Game Recommendations: Family - Young Elementary

 I'm back with another game recommendation list! 

Here's a list of some of our favorite games for young elementary school students (I'll say grade 1-3). Stanley finished first grade and started second grade this year (6 turned 7) and these recommendations are based on him.

It can be a weird age for games because they are really outgrowing some of the younger games, but aren't quite competitive enough to only be playing more strategic games. We love lightweight strategy games (see last list) and although most of them have simple enough mechanics that he can play along just fine, he loses almost every time only playing with adults - and really that's not any fun!  

Here are some of his favorites that are solid family games that are interesting enough for adults (in my opinion - obviously everyone's game preferences will vary). 

1. Dragonwood. 

This is probably hands down his favorite game. And while I would never choose it on my own, I really never mind when he does. It's a fun themed dice game and while there is definitely an element of luck, I love that it offers a lot of room for simple strategy. It's a really great family game!
*And the amount of simple addition and probability included makes it more effective than a math worksheet! 

2. Dinosaur Tea Party. 

This is probably in competition for his favorite (and definitely one of my top favorites on this list). It is a super fun deduction game. I love that there is no down time, and you always have to pay attention to what the other guesses/answers are. There are some fun quirks that keep it fun and interesting. The artwork, the dinosaur's names and the theme just take it over the top. Another super solid family game!
*This one really flexes those deductive reasoning/logic/problem solving muscles 

3. Guess Who.

Do we really need another deduction game on this list? Well I guess we do. This one is the perfect 2 player game for kids. If you are only going to pick one, I would definitely recommend Dinosaur Tea Party first, but classic Guess Who is still worth noting - mostly because it's really easy to find at thrift stores!
*Another information processing/logic game!

4. Mastermind.

Another classic game. This one is so quick, it's the current leader for game plays with Stanley this year (at 38). Also, it one was 0ne of my favorites as a child as well! The first couple times we played I had to summarize everything a few times to help him process the information appropriately so he could think through before making his next move. But he caught and now he's quick. 
*And yet another deductive reasoning game. I spy a theme here. 

5. Sleeping Queens. 

It's a quickie and you already know how I feel about those. Sleeping Queens is a pretty great game of luck, memory and press your luck. There is also a fun little math element thrown in the mix. 

6. Forbidden Island.

I said it once, i'll say it again. Everyone needs a good cooperative game in the mix. This is definitely Stanley's favorite coop game. Cooperative games are great because it invites discussion on strategy and therefore helps the younger ones understand why and how there can be multiple "good moves" to make and what to think about to make the best one. 
*5 Stars for learning to be part of a team and thinking through decisions.

 7. Ghost Fightin' Treasure Hunters 

Another cooperative game. I think his favorite part are the little ghost figures that always end up on his fingers when we play this game. I like that this one has additional rules and cards to add in when you get the hang of it or just want to face a deeper challenge. I love the idea of "levels" built into a game that you can pick depending on who you are playing with. This one can get quite challenging!
*Another great teamwork game!

8. Camp.

This one is on this list because Stanley LOVED it at the beginning of the year and still chooses it fairly often, but full disclosure, I often want to hide it from him. It's just fine. It's an animal/outdoor trivia (which he loves anyway because he thinks he's the smartest), but what brings it over the top for him is the little decoder card used to reveal the right answer. It just brings lots of excitement when you're 6&7. 
*Aside from the science facts, reading the cards is also great reading practice! The decoder brings enough excitement for them to want to read all the cards to everyone. 

9. Trekking the National Parks. 

I very reluctantly didn't include this one on my list of favorites. I love all the trekking games - I even backed Trekking the World on Kickstarter. I think it may be the themes that really do it for me, though. They are simple, fun, family games.
*The gameboard is a (distorted) US Map. So this is basically better than geography class. We love that kind of covert learning.

10. Battle Sheep.

Haha this one definitely looks like a kids game, but I would be lying if I said I haven't played it with just adults before (haha shall we blame the pandemic shut down?) It's simple enough but has a surprising amount of strategy! It gives me a slight checkers vibe, but has much more to it. 

