To say that it is normal for families to play board games

[Millimat]

Am I delusional to think that families do this? DH hates playing board or card games and this is influencing my DCs opinions. I’m not on about when children are little and it’s about learning rules and turn taking, I’m on about just as a pastime to do as a family activity.
it’s a lighthearted question but I’m intrigued as to how many of you out there play board and card games at home.

We have what grandson calls "family dinner" so every fortnight or so my adult dc and grandson come here for dinner and afterwards we play board games. It's grandson's favourite day and he wants to arrange the next "family dinner" before he leaves. Dd and I play board games quite often during the week, we don't watch much tv so playing a game together is a way of being together.

I come from a board games family and DH does not. This means that I do make sure the kids regularly play a broad range of games and we also play card games (so i can say stuff like if you're bored but I'm busy see if you can beat clock patience). However, it is hard work always been the one who knows all the rules and needs to manage emotions too (it's okay to beat the kids but if one gets thrashed repeatedly while the other keeps winning there will be a meltdown) - I do look forward to the day I can just play games again without being asked a 1000 questions and having to be careful no-one gets too upset. It is very good for them though so I persist.

Board and cards games are two of the very few things that adult DS still loves doing with us!

My parents weren’t board games players, my Dad liked card games though, we played a lot of that. DH was brought up as a board game family though. I love that we are just getting into it with our oldest, she’s 6 now and it’s the best thing about winter days. Only issue is our youngest is just turned 2 and a destroyer so he’ll just walk over and tip the board over for fun. We have to try and play before he wakes up or during a rare nap 🙁

Love playing games with the DC. They're 6 and 10 so still into more fun, childish ones (Dig In, The Tooth Fairy Game, Guess Who) but DD10 has also started getting into more grown-up games, like Monopoly and Scrabble, and even asked for the Lord Of The Rings Trivial Pursuit for her birthday. Both are absolutely terrible losers though!

We were only allowed to play educational board games as children, which was painfully dull, so I've tried to stock our cupboards with as much choice as possible.

We have a massive collection and play regularly. I've always enjoyed them. Dh is less keen but will play the ones he likes (Chess/Cluedo/Survive the Island/Rainbow Pirates/Exploding Kittens etc). Dc1 adores them and has asked for Hero Quest for his birthday having played it with friends/family. Dc2 is developing an interest.

I think learning to win and lose gracefully is a really important life skill.

We don’t play board games much but we do play cards and Uno.

You might find your area has board game social meet ups, if you might enjoy that. We have quite a few different options in our area.

There's just me and DD7 in our household. We play Guess Who, Cluedo, Kerplunk, Pick up Sticks, Monopoly (her favourite), Snakes and Ladders, Dobble, Uno, Bananagram and others. We are going to try and play Ludo as we were given it for Christmas.

On Christmas and New Year, we play these games with family at their house. We also take some of the games on holiday as we go with other family members and it gives us something to do if it is raining.

I do not want to read all the responses, but the 'known' board games suggested are quite boring. There is a massive world of board games that are extremely exciting.

If you suggest what hobbies or interests you all have, the ages of your children, I could suggest a whole load of games that could interest them.

The rules are a little more complicated than monopoly (an awful game), but most have 'how to play videos'. I can point you to them.

For example, a great family game is: Long Shot Dice Game.

If you all like Downton Abbey, a fantastic game we just played today is: Obsession.

If your children are older (15+) and like reading and mystery solving, then another game is Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective. (We have played 4 of the 8 in the box, only solved 2 cases, but have come close in the other 2 and totally enjoyed the experience.)

Another detective game with very simple rules, a kind of hide and seek game is Scotland Yard. Older children might prefer Letters from Whitechapel.

A deck-builder game that is very cheap, but brilliant, is Star Realms. If there are 4 of you, get the 'Frontiers' box.

Another great set of games is the Clank!! universe. You are trying to delve into a dungeon or space station, trying to be as silent as possible, while getting loot. If you like fantasy go for Clank Catacombs. If you like sci-fi, go for Clank in Space

I am interested in head to head wargames. One of my favourites is Julius Caesar. Only 8 pages of rules, loads of videos of how to play. Absolutely fantastic game. Probably best for 15+ years of age.

Another great wargame series is Axis and Allies.

