

High-scoring board and card games for family game night

By Malia Jacobson

Bringing the family together for game night — what could be simpler? Families hit the game cabinet hard in 2020, fueling 20 percent growth in the board games market. But after a long pandemic year of rolling the same dice or shuffling the same cards, you may be feeling less than inspired. We get it. Here are 9 parenttested picks, complete with familyfriendly food pairings.

1. Chickapig: A Farm to Table Game

Price: $25 Type: board Number of players: 2–4 Best for: ages 8 and older Plan to spend: 30–60 minutes Pairs with: crunchy veggies, such as carrots, radishes and sugar snap peas

This classic family board game feels as fresh as farm produce with its simple design, wooden game pieces and organic, folksy appeal. A collaboration between game creator and guitar maker Brian Calhoun (of Rockbridge Guitars) and musician Dave Matthews, this strategy game features fantastical creatures, hay bales and enough manure to keep kids giggling. “Not going to lie, I totally bought it because Dave Matthews is involved,” says Tacoma parent Breeayn Douhit. “Glad I did, though — it’s surprisingly fun!”

2. Sleeping Queens

Price: $10 Type: card Number of players: up to 5 Best for: ages 8 and older Plan to spend: 20 minutes Pairs with: milk and cookies

When it’s been a long week and you’re beat, remember that family game night doesn’t need to last for hours or drain every last bit of your energy. Sleeping Queens is a blessedly brief card game for the grade-school set that was invented by an imaginative 6-year-old. Play multiple rounds for a longer game night or keep the evening short and sweet with a single 20-minute session.

3. Kids Against Maturity

Price: $30 Type: card Number of players: 4–8 Best for: ages 10 and older Plan to spend: 30–90 minutes Pairs with: kid-friendly snacks, from fruit roll-ups to cheese and crackers

If you want to share the hilarity of the wildly popular Cards Against Humanity (CAH) game with your kids but can’t quite countenance its famously R-rated content, look no further. Aimed at kids who are outgrowing the much tamer Apples to Apples game but aren’t ready for CAH, Kids Against Maturity is suited for family play. Players combine words and phrases to uproarious effect, with plenty of silliness and potty-themed humor to keep kids completely entertained.

4. Splendor

Price: $45

Type: card and token Number of players: 2–4 Best for: ages 10 and older Plan to spend: 30 minutes Pairs with: jewel-tone gummies

School-age kids who love Minecraft or simply appreciate a well-crafted strategy game will enjoy Splendor. Players are merchants attempting to build a collection of gem mines and shops by collecting jewel-tone chips to acquire points. The game has a historical feel without a complicated narrative, so families can easily enjoy it over and over again.

5. What Do You Meme? Family Edition

Price: $20 Type: card Number of players: 4–8 Best for: ages 8 and older Plan to spend: 30–60 minutes Pairs with: hot cocoa bombs or another Instagram-worthy snack

Having trouble finding a game even hardto-please teens will love? Entice reluctant game-nighters back to the table with this sidesplitting family edition of the popular What Do You Meme? party game. Players use 300 caption cards and 65 photo cards to create the funniest memes, as decided by a rotating judge. Simple enough to play after a tiring day of work and/or remote schooling, this affordable game deserves a spot in your feed (or game cabinet).

6. Gnomes at Night

Price: $22 Type: board Number of players: 2–4 Best for: ages 6 and older Plan to spend: 15 minutes Pairs with: Bugles corn snacks (aka gnome hats)

Searching for a kid-friendly game that’s more collaborative and less cutthroat? If highly competitive games are too intense for your younger children, check out Gnomes at Night, a cooperative maze

game that allows players to work together. The game builds decision-making and communication skills as players team up to maneuver adorable magnetic gnomes through a maze.

7. Sorry Classic Edition

Price: $18 Type: board Number of players: 2–6 Best for: ages 6 and older Plan to spend: 30–45 minutes Pairs with: Twizzlers, Ritz Crackers or Tootsie Pops (all popular 1930s snack foods)

Patented in the 1930s, Sorry is a classic board game that grandparents will remember and kids still love. Players attempt to knock one another out of the game — “Sorry!” (not sorry) — as they race around the board. The game reinforces sportsmanship and strategy with a fastmoving, familiar feel. The original version has spawned many spin-offs; unlike more modern editions that incorporate electronics, this version of Sorry features classic graphics and is 100 percent unplugged.

8. Ticket to Ride

Price: $54 Type: board Number of players: 2–5 Best for: ages 8 and older Plan to spend: 30–60 minutes Pairs with: classic travel snacks (pretzels, peanuts and popcorn)

Kids who are outgrowing their childhood train set — or adults who never did — will love Ticket to Ride, a route-building strategy game on rails. The game takes players on a cross-country train adventure, on which longer routes equal more points. Devoted riders can add to their collections with the USA 1910 expansion set or the Ticket to Ride Europe edition. 9. Poetry for Neanderthals

Price: $20 Type: card Number of players: 2 or 4 Best for: ages 7 and older Plan to spend: 15 minutes Pairs with: nuts (or allergen-free alternative), seeds and dried berries

Fans of the uproarious Exploding Kittens card game will recognize its signature irreverent illustrations in Poetry for Neanderthals. This competitive word-guessing game takes just a few minutes to learn, so you can spend less time explaining the rules and more time cracking up together. It takes just 15 minutes to play, so you can play multiple rounds or squeeze in a quick game night before tuck-in. ■ Malia Jacobson is a health and family journalist.

Little Flower Day Care and Learning Center

• Early childhood Montessori program (2½-6 years) • Summer program with outdoor play and activities • Located in Issaquah

Now enrolling for 2021-2022 School Year and 2021 Summer Program littleflowerlearning.com

FULL YEAR & SUMMER SCHOOL

FOUNDATION GRADES 1-8 MIDDLE SCHOOL GRADES 6-9

info@morningsideacademy.org 901 Lenora Street. Seattle, WA • 206.709.9500