The next 2 were on my favorites list but still deserve to be on this one as well. 

11. Ubongo.

A Tetris-style speed puzzle game. As I mentioned on my last list, Stanley has legitimately beat me on some of the puzzles. 

12. Double Ditto.

Our family loves word games like Buzzword, Scattergories, Anomia, 5 Second Rule, etc. But those can be difficult with a wider range of ages - Double Ditto is one that is fun for all and it really evens the playing field. 
 

And while we're talking about games that are great for a wide range of ages, i'll add in a bonus:

13. Telestrations. 

This is a really fun mash-up of Pictionary and Telephone. We have the party pack so up to 12 people can play at a time! It really bridges the gap across generations. A really great family game that will get everyone laughing! 

And while I can never leave my lists at 10, here are some honorable mentions. 

Sushi Go
Zeus on the Loose 
Rory's Story Cubes
Tenzi
Qwirkle
Cauldron Quest
Labyrinth 
Kingdomino (I think he will enjoy this one, I just haven't played it with him yet). 

Game Recommendations

 Okay since I did the post on toys, I now want to do a post on my other favorite topic – GAMES!

I love a good board game. Not the super long, super strategic, heavyweight “gaming” games – but quick, lightweight strategy games are totally my jam!
I’m trying to think of my top ten favorite games (I think this may be what it feels like when people try picking their favorite child).
But here it goes (in no particular order – because that would be WAY too hard):

1.       Carcassonne

An excellent tile placement game. I love this one because I think it spans all ages and ability levels. Young kids can understand the simple mechanics but there’s enough depth involved to not just hold an adult’s attention, but makes them want to come back for more - we almost always play it more than once in a sitting. (Plus there are a variety of expansions to choose from should you want to include them). Pretty much all the adults here are always down for a game of Carcassonne (and we definitely can’t say that about many games). it’s a relatively quick game, very easy to explain, and most notably, set up takes about 30 seconds. 2 thumbs up for sure!

2.       Splendor

I have to admit I judged this game by its cover so it took me awhile before I looked into it much. After seeing it recommended again and again it started to pique my interest. I was happy to see my aunt brought it to Idaho for our Girls Weekend in March. I fell in love the second I played it. (I also won the second time I played it haha). I immediately regretted not buying it when I had seen it go on sale because I had to wait many months for another good enough price!
It’s a card drafting and set collection game and honestly might be my very favorite (an always changing target). Also, it’s almost scary how completely silent the game usually is as we are all deep in thought, strategizing for our future in jewels.

3.       Sagrada

I love abstract games and I also love dice games so this one really speaks to me. Plus, I super love the puzzle-y element that this one includes. It’s definitely a think-y game, but since it’s paired with dice (aka LUCK) it makes for a fun (and frustrating) combination. At its simplest, just completing your grid (puzzle) with the rolls of the dice, adhering to placement rules, is a feat on its own, but then throw in the play order and trying to get what you need before someone takes it, tool cards and secret objectives that are different each game and even the strategy of choosing the grid (puzzle) to complete in the first place just adds more layers of greatness.
This one also has a solid solo variation. Highly Recommend.

4.       Azul

Another abstract strategy game with tile placement and set collection. It’s similar to Sagrada but different enough to be worth having both (in my opinion). There’s more player interaction in Azul – for better or for worse; as you can more easily strategize to change the course for your opponents, compared to Sagrada which is much more of a multi-player solitaire game.
I’ve had this one a lot longer and therefore played it more times, it’s just a really solid one. It’s simple enough to grasp, but the more you think about it the more complex it becomes. It requires planning ahead while also adapting to an ever-changing game state, with a little luck mixed in.

