Fantastic family game for small children

[grey12]

Hi!

I have small kids almost 4 and 5 (and a baby) and I'm looking for a fantastic family game. Board game, actions, whatever, super flexible with the type.

Let me be very honest: I am struggling with depression and would like something to help me have some nice fun time with the kids. I have been reading about new games that are really something fun and great and I wanted to try something new.

Ideally not something with lots of small pieces (because of the 1yo, she'll grab stuff....) but I would still like to hear about it if you know something really good.

I was going to get "frozen unicorns" but the reviews weren't good.....

Thank you!!!

We love Funny Bunny and play it constantly. It's still going strong with our 7yr old

Penguin pile up is lots of fun - it will depend on motor skills though
Bus stop is an underrated orchard games
We have christmas bingo which is pictures rather than numbers and was great when they were younger.
Misfits

Kersplat- we played over and over during the Powercut at weekend. It’s like frustration with play doh but has the added aspect that players who are behind can easily catch up so you don’t know who’s going to win till they do. All the kids love it and it’s great for teaching them to take turns and build resilience.

@FusionChefGeoff

The orchard games are great for that age. Mine loved Tummy Ache.

Dibble is amazing but maybe a tiny bit old for the 4 yo.

Doing jigsaws together - the 24/48 pieces probably about right.

I love crafting / colouring together with mine. YouTube / Pinterest has loads of really easy ideas. Colouring as an adult is very relaxing and kids love it if we're all sat down doing it together.

My 4yo is surprisingly good at Dobble. Get the Gruffalo version so they know how to describe the symbols. Connect 4 is a classic for a reason.

Also Too many monkeys… fantastic game that again gives opportunity for those behind to catch up. Very clever game - simple to play

We have a charades for kids game where one set of cards have pictures (the rest have words) so the non readers could choose a picture one.
Bugs in the kitchen.
Agree re Orchard games.
Junior Uno is great - ours has animals on as well as the numbers which is great when they are younger.
Suspend?

We have this game called elefun, it's basically a fan in the shape of an elephant and you put in these tiny butterflies that blow up through the trunk and you try to catch them in a net. It plays catchy music, my kids love just dancing around it!

Not really a game, but do you have yoga pretzels? They're cards for kids with yoga poses or meditation on, might be good if you're feeling rotten.

The best game we play is keep the balloon in the air. Your baby might like it too!

We also have a small disco light, on grumpy rainy afternoons it's good to close the curtains and have a boogie.

@rockywilderness

My kids favourite game ever is the spray bottle game (can also use a water pistol). You think of a category, for example Christmas Dinner - and secretly write down your option, i.e Turkey. Everyone takes it in turn to guess an item and whoever guesses the one you wrote down gets sprayed in the face. It's absolutely hysterical - especially as the tension builds - and the kids love spraying us when we lose :-) You have to be slightly careful to set ground rules that its one spray only or you can set off arguments!

I'm totally stealing this idea. And we don't even have any children in this house!

I have a 6 and a 4 year old and our favourite games are currently:

Dobble
Dinosaur Bingo
Shopping Game (an Orchard Games one)
Janod Garden Panic game which they find hilarious.

For Christmas we're getting Sleeping Queens and we're going to start playing Uno more often.

Dobble, definitely. It’s also really portable.

Our favourite orchard games were greedy gorilla and tummy ache.

I had Tummy Ache as a child, we got it from the Blue Peter sale at school (that is how long ago it was) obviously been tweaked over the 30+ years but still as much fun now.

Sometimes the Orchard Games can be a variety on a theme so worth looking carefully. They often pop up in Aldi or Lidl.

Whot is a good game (again from childhood) It is a much simpler version of UNO is the best way to describe it.

www.amazon.co.uk/WHOT-Travel-Tuckbox-Card-Game/dp/B001U0NYXY?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Over the years (my eldest is 15) I have picked up games galore from charity shops, that way we can play them and then send them back after a while.

Twister
I bought it in lockdown 1 for my (then) 4 and 6 year old and it's been a huge hit (bonus for no small bits for baby/to get lost) and it's still fun for adults too. We also got orchard games (shopping list, build a beetle, shoots and spouts) and also Jenga at the same time which are all very much enjoyed, but twister is my fave!