If you go to Waterstones, there are a lot of interesting games, usually in their basement. Let them look at the boxes, see what takes their interest, get a list, I would be very happy to help. I will tell you how difficult the rules are. Link you to some videos of them being played.

If you tell me which town or city you are close to, I will give you a list of the specialist game stores in your area. They are called FLGS (friendly local game stores) and they are always happy to help, making suggestions of starter games. They would even teach you the rules.

It definitely is still a normal thing. If it wasn’t there wouldn’t be so many games out there with new ones and new variations of classics appearing all the time.

We do - particularly at Christmas, on family holidays or with wider family. We have a very well stocked games cupboard but particularly like Ticket to Ride, Azul, Qwirkle, Carcassone. Secret Hitler is very popular if we have a big group.

We have a 6 year old DS and a baby. We started out playing basic jigsaws and Orchard brand games with DS, then moved on to Jenga, Connect 4, Buckaroo, Snakes and Ladders, etc, now we’re on Scrabble and junior Monopoly. Also play Uno and Happy Families or Top Trumps. As they get older we’ll move on to more sophisticated games/card games.

We generally play every Sunday evening and maybe other nights if time allows, as well as lots at Christmas/school holidays.

It’s a great way of spending time together, being screen free, teaching strategy and game play, and teaching them about how to fill their time with pastimes and not just screens. We also do jigsaws together too.

Some families do and some don’t. Both are pretty normal.

You have some very strong feelings about other people's board games, and outdoor activities, maybe ask yourself why?

I remember I felt very much as you do when I was younger. All that stupid wholesome family stuff wasn't real it was just put on. Behind closed doors, all families were at each other theoats like mine, weren't they.

Well, then I grew up and I met people from different backgrounds and made friends, and met my DH, and realised they were from those mythical loving wholesome families. Shock horror, they really did exist, and there are mums and dads and brothers and sisters who genuinely feel love for each other and actually enjoy each other's company 😲 It was something that felt so totally alien and unreal to me.

The reality was I just grew up in a fucking awful family where people were horrible to each other. It was my normal, but to other people, it's not.

TBH I'm very happy for those other families, I love that they exist. I feel very fortunate to be invited to join in some the loving wholesomeness with them ❤️

Games we play:
Card games - Rummy, Euchre, BlackJack etc
Dobble
Uno
Exploding kittens
Monopoly Go (not the awful crappy board game is hours of boredom)
Trivial Pursuit
Cards against humanity

Board games -
Scrabble
Dominos
Connect4
Carcassonne
Ticket to Ride
Pandemic
Catan

Also - jigsaws.

I fucking love a good jigsaw <saddo>

I think my vote would depend on if you are asking if we "ever" play board games (answer 'yes', we do on holiday, and at Christmas, and possibly one other evening a year) or whether it is a weekly or fortnightly thing or even more often (answer 'no' for us).

But it isn't 'normal' or 'abnormal' anymore than questions like "Is it 'normal' for....."

• families to go to watch rugby or football together every week
• families to go off hiking every week
• families to go to the theatre most months
• families to go to the cinema together
• families to go on camping holidays
• families to listen to classical music

etc etc etc. All families are different. Some do, some don't. My dc, when meeting all sorts of other people once they went to University or started work, have been amazed at the number of people who haven't done all sorts of things they consider to be normal. The rich tapestry of life.

Exactly that @RecordBreakers. It’s important not to be self righteous about our choices.

We play board games one evening every week. I love it.

Why?

We have a games night about once a month, me, DH, and DDs who are 16 & 18 (plus sometimes their boy/girlfriends will join us). We play a variety of things; card games, Risk, Pictionary and a new one we got at Christmas; 'Sounds Fishy', which is lots of fun! We used to play the kids version of Cards Against Humanity, but they're a bit old for that now, and I have no desire to play the adult version with my daughters (especially after my first time playing, before I knew what the game was about, with my in-laws!) The girls really enjoy hanging out all together, and DH and I are grateful for any time they can slot us into their busy lives!

DH and I used to play a lot pre-kids, especially during covid when we couldn't go out. We'd sit in the garden with some games and gin for hours at weekends. We play adult games less now but often play with 4yo DD, her current favourite is a paw patrol version of junior labyrinth. Tbh I must prefer playing a board game than role playing shops (which I will do with her - just like it less)

We love playing monopoly and scrabble.

I also feel like that - prefer board and card games or drawing and colouring to the role play and small world type games. 😝🫣