Like many families, we’ve found ourselves playing a lot more card and board games since the pandemic started. With a five year old and eight year old, it can be quite tricky to find one that everyone can plan and enjoy, especially when things get competitive! Here’s our top picks:
Avocado Smash
What do you get when you combine a simple game of snap with smacking the floor and a load of shouting? Avocado Smash of course! The premise is simple, with each player having numbered cards that they put down in an effort to get rid of their pile first. However, the fun starts when you match two numbers – requiring you to smash your fist on the floor and shout Smash! The slowest player has to pick up all the cards in the pile. There are also other special cards which make the game even trickier, so once you’ve got the hang of it, you can crank the action up.
Dobble
Prepare for your brain to hurt! Dobble is quick fire card game, with 55 cards containing symbols that you have to match. Sounds easy right? But there’s only matching symbol between two cards and when you’re playing against children with much faster brains and better eyesight than you, it’s hard! What’s great is there’s lots of variations of the game to play, so you can do multiple rounds without getting bored. There’s no words on the cards either so it’s perfect for younger children. There are different versions to buy, including Harry Potter and The Gruffalo.
Totes Emosh
Totes Emosh is great for a quick informal game. You each have a ‘key card’ with pictures of popular face emojis. One player picks a card and attempts to make the face, while the other players try to guess which one it is on their key card. Again it’s another one which is great for younger children, as long as they can recognise numbers. My children love playing in the back of the car, because it works just as well with two players.
Go Nuts for Donuts
Mmmmm, doughnuts! Go Nuts for Donuts card game can get very competitive and strategic, but can also just be fun. The objective is to collect doughnut cards, by picking the card that no-one else has. The twist comes where each card has a points or bonus value, to be added up at the end of the game. This one is more complex and takes a longer time to play than the others. You can make it easier by just choosing a card based on the picture, rather than having to read what’s on each one.