Time for Family Fun with These 8 Great Old School Games

With most of America gathering with family this week and the kids off of school, some marketing genius in the game industry decided it would be a great time to celebrate National Games and Puzzles Week as a way to remind people that classic board games and puzzles are a great way to spend quality time together. I made a list of 8 of my favorite old school games that are perfect for Family Game Night, snow days or just anytime you want some fun.

Tripoley

Ever since I can remember, after everyone has stuffed themselves on Thanksgiving dinner, we clear off the table for a Tripoley marathon. It is a card game that combines elements of rummy, hearts and poker. Which may sound complicated but is immensely fun. The board and chips we use are older than I am:

You can't have ours, but here's a nice set and you can't beat the deal at under $13.

Scrabble

Thanks to Scrabble Junior even young children can play a modified version of Scrabble. In the junior versions you just match the letters already on the board and score points for completing a word. The classic board is on the other side so you can switch to that version when the kids are ready. And there are plenty of versions. We have the TMNT version with words like "mutant" , "ooze" and "sai".

Dominos

My mom loves playing Dominos with her grandson. He's been able to play for years thanks to versions with pictures of his favorite cartoon characters instead of the dots like this traditional version.

Pass the Pigs

Pass the Pigs is another favorite game in our family. It is suitable for about 3 on up. The pigs are the size of dice so keep away from babies and toddlers. Otherwise the game is easy enough for everyone to play. And I just found this free iPad scoreboard to automatically tally the points for you if you don't feel like working on your addition skills.

 

Parcheesi (or Pahrcheesi)

My brother and I used to play Parcheesi quite a bit. Easy to pick up and loads of fun.

Chinese Checkers

Obviously Chinese Checkers is not a game for little ones that would mistake the marbles for candy.This version of the classic game uses pegs instead of marbles which might help prevent the game being disrupted when the table is bumped and the marbles roll everywhere (wait, is it just me?).

Uno

Whether you go with the original version or a "branded" version Uno is another game that is easily played by a variety of ages.

And to make Uno or any card game easier for little hands or those with arthritis, etc., consider a manual card shuffler and a few playing card holders.

[Tweet "Classic card and board games for your next Family Game night. #familygamenight #oldschool"]

Puzzles

Well, it is Games and Puzzles Week. Floor Puzzles for little ones or 1500 piece masterpieces, puzzles can be a great way to spend time together as a family.

 

If you do opt for the puzzles with more pieces you might want to get a puzzle mat and some puzzle glue to display it when you are done.

 

What are your favorite classic games?