Uno is the only game I found that was fun for both adults and DCs when DCs were 4+. DD2 learnt the rules well and perfected trash talking age 3. She was/is (5yo now) great to play with as her strategy is 'no strategy' or 'beat on Daddy', which makes the game harder for adults to play against (harder to guess what cards she may be holding), and she wins often. It remains a firm favourite, and we now keep a copy permanently in our camping gear.
We liked Hungry Hippos, Pop Up Pirate, Buckaroo, and Kerplunk at 4+ too, but they get boring quickly for the adults.
Dobble is great, but adults have to go easy on DCs unless you want to wipe the floor with them every time (maybe you do...? 😬). DCs are now 5 and 7yo, and we still can't play this without either letting them win or making them cry!

At thag age my DC loved:
Pop up pirate
Shopping list
Hungry hippo
Twister

Taco cat Goat cheese pizza

I saw it first is brilliant - a bit like a bigger version of dibble as you're just racing to spot things (and kids have SUCH sharp eyes!)

Also recommend Pop to the Shops as an orchard toys game - my 5 year old's favourite!

I always wanted Kerplunk growing up and mousetrap!

How about Twister? I suppose it might end in tears. If so, the ancient game of "dead fish" always seems to be a useful way to calm things down (kids have to lay on the floor and try not to move as you tell terrible jokes to make them laugh or make daft noises).

I think my daughter was 4/5 when she started playing Jenga.

We’re a fan of classics!
Hungry Hippos
Buckaroo
Frustration

Orchard Toys do one called Dizzy Donkey which is like a kid friendly twist on charades where you mix up picture cards and act them out, so you might end up being an angry pig, a bee riding a bike or an astronaut playing tennis. All pictures too, so good for little ones.

We also do that game where you pin a picture or a word to your hat and you have to guess what you are by asking everyone questions.

Obama llama is also good, but better for older children.

@Madcats

I always wanted Kerplunk growing up and mousetrap!

How about Twister? I suppose it might end in tears. If so, the ancient game of "dead fish" always seems to be a useful way to calm things down (kids have to lay on the floor and try not to move as you tell terrible jokes to make them laugh or make daft noises).

I think my daughter was 4/5 when she started playing Jenga.

Twister is no good at those ages unless you want to find out what happens when a 15 stone man over stretches and collapses on top of a 4yo... 😂

I also desperately wanted Kerplunk and Mousetrap! We now have Kerplunk, and it is a PITA to reset between each game 😩 I still live in hope that Mousetrap is as good as I imagined!

Lidl have had Christmas themed orchard games in, which are suitable for a 4/5 year old. Orchard games have their own website.

The Crow and Orchard board game is another great collaborative game as you have to work together to collect the fruit before the crow eats it. Haba make a version but there are other ones available too. We had the travel version in a little tin. Shark attack was fun too. A bit like pop up pirate but you take turns to push the shark teeth down until it snaps shut on someone.
Also pass the bomb junior version where you pick a card which has a picture on it eg camping, then you have a ticking bomb which you pass from person to person while thinking of a word eg tent or sleeping bag until somebody is left holding the bomb when it explodes.

@picklemewalnuts

Games to play rather than games in a box-

Hunt the thimble/malteser. Get the children to wait outside the room while you hide a malteser/thimble equivalent item. They come in and look. The one who finds it gets a malteser, then hides it for the next round (with you either helping them hide it or waiting outside with their sibs. Goes on for hours, and you can cheat to make sure everyone wins.

Sardines. One child hides, the rest of you look and as you find them, squeeze into their hiding place.

Pin the tail on the donkey.

Pass the parcel- they can help wrap, then play.

Honestly, the old games can be great.

Sardines sounds like a great game

@picklemewalnuts you made me laugh and I forgot what I was going to say: thanks for the idea of the cool games

@grey12 sardines really can be- especially when child 1 hides under the bed and you find them and are too big to fit in!! So lie there with your bum and legs poking out. It's so silly!

Also, blow malteser- a straw per child, and an obstacle course or football goals on the table. Blow your malteser along it, or play against an opponent. Every goal gets you a malteser.

Eat fresh Maltesers, not the one you've been playing with! They get damp and hairy....
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