5.       Kingdomino

A card drafting, tile placement game. I initially got this one to play with my nephew, but Rachel, Mariah and I play it all the time ourselves (and actually I haven’t even played it with Stanley yet – he mostly prefers playing games he’s already played and not new ones).  It’s quick (and another 30 second set-up game #veryimportanttome) and has a good amount of strategy. (Ha, and also spatial reasoning which was hard to adjust to in the beginning). I love that it is like a new puzzle to solve each time, and you always need to adjust your approach for the tiles that become available on your turn. It’s another one that appears simple but has enough depth for adults. I also have and love Queendomino, but sometimes simpler is better, you know? But I love them so much I recently purchased the Age of Giants expansion – but haven’t played it yet. I’ll report back.   (They also have a kids version – Dragomino, that’s also fun and Gordon who is 3 and not super into games can play that one fine!)

6.       Trellis

This is another abstract strategy one that I just love. It is just a nice, quick, relaxing, visually satisfying good game. It’s one that if you’re not careful you may just end up making some non-competitive choices just for visual satisfaction. (haha, that would be me – I often just cannot help it. And yet I never regret it). It’s hard to be mad about losing this one – it just puts you in a good mood. It’s a very light strategy game that is definitely worth it in my opinion!
Also there is a pretty strong first player advantage so we’ve come up with some good house rules to mitigate that a little. (only having one card at a time; or picking 3 but not refilling your hand until you’ve played all your tiles). 
We’ve also just used the pieces to see if we can match all the vines.

 

7.       Ubongo

A tetris-like speed puzzle game. Another one that is fun for all ages (a great family game!). There is definitely an advantage for whoever finishes their puzzle first (and second in a 3+ player game), but they tried to throw in some curve balls (read: luck) with the scoring by also picking gems/points from a blind bag, this somewhat evens the playing field from being a straight up race and makes it more fun for kids to play along and not feel like they are being obliterated the whole time.  But if you’re playing with vastly different ages and stages, the younger ones may not be that competitive. That being said, my 7-year-old nephew has genuinely solved many of the puzzles faster than me.

8.       Double Ditto

Okay while we’re on the subject of family games, I’ll add Double Ditto. We are always on the lookout for good games that lots of players (like 5-12) can play at once that are fun for a wide range of ages (like 6-60). This one fits the bill. We grew up playing Scattergories, and while that one will always have a place in my heart, I think I like Double Ditto more. They are similar in gameplay, but are actually more like opposites. In Double Ditto you want to write what other people write and alliteration doesn’t matter (making it much easier for the first and second grade crowd to enjoy). It’s very simple: read a category card aloud and everyone writes down 2 things in that category. Truly, sometimes simple is best. And this one is definitely simple without being boring. It’s also much less competitive than Scattegories (we’ve had some epic arguments over the years – and thus had to implement the infamous “vote with your fingers, not your mouth!”) But Double Ditto always brings laughs and you really get to see how different everyone’s brains are. Such a good one!!

9.       Word on the Street

I always love a good word game and right now this one is my favorite! It’s a 2 team word party game – making it a great one for large families/gatherings (we’ve played it as just a 2 player game as well as up to 8 people – you potentially could do more, but more isn’t always merrier). Plus it’s simple to play and explain (and it’s great for spelling practice!) This game is unique because you have to think about all the letters a word contains to maximize your turn, so it’s much more strategic than many word recall games, but you also aren’t completely limited to specific letters like in Scrabble or Upwords.  The best of both worlds! Having a big vocabulary is helpful, but not as helpful as quickly coming up with lots of things in your category to choose the best one for the current state of the game. A sand timer adds stress, but also moves the game along as turns are only 30 seconds. It’s the perfect mash-up of a word recall/trivia-like, word, party game!
And let’s just give a shout out to our honorable mention: Bananagrams - because that’s just a classic (and totally closed the door on Scrabble and Upwords for me because it's similar but SO MUCH more enjoyable I never want to play the other ones).

10.   Anomia

Very surprisingly, not a lot of quick category trivia/word recall games are on this list yet. We will remedy that now! Word recall is probably my favorite type of party game, and Anomia is such a good one. For one, it’s quick and simple both to explain and to play; and two, there is absolutely no down time. While there is a turn order for flipping cards into your pile, everyone is essentially playing at the same time and you always have to be paying attention. When the symbol on your card matches the symbol on someone else’s card, which can happen at any time, you two are in a face off and must say something in the category on the other person’s card before they say something from the category on your card. It always brings the laughs and you may end up surprised at what your brain knows that your consciousness didn’t. Or why a random color comes out of your mouth when you’re supposed to be saying a cereal name. I think its sweet spot is between 4-6 players, but can be played with more if needed.

11.   Forbidden Desert

I love the whole Forbidden series trio, but this one remains my favorite. We all need a good cooperative game in the mix. This one has some set collection aspects and each player has a role with special powers/advantages that I enjoy.  While vey similar in mechanics to Forbidden Island, there are other elements that make it more complex – like multiple ways to die! Plus there is an always- shifting board which always keeps things interesting and challenging. It took a couple game plays before we even won for the first time – in a 3+ player game, we rarely win if we don’t have the water guy.

12.   Rummikub

This one and Yahtzee I just can’t not include on any favorites list. This one was my favorite game for… I think my whole life? (the only other games that I can think of that could have competed for a season would be Parcheesi, Mastermind and Stratego). But I'm pretty sure this one always reigned supreme. All I really know is that I have A LOT of Rummikub game plays under my belt.
I especially love (and sometimes hate) the many possible combinations of sets and runs and the constant re-arranging of the tiles. It’s super puzzle-y and gives the brain a good workout!

13.   Yahtzee

Ahh, our most played game of 2020. We played it 113 times in May alone. It must go on this list. Many of the older, “classic” games of my childhood didn’t age well for me – they really pale in comparison to the games they make now. But Yahtzee is one that still holds our attention (clearly). In my opinion, it’s definitely one of the best classics! And I don’t think it’s just the reminiscent factor – Yahtzee just passes the test of time for me. Plus it’s probably the reason I love dice games so much.  It’s a super quick, dice rolling game of probability!

14.   Pandemic

Because really, who can compile a list of games in 2020 and not include Pandemic?? (and also I wasn’t going to stop at 13!)  This is another cooperative game that actually has near identical mechanics to Forbidden Island (the actions you take, the routine of a turn, etc.), so if you've played that one, this one will feel like a familiar friend. But with a a more intense theme (or is that just 2020 talking) and bigger scope (you have to travel all over the world, whereas traveling in Forbidden Island is much simpler), you may find that this "familiar friend" is not quite as friendly. Essentially, it’s just a much bigger challenge for us. We don’t get this one out a ton, but it’s always enjoyable when we do. Even though we lose more than we win.

Okay I couldn’t stop at 10 – but I’ll end here.

I also didn’t add card games because that would just really complicate things.
But for the sake of not leaving them out I’ll add::

Five Crowns (my favorite for YEARS) – and I once played a game with a score of 0! (which yes, it was a check off of my bucketlist). 

SET (another classic). I used to be really good, but I am definitely losing my touch. 

6 Nimmt. It's super quick, super simple, but not boring. A real winner here. 

SkyJo. Yes, it is just the classic game golf with a few twists, so you don't need the game. I still love it though. And sometimes having a physical card game reminds you to play it more. I mean, I also have Play Nine which is also just the game of golf with slightly different twists than Skyjo. I just keep Play Nine in my car for when on-the-road game emergencies emerge.

The Game. It's fun, yet maddening, yet always keeps you coming back for more.  We always think we're really bombing it and then when we get to the end we're always closer than we thought.
This one also has a great solo variation. 

Cover Your Assets. Grandpa Beck always has the best instructions that make you want to laugh out loud. This one is best with 3+ players and leaves lots of room for strategy, stealing and fun. 

Skip Bo. How many times can I say, sometimes simple is best!

 

I left some real gems off of this list, so I may have to make this a regular thing (I love a good list!).